The idea of a cute little kid capturing audiences’ hearts with charm and innocence is a common one in Hollywood.
Meet 10-year-old Kwesi Boakye, Hollywood’s latest sensation. Already a veteran actor with an ever-growing resume and roles in several features including Tyler Perry’s “I Can Do Bad All By Myself” staring Academy Award nominee Taraji Henson, he began his career in television commercials at just 10-months-old staring in a video for pre-school kids called “Tots on Tape”. A modeling gig in the worldwide Baby Gap campaign followed and it wasn’t long before Kwesi snagged his first casting role on the medical drama “Strong Medicine”.
Since then, he has appeared in a string of prominent television shows such as “Boston Legal”, “South Park”, “Daybreak” with Taye Diggs and the Daytime Soap Opera “Days of Our Lives”. He can also be seen as a series regular on the new Cartoon Network animated series “Gumball” voicing the character role of Darwin. He also voiced Andrew on the animated series “Special Agent Oso” although his most notable voice-over role was in the Oscar winning flick, “Happy Feet”.
Wise beyond his years, Kwesi has the presence of a Hollywood veteran and is able to answer interview questions with the ease of a 50-year professional. He tells Samantha Ofole-Prince all about his latest projects.
Let’s talk about your upcoming movie which is called “I Can Do Bad All By Myself”. How did you get onboard and become part of the project?
I found out that they were having a table read and the casting agent Robin Reed got me in and I read and they called me and said they wanted to put me in the movie.
What character do you play in the movie?
I play a character called Manny and I believe he is 9-years-old.
What is he like?
He’s a very tough kid and he likes to fight a lot and he is a little rough around the edges as he had to grow up pretty fast.
Do you share any similarities to Manny?
Yes, I do for he is the youngest kid in his family and I am the youngest of my brothers Kwame and Kofi who are also actors.
Who is the better actor?
Me. I have to say that I guess [laughs]. I want to be an actor for the rest of my life. I enjoy acting because I meet a lot of people and get to travel to different places. For the Tyler Perry movie, I traveled to Atlanta. We went to a lot of places like the aquarium, the Coca-Cola museum and some of their malls. It’s very cool. I like the atmosphere in Atlanta.
Did you know who Tyler Perry was before you joined the cast?
Yes, I knew about him before the movie and I have always been a big fan. It was like a dream come true when I finally got to meet him and it was a good experience working with him. He has a way with kids and breaks things down in the movie with a kids version.
What about Taraji Henson? What did you think of her?
She is very energetic. She likes to play with the kids and she is a very fun person.
What was it like onset working with these wonderful actors?
It was fun because everyday someone would crack a joke and everybody would be laughing. It was a very fun place to be and I really would love to work with Mr. Perry again.
Is it easy acting? Can anyone act?
Yes, anyone can act if you put your mind to it. Anybody can do anything if you just put your mind to it. It’s easy to be in the acting business.
What do you think about the arduous auditioning process?
It is fun going to auditions because sometimes you get to bump into some of your friends and then you mingle and learn your lines. I like doing auditions because they are fun to do.
How do you remember your lines? Isn’t it hard?
It’s a lot of stuff to remember but it’s not that much of a problem for me because I have a good memory.
What actors do you like out there?
I like Will Smith a lot. I like the way his career has gone and I hope my career goes just as good as his or even better. I am a big fan of his and I liked Hancock. It was a very good movie to watch.
Your parents are originally from Ghana. Have you ever been to Ghana?
No I haven’t been to Ghana, but I am hoping to go there next summer and I can’t wait till I go there so I can meet all my family. It’s going to be a very good experience.
Aside from the upcoming movie, what’s next for you?
I am actually working on a TV show called “Men of a Certain Age” with Ray Romano. I had to go through the whole audition process. I was so happy because finally I am getting to work with him. I was very happy and excited as I love Ray Romano and I am a big fan of the show “Everybody Loves Raymond”.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to hang out with my family and my friends and just go out to the movies and I like to play a lot of sports. My favorite sport is soccer and I enjoy that because it involves a lot of exercise and it’s a very fun sport to play because you get to run up and down.
What about school and combining acting and your studies? Are you home schooled?
I am not home schooled and its kinda hard for my mum to pick me up from school and run around and take me to auditions but I can live with it.
What’s your favorite scene in the movie “I Can Do Bad All By Myself”?
When I got to meet Madea for the very first time. It was just very funny because everything that came out of his mouth was so funny and nobody could keep a straight face and we had to do a lot of takes.
“I Can do Bad all By Myself” releases in theatres September 11
