Release the cackles
Actor Toby Kebbell draws on his experiences to play a demi-god in wrath Of the Titans.
IN wrath Of The Titans, he has the best oneliners, which add a dose of much-needed humour to the new Hollywood blockbuster, but Toby Kebbell, who plays demi-god Agenor, was initially hesitant to take on the role.
Says the chatty 29-year-old English actor: “I read it and I was like, man, I’m really not down with it, I don’t want to play a goofy dude.”
He explains that his character in the sequel to Clash Of The Titans (2010) was the one who would ask for more cake in a scene where everyone was in a serious discussion about the end of the world. Agenor is “an annoyance”, he says.
Speaking to Life! at the Ritz-carlton hotel in New York City, he adds: “If it’s just a kind of, you know, sidekick with a few silly lines, it doesn’t really work... I was like, nah, I’m not really on for that.’
Eventually, he changed his mind after speaking to director Jonathan Liebesman about developing a fuller character and emphasising the sense of journey that Agenor, the son of Greek god Poseidon, goes through.
“The character has to be whole in order to make it interesting,” Kebbell explains. After establishing that, he could then layer on the humorous lines. “If not, then you’re sort of like, ‘Why have I got Jar Jar Binks here?’ You’ve just got some moron with a silly voice.”
The rising British star, who was last seen in Steven Spielberg’s dramawar Horse (2011), says he has liked acting since his first role as “the second inn keeper” in the school nativity play.
“I was so angry that this other kid got to play Jesus... how did he get that?” he says in jest.
According to his recollection, his only line was to say “No” and he channelled all his anger at not being cast as the lead into the line.
No surprises then that his drama teacher in school had singled him out and told him he was an “attention-seeker” and should pursue a career in acting.
So at 15, Kebbell says that “like a nincompoop” he quit school to pursue his acting career. A year later, he moved out of the family home. “I thought I was very smart and malnourished myself for a few years,” he says.
While waiting for his big break, he took on part-time jobs which included selling insurance, driving a delivery van and serving tables at the Hard Rock Cafe in Nottingham. At 20, he moved to London.
His big screen debut came in 2004 for the movie Dead Man’s Shoes, which earned him a British Independent Film Award nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.
The London-based actor, who grew up without his father present much after his parents divorced before he was two years old, says he probably drew on his personal life for Wrath Of The Titans, in which Agenor and his father Poseidon are estranged.
“I think you always have to, when you’re creating a character, exaggerate parts of yourself that seem real and honest, to create a character with a rounded nature.”
But he is quick to add that he harbours no anger towards his father: “I think he’s a splendid chap, I’m happy to know him.”
Another childhood experience that informed his performance in the special effects-laden film was role-playing with his three elder brothers when he was a child, which Kebbell likens to acting in front of a green screen.
“I was the youngest of four boys, so I spent my entire childhood with no television, playing with a piece of wood, pretending it was a sword or, gun or the gear stick to a rocket ship, and whatever it was.
“I really enjoy it, you’ve got a green stick in your hand pretending it’s a trident. It’s good fun.” – The Straits Times Singapore/asia News Network
nwrath Ofthetitans is showing in cinemas nationwide.