Idris Elba Talks About His Take on Roland Deschain in THE DARK TOWER
Earlier today, Entertainment Weekly posted the first official look at stars Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey in character for the long-awaited film adaptation of The Dark Tower, and now the outlet has posted some of their set visit write-ups. The first part focuses on Elba's Roland Deschain, the mythical Gunslinger who must protect The Dark Tower from McConaughey's Man in Black and the villainous Crimson King. I've only read the first novel in this series, but I'm interested to see how director Nikolaj Arcel is going to adapt such a massive story while pleasing fans and introducing unfamiliar audiences to this world.
Here are some of Elba's best quotes from the interview:
"When we meet Roland he’s a bit lost. He’s been walking around for a long time, so he definitely feels like a man who’s…coiled."
"He's a protector. Until he meets Jake [15-year-old actor Tom Taylor], he doesn’t have anything to believe in, really. He’s really pent up and releases his soul through [defending] the boy."
The actor specifically addressed the controversy surrounding his casting as Roland, who has been previously depicted as white:
"I was thrilled. I was thrilled to get this job. I was thrilled because, you know, it’s an alternative to what you could say, what Roland is described as."
I ask him if he means a white guy, and Elba shrugs. It’s more than that. "A white guy in a sense, but, also just that you could make a version of this film that appealed to a slightly more action-hero type character and I don’t do those films. I haven’t done many actions films,” he says. “I like to bring a little depth and bring a real character. And what’s been fun is, Nik’s really up for that. So we do takes that are a little bit more commercial, if you like, and we do takes that are f—ing deep, like we’re making an independent film. It’s an iconic character. I want to get it right."
“It’s better just to treat it like no big deal. There should be no difference. The character that was written in Stephen’s imagination, it could be any color. It just happens to be me and, you know? In the artwork, it just so happens to be a white guy, but I don’t think that makes any difference. … I think what’s great about it, if I want to say anything about it, is that it is a sign of the times in terms of a colorless society. People go, ‘A good actor is a good actor,’ you know?”
As for what the character is like and the challenges he faces in this movie, Elba describes his Roland as efficient — "If he can clear a room with five bullets as opposed to six, he will." — and dives a little into his mysterious past:
"There’s a mystical element to him. He’s about 200 years old. He’s been around for a long time, and has a deep-rooted connection with the [supernatural] nature of the film. Roland’s completely tuned into that. When you meet him, he’s very much a stoic man, doesn’t want to talk. But when you get to know him, he really knows quite a bit about the world and his world’s history. And he very much knows the way The Man in Black works. He’s so clued up on that, which is what frustrates him. Because he can’t catch him."
For much more detail about the sets and what was happening during filming that day, read the whole article. The Dark Tower hits theaters on February 17, 2017.