Forest Whitaker’s been in Hollywood for ages, and his journey is really an interesting one. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a BFA in Drama but didn’t enter college for acting — instead, his original major was Opera.
After gaining attention in various stage musicals, young Whitaker made a big screen debut with a small but unforgettable part (a supporting role playing a high school football player) in Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982).
Whitaker’s greatest success is the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland, which earned him the 2007 Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. His role as Doc Broadus in the recent release of Big George Foreman (2023) was also praised. But even a pro actor like him had a role that screwed his brain in one of his movies.
Forest Whitaker’s Role in My Own Love Song Was a Mind-Bending Challenge For Him
Forest Whitaker was part of the road movie named My Own Love Song, which came in 2010. The movie was directed by Olivier Dahan starring Renée Zellweger, Madeline Zima, and Nick Nolte. It was based on the life of Jane, a paralyzed former singer who takes a road trip from Kansas to New Orleans, Louisiana, with her best friend Joey (Forest Whitaker).
Whitaker played a schizophrenic in the movie. But his character as Joey (Renée Zellweger) was so intense that he started to see things that he used to imagine, and it really took him a long time to recover from this. The 62-years-old said:
“I was playing a schizophrenic [in My Own Love Song], and every night I kept working really hard, pushing my head to the point where I started to see the things that I was imagining. I realized there is a way to screw with your brain. It took me a really long time to get myself back to thinking the way I wanted to — it almost took a year.”
The actor revealed this in a candid conversation with The Hollywood Reporter‘s annual series featuring Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jared Leto, Josh Brolin, and Michael B. Jordan.
Forest Whitaker Shines as an Actor Despite All the Challenges He Ever Faced
In the same conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Forest Whitaker was asked how he felt when people said this was the year (2013) of the black actor in the film. The City of Lies star said he is fortunate to play a lot of diverse roles. He continued saying:
“But in the beginning, I was thinking: “I’m not gonna do certain characters. I will be willing to say no and live on a couch.” And I was really happy. Maybe more happy sometimes than in the latter years when I had more, when I was thinking and considering more things for different reasons — for family, for my home. But luckily I was able to at least maintain some sort of a line. Even if I would veer right or left, I would stay pretty close to center, and the roles were really interesting.
No doubt, Whitaker has always been celebrated as one of the greatest actors of all time, but he has always been a strong fit for historical roles. Whether he’s jazzing it up as Charlie Parker in Bird, winning an Oscar as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, or serving as White House butler Eugene Allen in The Butler, no doubt he’s the king of that genre.
Besides this, even though the star has faced a few challenges in his portrayal as Joey in My Own Love Song, his performance in the movie is a must-watch.
My Own Love Song is now available on Prime Video.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
