‘Presumed Harmless’s O-T Fagbenle On His “Annoying” Accent

In actual life, O-T Fagbenle is fast to snicker, which is a departure from the characters which have put the actor on the map. Since 2017, the native Brit has performed the perpetually frightened husband of June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) on The Handmaid’s Story. He subsequent took on the problem of portraying Barack Obama on The First Girl, then annoyed financier Cameron Lautner on WeCrashed. Fagbenle’s character on Presumed Harmless, prosecuting legal professional Nico Della Guardia, doesn’t have a lot motive to smile both, as he tries to land one among his personal workers members behind bars. However none of those heavy narratives cease Fagbenle from completely having fun with the place he’s in. “I’d like to maintain doing roles which are politically and philosophically subversive, that problem the best way we have a look at issues,” he says. “In the end that’s the perfect a part of artwork.”

DEADLINE: If you decide to a personality, you actually commit. As you’re searching for tasks, is the flexibility to create somebody, virtually on a mobile stage, a draw for you?

O-T FAGBENLE: Completely it’s. It’s what actually excites me. It’s humorous as a result of typically there’s a middle of gravity across the final efficiency you probably did. And since Luke from Handmaid’s Story has fairly a giant sense of gravity, a lot of elements like that come by my manner. So, I’m actually excited when one thing totally different comes by, as a result of it provides me an opportunity to leap into a totally new world. I obtained that lots in my early profession once I was doing theater. I’d be doing such a variety of roles. I’m excited that, this yr, I’ve managed to leap into some totally different stuff.

DEADLINE: Let’s begin with Presumed Harmless. What was the attraction of that undertaking?

FAGBENLE: I imply, what’s there to not like?

DEADLINE: Possibly the truth that it was carried out rather well beforehand?

FAGBENLE: Typically you suppose, why can’t you simply depart good alone? It’s arduous to enhance on it. However the crew—our administrators [Greg Yaitanes and Anne Sewitsky], our author [David E. Kelley]—was so thrilling they usually had their very own authentic voices. I used to be very interested by how that will come collectively. After which, to be trustworthy, I’m only a massive fan of Jake [Gyllenhaal]’s work. I believe he’s extraordinary. And Peter [Sarsgaard], as effectively. I’ve identified Ruth [Negga] for a very long time. So, the forged was superb, and it seemed like a extremely nice crew to be part of. Additionally, I learn the half, and two issues occurred. On one facet, I learn what had been written, what was meant for that half. However I additionally had this different concept about it. I simply was like, “Oh, this could possibly be actually fascinating.” There was a manner of doing this man in a manner that’s extra, I don’t know, distinctive, so that you simply would possibly really feel extra ambivalent about him.

DEADLINE: What was your concept for Nico Della Guardia? What would make him distinctive?

FAGBENLE: In preparation, I went and watched a bunch of politicians—politicians who had regulation levels—and once I actually began learning them, they’re a bizarre bunch, to be trustworthy. They’re fairly idiosyncratic. There’s this performative facet to them, which on one hand have to be adaptive, as a result of it helped them get elected, and then again appears so inauthentic that it’s unusual that anyone would need to be led by these kind of individuals. So, I assumed it was an fascinating dichotomy there to be performed, the place on one hand you might have intelligence and competence—they’re perhaps articulate, verging on verbose like myself—however then again, you’ve simply obtained somebody who’s smarmy, inauthentic and power-hungry and desperately making an attempt to cover it. I simply turned fascinated with these individuals.

DEADLINE: What’s the primary impression you need individuals to have of this character?

FAGBENLE: To some extent I attempt to keep away from fascinated about what individuals will take into consideration the character. However I get your query. I type of had a touchstone concept for Nico, which was that he felt not solely that he was superior to all people else, however everybody else was a fucking imbecile. In England, there’s a present, Black Adder, with Rowan Atkinson, and it’s traditional British comedy. He’s the archetype of this one who is simply completely infuriated that everyone is beneath him, not as sensible as him and in the best way of his political machinations. So, [with Nico] it’s that battle between his excessive opinion of himself and his low opinion of all people else.

DEADLINE: Nicely, I’m glad I learn it proper. How enjoyable is that to play?

FAGBENLE: Oh, it’s actually enjoyable. And, I suppose, considerably helpful, as a result of it could possibly be simple to get on set with Peter and Jake and play small round them, as a result of they’re nice – and on set, they’re fucking powerhouses. They’re not pulling punches. They’re going for it. They’ve obtained a lot confidence, power and talent. So, it was fairly good enjoying somebody who might have a look at their characters and simply be like, “You idiots.” It’s actually enjoyable. And the wonderful thing about each Peter and Jake is that they’re recreation to play. There may be nothing that you possibly can throw them that will put them off. They’re similar to, “Oh, yeah, carry it, carry it, carry it.” And that type of angle led to it feeling electrical on set. Something might occur.

DEADLINE: The accent. How did you come to that?

FAGBENLE: You already know what’s humorous? I by no means get to do my very own accent as a result of even when I’m enjoying English, my accent has been influenced by America and Nigeria sufficient that even English individuals typically ask me the place I’m from. So in each single character, I’m making some type of selection. It simply so occurred that on this one, once I was learning these politicians, I used to be like, “They’ve bizarre voices.” They’ve obtained these peculiar methods of phrasing issues. I began learning all probably the most annoying voices I might consider. Probably the most smarmy ones, like Alan Rickman in Die Exhausting. I speak concerning the dangerous man from Ghostbusters lots. Yeah, I actually had that voice someplace in me, so I carved it out, and I labored with some dialect coaches. Joe Gold is likely one of the guys who helped me discover the middle of that voice. And, yeah, it brought about fairly a stir [Laughs].

DEADLINE: Do accents come naturally to you? You’re on No Good Deed subsequent, and that could be a utterly totally different accent.

FAGBENLE: You already know, I’m dangerous at accents, and once I say that, I imply, I’ve no expertise for it. For me, going from my English accent to my first American accent, it took 1000’s of hours of labor. Exhaustive. Individuals wouldn’t suppose I used to be good at accents in the event that they knew how arduous I labored on them, as a result of they might simply be like, “In fact, in case you spend all these hours, you’d have the ability to try this.” However after studying that I might work exhaustively on an accent, then I used to be like, “Oh, I can do that for plenty of issues.” And it turned out that I had a lot of various kinds of accents. But it surely’s not as a result of I had any pure expertise. I’m so jealous of actors I meet who can simply roll off 20 accents, they usually put hardly any work into them. That’s not how my ear works, sadly.

DEADLINE: You’re at the moment in your sixth season of The Handmaid’s Story. How has it been to take a seat in that character for therefore lengthy, always worrying about your spouse?

FAGBENLE: I do know. All of the trauma that’s Handmaid’s. It’s been one of many biggest items of my life and profession to work on materials, which is each artistically of the best stage, but in addition philosophically and politically compelling and related to the occasions. And, together with that, to have an opportunity to work with everybody from Elizabeth Moss to Reed Morano, to Samira Wiley. Furthermore, even eight years into taking pictures, individuals flip as much as that set able to get it. There is no such thing as a complacency, no phoning it in. Individuals care. And as any person who cares lots about my artwork, there’s nothing that excites me greater than working with sensible individuals for whom that is their ardour, their vocation.

DEADLINE: Your profession now has numerous momentum. Should you have been to be middle stage, what’s the dream function?

FAGBENLE: Middle stage isn’t probably the most thrilling factor for me. I performed Mercutio—it’s a significantly better half than Romeo. And attending to spend time with Peter was actually fascinating to me, as a result of I simply suppose he’s had such an excellent profession, and it’s centered round working with the greats. I’d like to work with the greats and maintain doing a variety of roles, doing issues which are politically and philosophically subversive, issues that problem the best way we have a look at issues, as a result of I believe in the end that’s the perfect a part of artwork, that it helps us not solely see our personal lives and emotions and relationships anew, however provides us typically a brand new manner of trying on the world. That actually motivates me.

Presumed Harmless is now streaming on Apple TV+.