Chiwetel Ejiofor is a newcomer to the “Maleficent” franchise, but it’s not the first time he’s worked with superstar Angelina Jolie. Deco talked with him about what it’s like to put on those horns for the first time.
“Maleficent” is back.
Angelina Jolie (as Maleficent): “Don’t ruin my morning.”
But, star Angelina Jolie is not the only one wearing horns this time around.
Chiwetel Ejiofor: “When you put the horns on, I didn’t have the full wings when I was shooting. Even the beginnings of those wings, there’s just a sense of that stature and what that brings to the story and the storytelling, especially surrounded then by the other dark fae.”
Chiwetel Ejiofor joins the “Maleficent” universe in the “Mistress of Evil” sequel.
Michelle Pfeiffer (as Queen Ingrith): “Tell me what happened.”
Tekle Baroti (as Castle Servant): “There was another creature.”
The movie explores more of Maleficent’s backstory as a dark fairy.
Ejiofor plays Connal, one of the leaders of the dark fae, a group of winged creatures exiled from the human world.
Chiwetel Ejiofor: “It really made me think a lot about how I took on fairy tales when I was a kid.”
Alex Miranda: “Right, because people are grayer than we’d like to think about them in our childhood movies.”
Chiwetel Ejiofor: “Exactly, and just understanding that as a young person and understanding some of those complications, I think it could have been quite influential, and so I was really engaged with the first one, and so excited about expanding that.”
But it’s not the first time Ejiofor and Jolie have worked together. The two A-listers also shared the big screen in “Salt.”
Chiwetel Ejiofor: “I just think she’s an absolutely phenomenal actress and a force in the world broadly.”
Alex Miranda: “What are a couple of things the two of you have in common?”
Chiwetel Ejiofor: “I think we both have a love of travel, I guess, and are committed to different causes and ways of looking at the world, so much of this story, and I think the films that she makes, really do represent a lot of her world view. I guess in some way I try to do something similar.”
Elle Fanning (as Princess Aurora): “This isn’t you.”
Angelina Jolie (as Maleficent): “You do not know me.”
“Maleficent” will show in theaters Oct. 18.
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