Forest Whitaker

Interview By: J.P. Mangalindan
JPMangalindan@TheCinemaSource.com

Forest Whitaker is just as you might imagine him: tall, hulking, a veritable teddy bear. Because meeting him in person only reinforces the earnestness and likeability this seasoned 44-year-old actor exudes in film, regardless of the role. In his current project, Kevin Macdonald's The Last King of Scotland, Whitaker's sensitive portrayal of Ugandan president, Idi Amin, never fully condemns Amin as a brutal monster, but paints him as a more complex creature--a charming politician blinded by his totalitarian power.

In 1971, Amin seized control of the Ugandan government with a well-timed coup. Within months of taking office, Amin began a long-running democide, in which the government murdered hundreds of thousands'an exact number was never determined'that ended when Amin's rule collapsed eight years later.

Despite the atrocities Amin committed, many Ugandans recall Amin's rule with mixed emotions. 'They were really conflicted,' says Whitaker, who spent time with Ugandans during production, soaking in the country's rich culture and history. 'They recognize the horrible things he's done but they also recognize that he did a lot of great things for them and the country, so it becomes this really odd sort of dichotomy.

'But there's all kinds of positive things that the Ugandans [think of] when they reference Idi Amin. He was a great friend to many people; he had a great sense of humor; he loved to party. Initially, he was trying to do something he thought was good for the country. He was known for his loyalty to his troops, into making sure their welfare was taken care of. Yeah, there were a lot of things you could point to on that side of him'or else he would never have stayed in power for so long.'

Based on Giles Foden's novel, The Last King of Scotland revisits Amin's rule from a fictional perspective, exploring the friendship between Scottish physician Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy) and Amin. Garrigan, a recent medical school grad eager to practice his medical skills to make a difference, travels to Uganda. When he encounters Idi Amin, who has just rammed his Maserati into a cow, he amazes the newly-installed president with his audacity and pluck, so much so that Amin makes the Scotsman his personal physician. The job appointment sparks a convoluted friendship that frays when Garrigan witnesses Amin's reign of terror firsthand.

Whitaker admits portraying Amin was more challenging than many of his previous performances.

'I had so many technical things I had to deal with: with the accent, with learning Swahili, with the accordion, the history, the speech, lowering my voice, and so many other things,' he admits. Part of his preparation involved an immersion into Uganda's history and people--Whitaker even interviewed people who knew Amin.

'My assistant and my driver, we became friends. They brought me deep into the culture. Of course, I had to meet with Idi Amin's people. His brothers and sisters. His ministers, his generals, girlfriends. I met with so many different people. I also spent time in Uganda, from the palaces to the mosques to Tikki marches through the streets with the people.' He admits his experiences changed him as a person and helped him identify with Amin's larger-than-life persona.

'He's much more of a bigger figure,' he explains. 'He's much more external than I am. I'm a more internal person. But certainly, there are things that I can relate to: [my] paranoia, my fears, my anger. You can't just manufacture everything. You have to come from some place of truth inside of yourself in order to play some of it.'

Whitaker has several high-profile upcoming projects due out: the Rashomon-like presidential thriller, Vantage Point, starring Dennis Quaid ('It takes the same 15 minutes from the point of view of four different people.'), the Chinese parable-ish film, The Air I Breathe, with Whitaker as 'Happiness,' and Spike Jonze's much-awaited adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, Where The Wild Things Are. As an afterthought, Whitaker trails off. 'I'm kind of deciding what I'm going to do next. I just choose stuff that appeals to me and some of the projects worked out pretty well''

That's an understatement.