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David Oyelowo takes a villainous turn in the HBO Max miniseries “The Girl Before.”
Oyelowo, best-known for starring as Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oscar-nominated film “Selma,” said he’s always willing to take chances in different types of roles.
“I’ve always believed that the way to a long career is to challenge yourself and the audience’s perception of you,” Oyelowo, 45, told The Post.
“I’ve gravitated towards roles that are different from my cultural background, my physical appearance, my accent. My acting hero is Daniel Day-Lewis. I love his ability to be so chameleonic. So, when opportunities come along that present that possibility, I tend to jump at them.
“When Gugu Mbatha-Raw, my dear friend, called me about [‘The Girl Before’], she talked about it as a role she’d be curious to see me in. It’s hard to pin down if [my character] is an out-and-out villain, or just a guy who’s deeply complicated.”
Now streaming, “The Girl Before” is a four-episode limited series based on a 2016 novel about PR exec Jane (Mbatha-Raw), who gets a chance to move into an unusual minimalist house designed by the controlling and enigmatic architect, Edward Monkford (Oyelowo).
In order to live there, Jane must adhere to Edward’s peculiar rules and answer his strange series of questions (such as, “Would you sacrifice your life to save 10 innocent strangers?”) But, she’s game as the two grow closer and bond over suffering similar past tragedies, involving losing children. In another timeline, the story of her predecessor in the house, Emma (Jessica Plummer) unfolds, and Jane begins to question her own circumstances when she learns about Emma’s fate.
Oyelowo, who is Nigerian British American, has been friends with Mbatha-Raw for a long time, he said.
“Ironically, even though we’re both from the U. – and born in the same hospital, John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford; different years but same hospital! – I had already moved to the States [when we met]. I’ve been living here for nearly 15 years now. Ten years ago, [Mbatha-Raw] was also working here. As we all know, you tend to gravitate towards people who you have something in common with. We’re both Brits and black and actors … We’ve been in each other’s lives for over a decade now.”
Even though his more sinister role in “The Girl Before” is a departure from his typical work, biopics are still an area in which Oyelowo remains interested, he said. He’s got a handful of them coming up, including portraying legendary lawman Bass Reeves in a limited series from “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan, and playing boxer Sugar Ray Robinson in the film “Sweet Thunder.”
“As a black person, I’m always looking for narratives generally – but specifically historically – that are both inspiring and aspirational,” he said. “We’ve seen so many negative portrayals of black people, especially historically over time. So, any time there’s an opportunity to address that balance, whether it’s playing Dr. King or Seretse Khama in [2016 film] ‘A United Kingdom,’ those are opportunities I’m keen to take. Because I am very aware of how culturally impactful film can be. For a lot of people, that’s where they get their notion of history from.”
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