Baring It All
With his roles in ‘Kinds of Kindness,’ Mamoudou Athie gets to show a whole lot of himself — sorry, Mom
Mamoudou Athie can practically taste the lobster rolls from the Carlton hotel. He smiles wistfully as he taps into that sense memory of his first trip to the Cannes Film Festival. In , Athie voiced the lead role in Disney-pixar’s “Elemental,” which closed the fest. And he’s returning this week as part of the first-rate ensemble of Yorgos Lanthimos’ offbeat movie “Kinds of Kindness.”
Discussion of the crustacean-filled dish might seem irrelevant, but it’s perhaps not incidental. Athie begins our conversation by revealing that his first encounter with Lanthimos’ unique sensibilities was ’s “The Lobster.” The Mauritanian American actor, who was studying at Yale School of Drama at the time, was captivated by the originality of the material and the conviction the filmmaker brought to his craft.
“I love something that feels fresh and innovative and risky,” Athie says. “All of Yorgos’ work feels very risky — and not for risky’s sake. It’s nice when people back themselves.”
So Athie was surprised — and thrilled — when, seven years later, the filmmaker reached out to talk about a role in his next movie. Lanthimos had seen Jason Reitman’s political drama “The Front Runner,” in which Athie plays an idealistic young reporter, and sent an email complimenting the actor’s subtle yet commanding performance.
“It means a lot,” says Athie, reflecting on the director’s invitation to collaborate. “It feels like the way I like to work has been recognized, because I endeavor to be honest in what I’m doing. And however that lands, I want to maintain that commitment.”
Athie learned to strive for that kind of naked, egoless honesty in drama school. And he’s carried the approach to projects like “Uncorked,” “The Get Down” and his Emmy-nominated turn in “Oh Jerome, No.” He’s just not usually actually naked too.
Athie gets animated as he speaks about “Kinds of Kindness,” which he calls an “insane fever dream.” The Searchlight film is composed of three vignettes, each following a new set of characters, and also stars Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe, Margaret Qualley and Hong Chau. Athie’s trio of roles ground the action as the plots become increasingly bizarre. He’s featured prominently in the second chapter, where Plemons plays a cop whose wife was lost at sea and returns, seemingly a different person. Athie is his partner on the force.
And yes, the film required him to strip down for a racy sequence, which was the only element of Lanthimos’ script that gave him pause. He’d been nude onstage before, in “The Mystery of Love & Sex” on Broadway, so what was his hang-up?
“I realized it’s not any kind of ethical or moral issue, just fear,” Athie says. He shared his qualms with Lanthimos, including questions about his presentation as a Black man in this scenario, but the director assuaged his worries. “So while I was scared, I felt it was time to challenge myself and get out of my comfort zone.”
Filming the brief scene was handled carefully, with an intimacy coordinator on set. Still, Athie was all nerves when it came time to screen the final cut, sitting alongside co-stars Joe Alwyn and Hunter Schafer.
“I want to watch it again with a little bit more peace,” he says, though he doesn’t view anxiety as a bad thing. “That risk is what I wanted to feel. That this could go [over] any way, but I’d know it was made with clear intent, real excellence and full-bodied commitment. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
In the end, the experience taught Athie to let go of his self-imposed limitations. And he’s excited for audiences to see the finished product — well, except his mom and dad.
“I think about them a lot when I choose my movies. I always want them to be proud,” Athie says, sharing his iphone lock screen, which features a photo of his parents at the L.A. premiere of “Elemental.” “I don’t know if they need to see ‘Kinds of Kindness.’ But I’m , so I’ve gotta do my thing.”