Alexx O’Nell understands that his skin colour wouldn’t get him certain roles in Indian cinema and he doesn’t mind it. Rather, this American actor and musician, who works in Indian movies, has used it to his advantage. Within a short span of time, he has dabbled in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali movies. Be it ‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3’, ‘Yeti Obhijaan’, ‘Ek Je Chhilo Raja’, ‘Golondaaj’, ‘Lucifer’, ‘Bhoot Police’, ‘L2: Empuraan’, ‘Kesari Chapter 2’, ‘Phule’, ‘RRR’ or ‘Pokkhirajer Dim’, the filmography is diverse.
As someone who didn’t grow up on Indian movies, Alexx always makes the effort to learn the language before any film. At times, he succeeds. At times, he doesn’t. Presently, he is in the UK shooting for a Hindi film. His lineup is also interesting with the horror comedy ‘Thama’, starring Rashmika Mandanna and Ayushmann Khurrana and Priyadarshan’s ‘Bhoot Bangla’. In Bengali, he is gearing up for the period film ‘Devi Chowdhurani’ and ‘Raghu Dakat’. ‘Millennium Post’ catches up with the actor about films and more.
You were trained as an actor in the US. How did you land in Bengali cinema?
I trained in theatre in the US. My association with West Bengal started when I filmed two projects here, namely ‘Chittagong’ and ‘Bose: Dead/Alive’. Then, finally, I made my debut in Bengali cinema with Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Yeti Obhijaan’ in 2017. By then, I had worked in several languages.
Did you keep a tab on Indian cinema before coming here?
I was introduced to Indian cinema by being a part of it. I didn’t grow up watching Indian actors.
You mostly play Western characters in Indian films, like recently in ‘Kesari 2’. Do you feel your skin colour restricts you to certain kinds of roles?
I don’t anticipate Indian characters. It’s an appearance and performance business. I’ve played varied white male roles, American, Portuguese, French and British, such as MI6 agents and colonial characters (negative and positive). In ‘Phule’, for instance, I assist in educating girls. In ‘Pokkhirajer Dim’, I am a modern-day archaeologist. Hindi cinema is evolving, particularly with OTT platforms increasing their reach. My films are available on OTT and it has increased my visibility. There are increasingly better roles for someone like me, beyond caricatures or token white characters.
How was it working on ‘Pokkhirajer Dim’, a Bengali film with children at the heart of it?
Working on ‘Pokkhirajer Dim’ was absolutely fascinating. Unlike my other serious movies, it was lively and upbeat. I play an eccentric archaeologist looking for the mysterious ‘pokkhirajer dim’. I also feel extremely at ease working in Kolkata. It is my home.
After ‘Golondaaj’, you reunited with Dev on ‘Raghu Dakat’.
‘Golondaaj’ was a game-changer for me. I played the antagonist and the character was fleshed out well. And working with Dev is always nice.
Having worked in several Indian languages, have you managed to master any?
I try to learn various languages for my projects. For ‘Aarya’, I had to learn Sanskrit. I’m normally terrible with languages, so I try hard. My process involves working closely with a dialogue coach.