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Film
Forest Whitaker Delivers Oscar-Worthy Performance in “The Last King of Scotland”
posted on Sep 27, 2006
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In the “must see” movie of the year, FOX Searchlight’s powerful thriller, “The Last King of Scotland,” stars Forest Whitaker as Ugandan President Idi Amin. Whitaker’s tour de force performance captures the rag, paranoia and charm of Amin, the Ugandan dictator that terrorized his nation during his reign in the 1970’s.
“The Last King of Scotland” takes audiences on a heart-stopping journey inside the world of one of the most fascinating and frightening leaders of all time: Idi Amin, famed for his electrifying magnetism, yet whose brutal rule left as many as a half million of his countrymen dead. Whitaker’s chilling portrayal of the charismatic but psychopathic former dictator is already garnering Oscar buzz.
In an incredible twist of fate, a Scottish doctor (James McAvoy) on a Ugandan medical mission becomes irreversibly entangled with one of the world's most barbaric figures: Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker). Impressed by Dr. Garrigan's brazen attitude in a moment of crisis, the newly self-appointed Ugandan President Amin hand picks him as his personal physician and closest confidante. Though Garrigan is at first flattered and fascinated by his new position, he soon awakens to Amin's savagery - and his own complicity in it. Horror and betrayal ensue as Garrigan tries to right his wrongs and escape Uganda alive.
There are few names in history as recognizable as Idi Amin. He has joined Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Sadam Hussein, among others, in the ranks of dictators who seemingly knew no human bounds. But Amin was also a unique case – a one-time boxer and soldier who climbed his way up from literally nothing, charmed the nation with his vibrant pride and personality and appeared to many to be a newly independent Uganda’s greatest hope for becoming a truly African nation. When he first came to power in a 1971 coup against the corrupt and pro-communist Milton Obote, Amin found widespread support among the media and around the globe until it became clear he was ruthlessly murdering his enemies and structuring his government around his own bizarre appetites, mystical “visions” and paranoid fears.
Amin’s dangerous nature emerged as he began to engage in extreme nationalism, expelling the country’s 50,000 Asians, instigating war with neighboring countries, assisting in the PLO hijacking of an Air France Airbus and creating conditions that led to the deaths or disappearances of hundreds of thousands of Ugandans. Exiles from Uganda told stomach-churning stories of torture, cruelty and even rumoured cannibalism in the highest ranks of government.
It was obvious that it would require tremendous skill for an actor to embody all of Amin’s immense paradoxes – all within the confines of a tautly structured thriller. The producers always had just one man in mind for the task: Forest Whitaker, who is not only considered one of today’s most talented screen actors but bears an uncanny resemblance to Amin. With roles in films ranging from Clint Eastwood’s jazz epic BIRD to Neil Jordan’s Academy Award-winning “The Crying Game” to Jim Jarmusch’s “Ghost Dog” – Whitaker has developed a reputation for embodying the most diverse and demanding of roles.
For “The Last King of Scotland,” Whitaker was able to evoke Amin’s split personality – his allure and his menace – so authentically that many on the set found it downright eerie “Forest’s portrayal was phenomenal,” says Charles Steel. “He’s captured both the largeness of the character and the danger. There’s a tremendous range and realism to his performance.”
Whitaker came to the project with the standard impression of Amin as a buffoon and killer, but soon found his view deepening far beyond that. “At first, I had only very dark images of this man,” he admits. “I saw him as a big, angry maniac. But as I read the novel and did more research, I began to have a different understanding. When you look at old footage you can see that Idi was also an extremely charming man. The challenge for me as an actor was to play a really complete character, not just a stereotyped image.”
While researching Amin’s history, Whitaker came to the conclusion that he was a man who wanted to be a visionary but who fell victim to his own delusions.
Observes the actor: “He was someone who rose not just from poor but from dirt poor all the way to the top. He was often said to be unintelligent and yet he spoke ten different languages. And I think he did want to build more schools and create hospitals and fix roads – but he didn’t find the best ways to do these things. Then, as he started to fear that he was going to lose power, he became extremely paranoid and developed into a much darker figure.”
The darkness of Idi Amin led eventually to rampant rumors of cannibalism and blood rituals – although these were never conclusively proven. Modern historians have even wondered if Amin may have been suffering from physical or psychological disorders that led to his inhumane behavior. But without succumbing to too much speculation, Whitaker instead carefully developed his approach to Amin by focusing on the more human qualities of his thwarted dreams and out-of-control fears. Rather than turn Amin once again into a stereotype, Whitaker attempted to make the role his own.
“I did not want to do a direct impersonation,” Whitaker explains, “but I did study tapes of Amin to help me understand him better as a man. I worked out the way he talked, and studied Swahili because that was his first language. I was most concerned with grabbing a certain essence of the man – to give the sense that whatever else he was, he was a real person.”
While in Uganda, Whitaker was constantly reminded of just how divided people still remain in their feelings towards the dictator. “I met a general there who worked with Amin,” recalls Whitaker, “and he said, ‘Yes, Amin killed my father, yet he did some wonderful things for this country.’ That is the way many see Idi Amin.”
As for Whitaker, he knew that playing Amin would take him to grim and frightening places he had never been before – that would shake him deep into his core. “I knew that this role would have a profound impact on me, and change the way I viewed Africa and the world,” said the actor.
As of late, Whitaker has garnered much critical attention for his performance on “The Shield” opposite Michael Chiklis. In addition, he recently completed the suspense thriller “Vantage Point” opposite Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox. His upcoming films include the 2008 release “Where The Wild Things Are” for director Spike Jonze. The film will be a mix of live-action, animation and puppetry and is an adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic children’s book. He will also be seen in the upcoming ensemble “The Air I Breathe” with Kevin Bacon and Andy Garcia.
Whitaker also executive produced Anne Rice’s “Feast Of All Saints” for Showtime. His other film credits include “Witness Protection” for HBO, “Light It Up,” “Phenomenon,” “Species,” “Smoke,” “Ready To Wear,” “Jason’s Lyric,” “Platoon,” “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Consenting Adults,” “Stakeout,” “The Color Of Money,” “Johnny Handsome,” “Downtown,” “Diary Of A Hit Man,” “Body Snatchers,” “Vision Quest” And “Fast Times At Ridgemont High.”
Whitaker made his feature-film directing debut with the critically acclaimed, box-office hit “Waiting To Exhale” for Twentieth Century Fox. He first gained recognition as a director for his debut film, the HBO original “Strapped,” for which he received “Best New Director” honors at the Toronto Film Festival. He also directed Twentieth Century Fox’s film “Hope Floats,” starring Sandra Bullock. Whitaker served as executive producer on each of these films multi-platinum soundtracks which sold over 12 million copies collectively and earned a combined total of 14 Grammy nominations
“The Last King of Scotland” stars Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy, Kerry Washington, Simon McBurney and Gillian Anderson. It is directed by by acclaimed Oscar®-winning documentary filmmaker Kevin Macdonald (“Touching The Void,” “One Day In September”) from a screenplay by Peter Morgan and Jeremy Brock based on the novel by Giles Foden.
Fox Searchlight's “The Last King of Scotland” opens September 27.
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