acairns43 asks
How has your point of view changed on the communities that you’ve represented in film, for example, LGBT communities after starring in Kinky Boots?
Guardian contributor Thank you. in some ways I think that Kinky Boots was a film ahead of its time and I’m really proud of it. It’s been fantastic to see more representation of different communities especially the LGBT community in film and television. I still feel more can be done and the film industry especially has further to go in terms of representation and inclusion - but it has certainly improved.
William Shakespeare inspired me to become an actor
Mali Baden-Powell asks
Who or what inspired you to become an actor?
Guardian contributor Guardian contributor Studying Henry IV Part 1 in my early teens was when I first felt deeply inspired by literature. I went around school saying I'd discovered this great playwright and poet and was informed I was not the first to get there.
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Dodesy asks
What are your memories of living in Forest Gate and do you feel like it’s changed a lot, particularly in the last five years?
Guardian contributor I have an enduring memory of hearing the West Ham roar when I was growing up in Forest Gate - which I loved, even though I ultimately moved south and became a Palace fan.
I haven’t been back in the last five years but I presume from your question it may have changed significantly. London does tend to change quickly.
noelflantier asks
Half of a Yellow Sun was halfway there, but would you ever work in Nollywood?
Guardian contributor
I'd love to work with director Lynne Ramsay – you really sense the emotional truth in her work
ID8378794 asks
Which other actors inspire you? Which actors and/or directors would you like to work with?
Guardian contributor So many directors that I want to work with. But I have to say I always loved the films of Lynne Ramsay. I was watching You Were Never Really Here again the other day and you really sense the painstaking detail and emotional truth that she’s able to mine in every moment.
TheWizeMan asks
What were your favourite films when growing up as a child/teenager? The ones that you can still say are your all-time favourites?
Guardian contributor I just remember seeing Bicycle Thieves when I was young and being so struck by it. And watching it again as an adult and realising that I was just as moved and engaged, years later. And still am - it remains one of my favourite films ever.
cardinal asks
Have you ever been pressured or advised to change your name? Given the protest over English actors being cast in Welsh roles, and non-Jewish actors being cast in Jewish roles, to the exclusion of actors of those ethnicities, have you personally been affected by the controversy over British actors being cast as historical figures from black American history, especially since you portrayed Solomon Northup?
Guardian contributor Thank you - great question. Yeah when I was younger some people did advise me to change my name but obviously I decided against it which I’m glad of. I think when any group of people are concerned about their representation it’s really important to listen and take it very seriously, which I do. In this industry it’s a growing and increasingly complex question about representation. The aim is to hopefully find mutually beneficial symbiotic relationships. I’d never want to shoot the arrow over the house and hurt my brother.
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AkumbuUche asks
Congrats on making the transition into writing and directing. I love your adaptation of The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind as well as your short film Columbite Tantalite and I’m eager to see what’s next. What are the last 3 books you enjoyed reading?
Guardian contributor Thank you! I’m delighted that you enjoyed the films. Books that I enjoyed? Robopocalypse - it’s a great piece of sci-fi. Physics and Dance by Emily Coates and Sarah Demers - that was cool and interesting. And I always enjoy dipping into a book called The Human Past by Chris Scarre - a great archeological book.
louleather asks
You have a fantastic name - does it have a particular meaning? Also, any plans to return to the stage?
Guardian contributor Chiwetel means “God brings” in Igbo. And I’m always planning to return to the stage.
ID9136034 asks
1. how tough was your training for Red Belt? You had some very tough guys with years of fighting experience working with you. Do you still train Brazilian jiujitsu? If so which black belt?
2. enjoyed your directorial debut – do you plan to continue directing?
Guardian contributor It was tough training for Red Belt even though it was enjoyable as well. I trained with some tough guys in LA who were really supportive and it made the process really engaging. I don’t still train Brazilian Jiujitsu but it would probably come back to me if I were attacked in the correct sequence of moves.
I’m glad you enjoyed The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and I’m very excited about directing more.
On Dirty Pretty Things I started to fall in love with the poetry of film-making
PennyFarting asks
How was it playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things? It’s still, to my mind, a stunning piece of work that hasn’t dated.
Guardian contributor It was very emotional and involving for me playing Okwe in Dirty Pretty Things and I agree it’s just as relevant now as it was nearly 20 years ago. Which is sad to think about really. But it was an incredible experience and working with Stephen Frears was the time when I think I really started to fall in love with making films and the poetry of the film-making process.
parsnipsoup asks
How was it reuniting with your old Salt co-star Angelina Jolie on Maleficent? Did the film make you re-evaluate the fairytales you’d read as a child – and did you feel a sense of responsibility about how much movies influence young people?
Plus, I’ve got to ask ... Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley, in Love Actually. You must have known something was going on, surely? It was obvious to the rest of us looking on.
Guardian contributor It was great to work with Angelina again. I loved working with her on Salt and she’s so deeply invested in everything she works on and has such a great world view that her films really reflect. So it’s always fun to go into that world.
I came to the first film quite late but I loved it because it re-evaluated the fairy tales and the character tropes that I grew up with. And I think that can be really influential on a younger generation.
Re Love, Actually - Peter was obviously blinded by love! Both of them!
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Joss Whedon has an encyclopedic understanding of film and TV – he's inspirational
Claire Hobson asks
What was Joss Whedon like to work with? #serenity
Guardian contributor Joss was just amazing to work with and it was wonderful at the time to join the cast of Serenity/ Firefly. He had an encyclopedic understanding of film and TV and was just deeply inspirational.
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Re Brexit: the important thing is that Britain is a place people are excited to be in and able to work in
CrazyCat Lady asks
In which ways do you think the British movie/theatre sector will be affected by Brexit?
Guardian contributor I think one the great things about the British film industry at the moment is how many people are able to be here from Europe - and work here. And because there's so much happening it's utilised a lot of different technicians. The important thing is to absolutely maintain that and keep Britain as a place people are excited to be in and able to work in.
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liambenchwalsh1 asks
As an in-demand working actor, how do you keep your instruments (voice, body etc) in tune while following such a busy schedule?
Guardian contributor It's actually very important to remember to look after yourself while doing so much. Drama school was really great for learning techniques to help with maintaining voice work and I like that question because it's a very good reminder to keep thinking about that.
lukecoburn asks
You and Benedict Wong have fantastic onscreen chemistry (Dirty Pretty Things, The Martian). Would you consider making more movies together perhaps a show about two London cops?
Guardian contributor I would love to continue to work with Benedict Wong - he is a brilliant actor and a great guy. A show about two London cops would be fun! You should follow him on Instagram.
Chiwetel Ejiofor is with us now
Post your questions for Chiwetel Ejiofor
One of the UK’s finest screen and stage performers, Chiwetel Ejiofor has “talent to take your breath away” – according to the Observer’s Amy Raphael, that is. Since his breakthrough role in the Stephen Frears-directed drama Dirty Pretty Things in 2002, Ejiofor has become a fixture in British cinema and Hollywood, with appearances in Love Actually, Kinky Boots, Children of Men, American Gangster and The Martian.
Arguably his career high point (so far) was his Oscar-nominated performance as Solomon Northup in Steve McQueen’s drama 12 Years a Slave. Ejiofor has also dipped a toe in directorial waters with the Malawi-set The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, about a villager who invents a wind turbine. And that’s not even counting his stage work, which includes an acclaimed Othello at the Donmar Warehouse in 2007 and Everyman at the National Theatre in 2015.
This year is a Disney one-two: we have already seen the release of The Lion King, for which Ejiofor voiced the rascally Scar in the CGI “live action” remake, and just about to arrive is Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, in which he plays a wise clan chieftain who counsels Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent.
He’ll be with us for a webchat on Thursday 10 October at 1.20pm BST so send us your questions now, and we’ll get as many answered as time allows.
Thank you so much for such insightful questions!