‘She is able to do something that I have never quite managed to do’: Chiwetel Ejiofor admits he is ‘envious’ of his The Old Gaurd co-star Charlize Theron
Chiwetel Ejiofor has admitted he is envious of his The Old Guard co-star Charlize Theron.
The pair star alongside each other in the new superhero film and Chiewetel, 43, told how he wishes he had Charlize’s talent for telling a story through the body.
Speaking to GQ Hype, he said: ‘I envy Charlize, you know? I’ll admit it. She is able to do something that I have never quite managed to do and that is tell narrative through physicality.
Co-stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 43, has admitted he is envious of his The Old Guard co-star Charlize Theron
‘That is really difficult and this isn’t the first film she’s shown she can do this – take Mad Max: Fury Road, for example. There is an exquisite poetry in seeing Charlize wield a four-foot axe – and with humour too, I might add.
‘To put all the nuance of a character into a very complex fight sequence using only choreography is quite astonishing.’
The Old Guard was released on July 10 on Netflix and follows a team of immortal mercenaries that go on a revenge mission.
Chiwetel also discussed the current state of the film industry, saying it needs big franchises like James Bond and the Marvel movies.
Star: The pair appear in the new film and Chiewetel told how he wishes he had Charlize’s talent for telling a story through the body (Charlie pictured in February 2020)
The actor said that while some people do not consider blockbuster films to be ‘art’, he insisted they keep many people employed at a time when the industry is in ‘deep trouble’ due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 12 Years A Slave star also spoke out about Britain’s political system, saying he would like to see more politicians come from ‘the grassroots’, rather than people who ‘went to one or two schools and one or two universities’.
It comes after Charlize, 44, called for better representation in Hollywood because she wants her daughters to ‘see themselves’ represented in both cinema and ‘in life’.
The actress is mother to two adopted daughters – Jackson, eight, and August, four – and has said she wants them to grow up being accurately represented in film and television, so they can ‘feel they belong’.
He said: ‘I envy Charlize, I’ll admit it. She is able to do something that I have never quite managed to do and that is tell narrative through physicality’ (pictured in December 2019)
Charlize said on the podcast The Big Ticket: ‘I want more representation, just selfishly, for my own girls.
‘I want that for the world as well, but of course, it starts with the fact that I’m a mom to two small Black girls, and I want them to grow up in a world where they see themselves, where there is an awareness that they can be whomever they want to be because they see it.
‘And that’s not just in cinema, that’s in life, too. I want to surround them in a world where they feel they belong and they can shine and they can live to their full potential.’
The actress adopted her daughter Jackson in March of 2012, later adopting another daughter August in July of 2015.
Read the full feature online at GQ Hype.
Interview: Chiwetel was speaking in the latest issue of GQ Hype