September 6, 2017 The Skanner Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Mamoudou Athie: The “Patti Cake$” Interview
By Kam Williams
For The Skanner News
thanks for the interview.
Mamoudou Athie: Thank you, Kam.
M
KW: What interested you in Patti
Cake$?
MA: In a nutshell, the script, the di-
rector and the character, particularly
meeting Geremy [writer/director Ger-
emy Jasper]. I had a sense he was going
to make something special. I initially
had reservations about my character,
Basterd, but I just couldn’t get it out
of my mind. And the script is one of a
kind, yet also familiar in a personal
way. Had me laughing aloud as well.
amoudou Athie is set to play
opposite Brie Larson in her di-
rectorial debut, Unicorn Store.
He also can be seen in the recur-
ring role of Grandmaster Flash in “The
Get Down,” a Netfl ix series created by
Baz Luhrmann.
Mamoudou recently starred oppo-
site Stockard Channing in “Me & Mean
Margaret,” a pilot for an NBC sitcom.
On the big screen, he appeared along-
side Emma Watson and Tom Hanks in
The Circle, a suspense thriller based on
Dave Eggers’ novel of the same name.
Mamoudou received critical acclaim
for his stage debut at New York’s Lin-
coln Center Theater opposite Diane
Lane and Tony Shalhoub in The Mys-
tery of Love and Sex. Here, the graduate
of the Yale School of Drama discusses
his new fi lm, Patti Cake$, an overcom-
ing-the-odds saga revolving around a
Rubenesque, white rapper’s (Danielle
Macdonald) quest for superstardom.
Kam
Williams:
Hi
Mamoudou,
KW: How would you describe the fi lm
in 25 words or less?
MA: It’s a glorious underdog story
with wit, charm, and verve about the
illest rapper in Dirty Jerz [aka New Jer-
sey], KIlla P [played by Danielle Mac-
donald] with no holds barred stunts,
high octane high speed car chases, and
superheroes galore. And we have 300
million Instagram and Twitter follow-
ers.
KW: How did you approach playing
Basterd? Did you base him on anybody?
MA: Not on any one particular per-
son. I took something of a dim sum
approach to him. He’s a mix of some
people I grew up around, Geremy’s
thoughts and infl uences, for sure, and
Mickey Theis, a classmate of mine from
YSD [Yale School of Drama]. He’s one of
the most beautifully sensitive actors
I’ve ever worked with.
KW: What message do you think peo-
ple will take away from the fi lm?
MA: Go mother-[bleep]-ing hard!
KW: Were you surprised by the per-
formance of your co-star, Danielle Ma-
donald?
MA: Nah, I knew she’d totally slay it
aft er I heard her fi rst track. But when
I heard that fi rst track, yes -- I was sur-
prised. That was amazing!
KW: The music maven Heather Cov-
ington question: What was the last
song you listened to?
MA: May’ve been “Stunt Queen” by
Bloc Party or Arcade Fire’s “Infi nite
Content.”
Mamoudou Athie
KW: Ling-Ju Yen asks: What is your
earliest childhood memory?
MA: I don’t know. It’s kind of a med-
ley, but what sticks out the most is go-
ing to the park and zoo with my family
and my holographic Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtle TV. It was half an inch
See INTERVIEW on page 11
F R E E M OV I E S C R E E N I N G
wake of vanport
Digital narratives and storytelling
from fl ood survivors and residents
FRIDAY, SEPT. 29, 2017 • 1 PM
KENNEDY SCHOOL THEATER 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave., Portland, OR
Free to the public. Limited seating. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
Together, this touching collection of truly heartfelt remembrances
paint a poignant portrait of a short-lived, idyllic oasis —Movie Critic Kam Williams
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