Kingsley Ben-Adir

IS ON THE RISE…

Moroccan-British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir has been acting since 2012, and has already caught glances in the likes of The Commuter, Trespass Against Us and King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword. And with a major role in the ultra-secretive second season of Netflix sci-fi series The OA, he’s about to go stratospheric. “It’s a little nerve-wracking,” he smiles. “But this is what all the rejections, auditions and close calls are for.”

Who is Karim, your character in

The OA? He’s a private detective living in a houseboat in San Francisco. He worked for the FBI, but something went down that he didn’t want to be a part of anymore. At the start he gets a knock at the door, and sets off on this investigation to find a missing girl.

Despite being new to the show, Karim’s the only character we follow for 30 minutes…

When I went to meet [the show’s creators] Zal [Batmanglij] and Brit [Marling], I didn’t realise how important the character was. It crossed my mind so many times, “All these people who love The OA and have been waiting for this second one for years, they’re going to press ‘play’, and be stuck with me for ages!” But that in itself is fucking radical. And a great opportunity for me.

When did you know you wanted to act?

I used to go out with a girl who was at drama school, so I ended up hanging around a lot of actors in my early twenties. I actually wanted to go to film school, but that didn’t work out. I ended up applying to drama school in 2007, and got in. It sounds a bit random, but it’s been eight years now and I’m still working.

Who are your acting heroes?

I love Benicio Del Toro. Viggo Mortensen’s my guy. Anna Magnani – she’s a beast. Jim Sheridan was probably the filmmaker who I first responded to. In America and In The Name Of The Father were big, big influences on me. JF

ETA | 22 MARCH / THE OA PART II LAUNCHES ON NETFLIX LATER THIS MONTH.