Amar Chadha-Patel
Amar Chadha-Patel is a British-Indian actor, director, and writer, who stars as Boorman in the series “Willow” and is known for his roles in the TV series “The Third Day” (2020), ”Dashcam” (2021), “Aladdin” (2019), and “Year of the Rabbit” (2019). WILLOW is available to watch exclusively on Disney+.
You star as Boorman in the Disney+ series “Willow.” What are some references that helped build the character to fit the series?
Boorman, is in essence, a classic 'rogue with a heart gold' archetype. When the first audition pages / casting breakdown came in, he was described as the "Han Solo/Jack Sparrow of the group." Immediately millions of references flooded my mind amongst those two. Inego Montoya from “Princess Bride” and some of the cutting, stoic sarcasm of “Hellboy” in the comics. Having grown up on 90s escapism I knew exactly what I was going to do and what he needed to be. Not much changed from those first tapes. But with the showrunner Jon Kasdan and the other head creatives, we managed to make Boorman more 3-dimensional. Toshiro Mifune as Kikuchiyo in “Seven Samurai” was also a huge physical reference. He has this messy and dirty caged tiger-esq gait that Jon and I wanted to channel. Boorman is an interesting character because beneath all his cynicism and humor, he's deeply troubled and just as eager to prove himself as some of the younger characters.
With Val Kilmer’s legacy as Madmartigan, what aspects of his role really inspired you?
I tried not to step on what Val did. It's such an iconic performance and the first of its kind in some ways. I knew bringing the levity was the primary way I would channel what he brought to the original. But I was also keen to make Boorman my own. Val's performance along with the general tone of the film were so bonkers and unique that I just tried to channel that absurd physical comedy and off-kilter delivery.
You co-wrote, starred and edited the short film “Behind the Mask.” How do you think the overall commentary of the film provides greater insight into our societal standards?
Wow…you actually know about that? Great. It's simple really. Director Simon Matthews asked me to write a short 2min film for him to direct, and then he, unbeknownst to me, asked Elena Saurel (co-writer and co-star) to write one as well. So, we teamed up. But in a fit of writer's block and misguided selfishness, we ended up admitting to each other that we actually said 'yes' because we wanted to write something primarily for our showreels. Then we were really disgusted because that was our intention rather than an actual plot/story. We decided to expose ourselves and make it about that: the self-centered nature of self-promotion. Having both become actors later in life and not being traditionally trained, we have both had experience with 'trained' actors, who find a need to always perform, even when off camera. There is this intense pressure actors sometimes feel to be 'noticed' and it's not a charming quality. We wanted to channel that and make it a 'dick waving' contest between two men because that toxic male behavior is something that is so embarrassing to be forced to endure everywhere. I guess the larger point also is showing men forced into this corner by the patriarchy to be awful, awful beings. Men are trash. We then included lots of improvised scenes by other incredible actors playing crew members, to contextualize the mythology actors believe about themselves. It didn't do well on the festival circuit. I think we annoyed a lot of people. We're just blaming Covid for that though.
You’ve starred as Preacher in “The Third Day” and Stretch in” Dashcam.” How do you add an element of the fantastical with all of your characters?
I have always thought of myself as a character actor so I try to push to an extreme in everything I do. I'm not overly concerned with my appearance either. I've always had a loud face (it was once described as "a bag of ferrets fighting") so I bring a character dimension to the characters I play. Honestly, the hard part is striking a balance and oscillating between this and a naturalistic performance so that I can keep the characters grounded. I find myself always searching for the nuanced moments between the lines to inform the character. That for me is where the fantastical elements lie.
In addition to acting, you have written and directed Do you have a favorite among the three?
They all feed into each other. I am aching to direct again and will soon hopefully. Ultimately, they're all rooted in the satisfaction earned from creating a 'thing' and putting it out into the world in a collaborative way. I have also been in various bands and performing live as well as creating and releasing music is also an incredibly cathartic, collaborative process. Any creative collaboration brings me real happiness, and so inhabiting any of these elements in film is satisfying to me.
Is there an element of the autobiographical when you write?
Yes, for sure. I don't think it's possible to write anything without me putting some element of myself into it. I'm not too concerned with telling my 'story' though. The autobiographical elements come from my unique lived experience and how I view the world. That then comes through the characters: how they would register these things and react to them.
You’ve had experience in production design as well. Does that shift your perspective in the technicalities when acting?
Absolutely. It's totally possible to be excellent at your job, but that can only be enriched by experiencing other key elements of the process. Learning the technicalities of a working film set have made me a much better actor. From simple things to blocking and hitting marks in a scene, using the sets built for you to play in, to how to perform properly within different framings, etc. I think I'm only where I am because I spent ten years working behind the camera before I made that terrifying step to the other side!
What are some roles that you would like to play in the future?
I've always wanted to play Rasputin! But I think I'm the wrong color. Also, Gambit in X-men is one of the coolest mofos out there. I'm interested in any character with a multifaceted make-up. I take great pleasure from being able to convey emotion, and characters that weave in and around the vast spectrum of human experiences is attractive to me, regardless of the genre. But genre pieces also make for interesting projects.
What else do you see yourself doing next?
Having dinner, going to the gym (tomorrow), Christmas, and then another TV show. Eventually getting back behind the camera in some form, on a passion project I'm working on with another incredible director about WW1.
Social Media.
Great for self promotion, terrible for humanity. (www.instagram.com/amarchadhapatel twitter: @amarchadhapatel).
Damn.. I fell for it again.
CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz + @mikeruiz.one
Photographer: Alex Ingram
Talent: Amar Chadha-Patel
Stylist: Kit Swann
Groomer: Alyssa Kraus
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Associate Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Sahana Srinivasan, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
SHOP THE LOOK: AMAR CHADHA-PATEL
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