The Hollywood News chatted with actor Denver Isaac to talk acting and his role in the hit TV drama ‘A.D The Bible Continues’.
THN: When did you realise you wanted to be an actor? How did you family react to the news you wanted to act?
I realised I wanted to be an actor in three memorable and funny stages. The first being when I still lived back in Zimbabwe and started watching Clint Eastwood’s cowboy films with my father. I just loved Clint’s swagger and the fact that he wore a blanket over him even in hot hot hot weather! The second stage was when I spent more time playing in the garden as an actor performing in-front of the flowers and bushes pretending they were thousands of spectators watching me. The third came when I had emigrated to England and began attending a Chicken Shed Theatre. A wonderful place where kids with all sorts of abilities and backgrounds mix and make fun and inspiring theatre. When I finally told my Ma that I had applied for a place in Drama School; she wasn’t at all surprised. She simply said “So you will continue playing through life. I knew it!” Ever since then, every time I have been on stage or on TV, my Ma and cousins have been very supportive and have helped me in every way possible.
THN: Wanting to be an actor in Zimbabwe must have had many unique challenges. Did you find it difficult to find acting roles there?
Zimbabwe has a rich history of performance. It’s embedded within the culture to sit in a circle with people performing especially with the native instruments like the mbira and on TV, I remember a sketch show with a comedian called ‘Paraffin’ who was very popular. I would also watch him with my Father.
When I had finally decided to become an actor; I had already emigrated to England where there are plenty of opportunities. I know for certain that the industry in Zimbabwe has grown significantly and because it is home, I would most definitely seek to return there with work one day.
THN: Most people who want to be actors always have a few inspirations from various different places, be it films, TV etc. What inspired you to take the acting journey?
When I was growing up, and having a tough time at school with friends and studies; my Ma sent me to Chicken Shed which I have to mention again. The youth group I joined at that theatre became and still is an emotional inspiration for me because it made me realize that I WAS different but so was everyone else and that it was Ok. The casting team there gave me the role of Azdakk in Bertolt Brecht’s play called ‘The Chalk Circle’. There has been nothing else I have wanted to do than perform since then.
THN: You’ve been lucky enough to work with an impressive array of acting teachers not least from London’s Italia Conti – how important is it for you to always be as prepared and ready as possible?
It is utmost important to always be ready in acting. Ready to do almost anything on a wide variety of mediums. Acting is doing. Thus, it is important to keep a healthy mind; body and spirit. To remain emotionally available and what pulls all of that into something coherent is technique. I went to a drama school that has a foundation and history of theatre acting. I have found that I am able to apply that on any stage that I am on as well as in life in general.
THN: Your film “Beyond Plain Sight” was lucky enough to be nominated for Best British Short Film at Raindance which must have been both a shock and an honour for you and everyone involved. How do you describe the film for people who have yet to find out about it?
I would describe ‘BPS’ as a film that is indicative of how humanity has been and always will be.
By that I mean the journey of life and how we are constantly finding out about ourselves and each other; the good we want to manage and get better and the bad, we also want to manage and get rid of but that is complex and is better said than done for a lo of us. It was a both a shock and an honor to be part of Raindance and it was also thrilling to know that our film meant something to other people. The hard work we had asked of each other; the cast and crew really did pay off and still is! The film will be shown at a festival in Berlin very soon.
THN: Another big role for you recently is in biblical show ‘A.D – The Bible Continues’. Where did that film, and how challenging was it as an actor to work on something so grand in scale compared to the relative modest of ‘Beyond Plain Sight’?
As an artist, nothing compares to imagining and then being able to create and share your work to eventually affect people in different ways. It’s the same thrill I think as riding a bike for the first time without hands or diving into a lake without care. That is how I felt with ‘BPS’ and other work that I have produced myself.
It is indeed a different feeling to stepping onto a stage that has been created by such producers as Mark and Roma Downey. Being on ‘AD’ after having produced and starred on ‘BPS’ was rewarding in that I understood more the jobs of the crew and the producers and what the process they go through mentally. It was a relief that I didn’t have to worry about ‘how many people I have to feed and how many oranges are left?’ The challenge was that I had to ask myself to be ready for a bigger stage and be ready to deliver a good performance whilst still enjoying the experience.
THN: What type of genre of film or TV show are you drawn to traditionally?
I love drama. The drama you find in shows like ‘House Of Cards’ and ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ because they thrill whilst revealing such truths about ourselves and what drives us individually as people.
That is the kind of work I will always want to be involved with. Otherwise, I am also drawn to a lot of comedy. ‘Transparent’ has been a favourite show of mine for a while now; their narrative is hilarious but it is also matched with a seriousness and boldness that one cannot forget easily.
THN: You’ve already worked with some very talented people – do you still hold any aspirations to work with some of Hollywood’s finest? If so, who would be on your dream list?
Oh yes, I have had the pleasure of working with such good and inventive actors like Cyril Nri, Babou Ceesay and Vernon Dobtcheff. I have always enjoyed the work of Forest Whitaker because he has an edge; something frightening but also enticing at the same time that I don’t think I see in many actors.
He would be one actor I aspire to work with.
THN: So many British actors make their way to Hollywood to develop their careers further. Do you have any ambitions to make that move too?
I grew up watching American TV and film back home in Zimbabwe and I have carried on doing so since I settled here in London so yes, it would be a dream-come-true to work in the land of America as an actor. Not only to fulfill a dream and further my career but also to inspire a boy who is like me back home to follow his dream in doing whatever has spoken into his heart.
THN: There are so many people chasing the dream of becoming an actor – as someone who has come a long way to find yourself at this point, what would you tell those that are starting their journey?
If I were to sit across a young actor about to start his or her career, Id like to think I would have lots to share about my experience but the main thing I would want to repeat time and time again is for that actor to remain fearless in chasing and realizing the dream they have discovered within them.
Check out Denver Isaac on the IMDB over here.
