Christian Actor Doesn’t Want to Portray Villain as ‘Glamorous’
- Updated Aug 21, 2015
Actor David Oyelowo says he doesn’t want his new film role as a kidnapper and murderer to be perceived as ‘glamorous.’
The actor, who is especially known for his role as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the film Selma, identifies himself as a Christian.
His upcoming role in the film Captive is based on the real-life story of an escaped murderer who kills four people, steals cars, and kidnaps a young woman after making a prison break, Christian Today reports.
The film tells the story of Ashley Smith, the woman kidnapped by Oyelowo’s character, Brian Nichols.
“We had to work very hard to make sure that Brian Nichols didn't come off as a cool kind of James Bond-like character, because you have all the cinematic touchpoints... that we actually associate with heroes," Oyelowo stated.
As a Christian, the actor is very aware of how good and evil are portrayed on the movie screen, and he wants to be sure to portray Nichols’s actions for what they are--evil.
"My world view is very much borne out of my faith, so therefore I am an artist who believes that what I put out into the world has an effect, and therefore I have to be responsible for that," Oyelowo said.
Oyelowo says that it was the character of Ashley Smith that drew him to the story the film tells.
In real life, Smith had been a drug addict before her kidnapping. While being held hostage by Nichols, Smith read Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life and began to turn her life around.
After Smith was freed, she became a Christian, got married, and now travels the country in an effort to inspire others to turn to God.
Photo courtesy: en.wikipedia.org
Publication date: August 21, 2015
