A New Leading Man - co-starring in sci-fi thriller, Slingshot, Mark plays Gordon, a friend and fellow NASA Space Pilot in the same space programme alongside John (Casey Affleck). He is an experienced astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Slingshot is a psychological sci-fi thriller. Can you share how you approached playing Gordon, a NASA astronaut grappling with reality aboard a compromised mission? What drew you to this role?
The character is an American, so to prepare I had to find a place in my head to explore what he might sound like, and, more importantly, what type of area he grew up in and what his upbringing could have been like. I looked at the average NASA African American candidate, which wasn’t many, so there would have been a lot of preparation and training Gordon would have had to put himself through before being selected.
What drew me to this role? Slingshot is a sci-fi movie, but it also has deep, serious thriller elements. My part is comical. I like that my character kind of breaks up the theme of the movie at parts with little bits of comedy here and there. Also, I've never really played a comedic character before, so I got a chance to see what that would be like. Also, who's going to turn down the chance to work with Casey Affleck!?
How did your training in classical acting at Italia Conti influence your performance in a high-stakes sci-fi thriller like Slingshot?
My classical training has been the lifeline of my acting career. Before going to drama school, I had quite a different life, and I’d never acted in any capacity. With the classical training I received, I had a foolproof foundation to tackle any scene. Looking at possible previous circumstances - what happened to me right before the scene? What's my energy like? Is it a high energy, low energy? And also, what am I stimulated by? Am I easily distracted? Am I super severe and focused all the time? I always look for cues and clues within the text, reading the scene or stage directions as well as my lines. The tools given to me in drama school gave me the confidence to walk out on set and perform to a professional standard.
Slingshot, your character is part of a team with Casey Affleck’s character. What was it like working with Casey and Laurence Fishburne, and how did their performances impact your own?
My scenes were mainly with Casey. I didn't see much of Lawrence as he was on a different filming block, but working with Casey was great; he was calm, relaxed and collected. I learned quite a lot from him. Many actors think the most critical part of a good take is what happens between action and cut. But I think there is an intrinsic moment between you arriving on set hearing "camera roll" and then hearing "action" that requires a certain level of focus and relaxation you need to achieve in order to do a good take, and I learned that from watching Casey. I also learned he's really good at Chess!
You’ve recently starred in Netflix’s anime series Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix. How did you prepare for your role as Marcus, and what was your experience transitioning from live-action to voice acting?
I loved it! Honestly, Captain Laserhawk A Blood Dragon Remix was an absolute joy. I'm immensely proud of what I did with Marcus because essentially before I was cast as him, they couldn't find an actor to play Marcus younger and older. They could only find one actor that could play Marcus, either old or young (as there are quite a few flashbacks in the show). I knew this while walking into the audition, so I listened to many Morgan Freeman and Idris Elba interviews in preparation for the audition. I came up with something fresh and original. 90% of my prep was aimed at targeting Marcus when he was older, seeing how low I could pitch my voice without straining my vocal cords; conditioning that pitch to then withstand at least two hours in a booth was vital. I spoke like Marcus for 2 hours a day to boost vocal stamina, as I knew that if I could get the voice right older, I will be able to do it younger, and it worked out for me. Voice acting reminds me of acting on stage. The only difference is that no one can see you, and everybody can hear everything; the method of communication shifts purely to audio. So, with the voice acting, especially if I'm doing an accent, I make sure I am good because the microphones pick up everything; for example, saying "fif” instead of "fifth”, you'd be surprised how much the mic can pick up; so for me, definitely, if I'm doing an accent, I have to live and breathe it and when I listen back I hold myself accountable on that front and try to get it right. With this role my mother didn’t recognize my voice until 20 mins in, so I think I did a good job.
Your role in North Star premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and features a star-studded cast. What was it like working with Scarlett Johansson, Kristen Scott Thomas, and the others in a comedy setting?
Oh, I loved working with Kristen Scott Thomas. She's old school, proper old school, so it felt like I was back at The RSC. She is an absolute powerhouse of a director, someone you want in the director chair. Even though it was her first film, it felt like she’d been directing for a long time. She has excellent leadership qualities, and she makes everybody feel comfortable. It was a great work environment. She has a naval background family-wise, and I was in naval school and then naval college, so we bonded over that. Working with Scarlett was terrific. She was like Casey, relatively calm but hilarious, and she had a great sense of humor and was quick-witted. She was also great at processing information. Sometimes, a lot can happen when you’re working on big sets, and she had this incredible ability to process all that information. We had an entire parade ceremony with the actual navy on HMS Prince of Wales, drones flying above us (I think at one point), and multiple cameras and teams on us. A lot happened in some of these scenes, and she never seemed flustered. I think an adept skill like that is something you can only achieve if you've been that good at something for a long time.
You have a diverse background in martial arts and Krav Maga, which has been an asset in roles such as the DSS Agent in the Fast & Furious live tour. How do you integrate your martial arts skills into your acting, and how do they enhance your performances?
Yes, I do have a diverse background in martial arts. To give a brief background, I started boxing at eight and then went into kickboxing. I did Shotokan karate, mixed martial arts, and Krav Maga, for which I've been an instructor for almost ten years… so I’ve been doing martial arts collectively for about 28 years. For me, the integration depends on the script, the fight directors and how much faith people have in me. I have quite a lot of experience in this field, so a lot of the time directors are just happy to let me play and come up with ideas and see what’s feasible; and we can always dial it down or turn it up depending on what the director feels is achievable. Oh, for sure, there are certain things someone who has had to fight for a living or has a fight background will do that I guess the typical average person wouldn't think of; there'd be a way that they walk into a room or the way they carry themselves - it could even be a way they handle direct conflict - for example having your chin tucked in, checking for a certain look in someone’s eye and aggressive body language like clinched fists etc, that a veteran fighter is looking for before a fist is even thrown. There are elements in specific crafts, especially combat, that you cannot teach; it must be lived, and it is those experiences that shine on screen or stage.
You’ve played in various genres, from Shakespearean drama to sci-fi thrillers. How do you adapt your acting style to fit such diverse roles, and do you have a preferred genre or type of role?
That is a really good question. It's crazy, I think about this all the time, but honestly, for me, I think it’s about the script, surrendering yourself to the script, surrendering yourself to what is on that piece of paper. At the end of the day, that's all. You’ve got the words on the paper to convey thoughts, feelings or emotions. My father always said, “Everybody serves somebody." I think for me when I act, I serve the script...or try to. I love the action and spy action genre. I got into acting to precisely combine my real-life skills in mixed martial arts and my close protection and military background, with my acting skills to perform on a grand scale. It’s also the type of genre where I feel I do my best and have the most fun. I told my agent, “You know what, James Bond would be great, but if I did a John Wick kind of thing or even a series like Bodyguard, because I literally am one, I’d be thrilled.”
In the live global tour of Fast & Furious, you engaged with the audience in an immersive storyline. Can you share a memorable experience from this tour and how it differed from traditional acting roles?
There were so many great moments on Fast & Furious Live, but nothing will compare to opening night - sharing the O2 Arena stage with Vin Diesel and performing to a packed out crowed of 30,000 people, some who had come from all over the world: Europe, Brazil, Portugal, Sweden, Spain etc to see this new rendition of a franchise. It's just something that I never in my career thought a boy from Peckham would ever achieve. It was definitely a pinch me moment.
Performing in an arena was so different from what I had initially perceived. First of all, you can't see anyone in the audience - you're just performing in an empty, vast space of darkness. You feel more alone than anything. I thought it would be the opposite; I thought I'd be able to see everybody's faces and that they’d be looking at me, and I thought it would be quite a petrifying experience, but it wasn’t, it was quite calm. It was kind of like I was doing a show for no one. It's probably the first time in my career that I had zero nerves, which, when I realized I wasn’t nervous, started making me nervous that I wasn't feeling nervous, if that makes sense. Then the interactions were the fun part. You rarely break the 4th wall in acting, and even when you do, it’s a one-way dialogue and expression of deep thoughts rather than a conversation. With Shakespeare, you do monologues, but you’re not asking the crowd how their lunch was; you’re telling them why you’re going to commit treason. This was very different, and because the crowd was different, every night was different; it kept me on my toes, and I liked that.
You’ve had roles in shows like Death in Paradise and Manhunt. How do you prepare for characters in crime dramas compared to more fantastical or action-oriented roles?
You know what, there shouldn’t be that much difference. My point is, at the end of the day, what makes acting and character roles relatable (whether I'm in some futuristic combat fatigues or if I'm in a suit from Primark) is that it’s people I'm playing, it's about the human condition, it's the one link that supersedes all the surface or superficial elements. My roles are based on the human condition of people with emotions, thoughts, feelings, dreams, fears, anxieties, issues, complications and I always try to look for that. Everything else takes care of itself in the script, but that’s the baseline for me, it’s always what drives the character, and then I wonder about the wardrobe.
Given your extensive background in both acting and martial arts, what advice would you give to aspiring actors who want to pursue a similar dual path?
You're more than one thing. My old man always told me never to stop gaining new skills and crafts. He had a rule that every ten years it would be best to try to learn something else or extend your knowledge of said craft. For example, if I acted for ten years, I would try to be a writer or producer in the next five years. Giving yourself new challenges is the only way you can grow. People have midlife crises' because they've been too much of one thing for too long. I am no expert in that, but I think there’s something in that.
I can only really do something if I am challenged, intellectually and physically. I need to have something working on both fronts simultaneously, and for the longest time, it’s always been Martial arts, close protection work, and acting; and I thought for the longest time that I had to pick one thing, but you’ll never be good at anything if you don’t stimulate yourself in the necessary ways. Early on, my acting suffered because I neglected other areas of my life. Ironically, it wasn’t until I told myself I’d always be a martial artist as well as an actor that my life improved, as did my acting. Within acting, I often find the differences in our experiences and backgrounds are the things that make us stand out, so I always say to actors, find a hobby and get good at something while you wait for the phone to ring.