CHAMAT ARAMBEWELA
Chamat who is now in London as the Head of Market Data Business Analysis at LCH
Buzz with Danu is always proud to speak about LANKAN talent shining internationaly. Today I have Chamat who is now in London as the Head of Market Data Business Analysis at LCH -and has been working on his acting career and his pictures have been making its rounds on social media and I wanted to know his story - so proud to know that he is still the same old guy with his simple take on life. Here is his story and more on Buzz.
WHEN DID YOU MOVE IN TO FULL TIME ACTING? I haven’t yet, but that’s the dream :) I have been signed by IAG (who represent the likes of John Boyega and Letita Wright) since September 2018 and excited to see where things go! WHO HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST SUPPORT IN
YOUR LIFE IN MAKING THIS A REALITY? My parents for pushing me to act when I didn’t even know what it was, my sister for listening to my moans, Aunty Nirmalie (Hettiarachchi) and Aunty
Fuzzy (Farzana Khan who’s going to hate me for calling her aunty) for setting the foundations, and Naana (Feroz Kamardeen) as a friend and as a theatre maker in Sri Lanka for influencing me so much! YOU ARE STARRING IN PENNYWORTH, TELL ME
ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE? Ha ha! Far cry from starring, I have a few lines in one episode. My biggest fear to-date is that I get edited out!! But to have a role in a major US series, however small, is great exposure and a stepping stone for bigger things to come! This was my first experience on screen, and was totally blown by the scale and the professionalism of it all. There are literally hundreds of people who revolve around making sure you, the actor, is primed and ready for each take, and it’s easy to see how actors become divas! My scene was with Paloma Faith (the ‘villainess’) and Jack Bannon (the protagonist,
Alfred Pennyworth), so I definitely had to be on my toes! From Director to the stars to the crew and the entire eco-system, everyone was helpful, polite, professional and incredibly efficient. Great first experience! YOUR THEATRE BACKGROUND IN SRI LANKA
- HAS IT HELPED YOU? Oh most definitely. Theatre is the closest to my heart, and even though English Theatre in Sri Lanka is considered amateur, the productions we do and the theatres we have are comparatively very professional in my opinion, and a great setup to grown in. I would have no passion for acting if not for my theatre experiences in Sri Lanka. WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE TRAVEL DESTINATION AND WHY? Florence, Italy. Beautifully idyllic, slow paced, incredible food, wine, art and architecture. I’m a massive fan of sculptures, and Florence is peppered with random Michelangelos everywhere. HOW DO YOU TRY TO IMPROVE ON YOUR ACTING SKILLS? I go for classes/workshops whenever possible, especially in areas I want to improve. I find that continuously acting whenever possible is the best way to keep learning though! ARE YOU WORKING ON ANY CURRENT PROJECTS? Currently rehearsing for Macbeth with the Woodhouse Players, playing the role of the infamous Scotsman himself! WHAT KIND OF ROLES HAVE YOU PERFORMED THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER? ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH THEM? Massive variety of roles, from sinister sadistic torturers to tortured freedom fighter grappling with existential crises, from regular all-round nice fella to total wanker :) Current role of Macbeth is the most challenging one I’ve done to-date, and I’m working on bringing out a more human side to a character that’s largely considered a warmongering monster. HOW PRESSURE? DO YOU HANDLE STRESS AND
My poor fingers suffer the most, anyone can gauge how stressed I am by checking my fingers out. Short answer, not well. WHAT’S THE MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT YOU THAT ONE WOULDN’T LEARN FROM YOUR RESUME ALONE? I’m really quite chilled out, contrary to what my resume or my old friends say! WHAT’S THE BEST / WORSE PART OF DOING WHAT YOU DO? Nothing beats the high you get when performing. It’s a drug, and you feel incredibly elated. Waiting for the next gig to happen is less fun. WHAT DO YOU PREFER THEATRE ACTING OR
MOVIE ACTING? Theatre Acting! You can’t beat the continuity and the sense of being one with the audience. That said, current goal is to work on honing my screen acting skills!
WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE ACTOR? My all time favourite is Denzel Washington, but Mahershala Ali is taking over the mantle very fast!
WHAT KIND OF ROLES DO YOU PREFER? I’m a sucker for vulnerable roles, but I seem to be landing sinister ones, and my friends all think I’m much better at comedy. It’s a tough crowd.