Creative of the Week: Gerald Langiri

Gerald Langiri (@glangiri) is a 32 year old award winning Kenyan actor and casting director.  A recent father as well, he gives us an insight into his life in this Q n A.

1. Did you always know you wanted to be an actor?

I wasn’t sure I’d end up pursuing it as a professional career, but I loved acting and started doing it at a very young age. As young as nursery school, in primary school and all the way through high school. I was then forced to pursue a degree in Computing but I’d always watch movies and series both local and international and think to myself, ”I want to be there too. That is where I belong. Performing. Entertaining.”

2. What is your creative process like?

This differs from project to project. Some projects easily guide me through the process itself and with an experienced director on set and a very well-written script, getting into character is easier. There are projects which require intuition more that anything else. Then there are projects I’ve found myself studying other actors who have played similar characters and “stolen” a few things.

3. How much do your life experiences influence your work?

I’m a firm believer that if you want to pursue acting as a career then you must have lived and experienced life without limits. These experiences end up helping in creating more depth for you and the characters you play. My life experiences influence my work a lot because in more cases than not, I find myself playing a character whose situation I have experienced before and thus making that character more real. It’s like I’m re-living that part of my life as opposed to acting it and thus I’m more believable.

4. Who are your favourite actors and why?

It’s hard to name just one and this usually depends on what I am currently watching. I finished watching the Good Wife a couple of weeks ago and Matt Czuchry who plays Carry Agos was the best character for me. He delivered his character with so much ease he made acting look like a walk in the park.

5. What are your thoughts on acting in Kenya, what challenges have you faced as an actor and how do you think we can improve on the craft?

One cannot deny the immense talent we have in Kenya as compared to other countries, but I think the biggest challenge for me and many actors is getting projects that transcend the local market to the global market. We have performing arts and film schools being built and already existing which is a huge plus for actors locally but I feel like the opportunities are still few and far in between.

6. What prompted you to start the blog actors.co.ke and what challenges have you faced running it?

Well, coming from an IT background, I felt a simple tool like a website that can have basic information like where actors can attend auditions, get to see profile of actors, give news and information about the acting industry and “how to“ articles was lacking.  Six years later, I must admit I am not as active as I was during the first few years. I do not want to say priorities have changed but the blog also kind of became overwhelming. I found myself spending so much time on it and not really getting any direct returns from it compared to the resources I was putting into it. So I have kind of forsaken it a bit and only post when absolutely necessary. It would be nice to have someone take it over from me though or help me run it because I believe it still has huge potential.

7. You also work as a casting director. What goes into making great casting choices?

The script and casting brief determines 70% of the choices I make when casting. This is something I would love if most actors understood this. The script will tell you how this character walks, talks, dresses, looks and as such, it is my work as the casting director to get an actor that fits that character to the tee or is as close as possible. The director also has the biggest say in the final choices made when selecting cast. It is after all his/her vision and he/she knows how to play with the characters. He/she also has the power to change characters to suit certain actors if need be.  So it really is a number of reasons that determine the final cast but the foremost factor is the script.

8. What work/project are you most proud of?

This is difficult to say. I am proud of all the projects I have been on. Each project has always led to another and another and that is what I am most proud of. I can however, mention those which I know put me on the spotlight: Mali, House of Lungula, Stay, Santalal, Happy Anniversary as well as the recent Maisha Magic Movies I starred in namely, Inherited and 24 Hours to Live.

9. What advice would you give an aspiring actor that you wish you had gotten when you were starting out?

It is not an easy journey or career. It tests your patience, your zeal and you even question why you had to get into it in the first place but it is all worth it.

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I’ve always been wrong when I answer this question! I hope in the next 5 years, I won’t be answering this question again.

Bonus Question

11. If you could play any character in an existing TV series or film, who would you be and why?

The answer to this usually varies depending on what I am watching at that particular point in time. I am currently watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and I love Andre Braugher’s character, Captain Ray Holt. He maintains a straight face with the mess around him and still manages to come off hilarious. It’s comedy gold and I love comedies.

Check out Gerald’s profile and work below.

Facebook: Gerald Langiri

IG:  @glangiri

Youtube: Gerald Langiri

Website: www.geraldlangiri.com