IN CONVERSATION WITH REDA ELAZOUAR

interview by JANA LETONJA

One of the most exciting rising talents in British film and television, Reda Elazouar has been making waves as an actor, writer, producer, and voiceover artist. You may recognize him as Kidda in Reggie Yates’ ‘Pirates’, a breakout performance that earned him a BIFA Breakthrough nod, or from hit shows like ‘Sex Education’, and ‘Baghdad Central’. Next, he is set to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Family Plan 2’ for Apple TV+, premiering this November, and in PBS series ‘Maigret’.

What first inspired you to pursue acting, and how did your time at RaaW London shape your craft?

Since I was a little kid, I was always doing accents, impressions and performing dances for my parents in my living room. I watched a lot of films growing up and the magic of it all made me want to pursue it. I didn’t know how to though as no-one around me, including my family, was in the creative industry. My mum pushed to me to send an email to RaAW again when I was 15. I had an audition set up a couple of years before, but bailed on it due to nerves. I would train at RAaW every Saturday for 4 years while I did my GCSEs and A-Levels. Sometimes, we’d even start at 5:30am, finish at 10:30pm and I loved every moment of it. I have a lot to owe to Robbi Stevens, who founded RaaW, and Kandice Morris, who taught us week in and week out. They both helped me understand the psychology of characters ,but most importantly, people and my own self. They instilled and nurtured the idea of working very hard while having extreme focus and direction. To this day, I use practices that I learnt there in my acting work, but also my day-to-day life.

How did it feel landing your first role opposite Florence Pugh in ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ at just 18?

I’ll never forget that call. I remember it was April 2018 and Kandice, who was my agent at the time, rang me while I was at an acting event called Levile & Chill. When she told me, I couldn’t believe it. I remember saying “No way”. Shortly after, I was in Athens opposite Florence filming on a set with a few hundred extras. I was 18 at the time and being able to work in a different country was a dream come true. I’m thankful to Jina Jay and Eliza Heslop who cast me in my first ever show. It gave me the confidence and experience which helped me keep working.

‘Pirates’ was a big breakout for you. What drew you to the role of Kidda, and what was it like working under Reggie Yates?

When I first read it, I thought it was for a ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ spin-off. The moment I had read the script though, I realised it was a story centred around London, garage and brotherhood and I loved every page. It’s rare as an actor that you read a script and feel like the character is a 100% perfect fit for you, but that was how I felt with Kidda. The way Kidda spoke felt so instinctual to me that learning the lines was a breeze. I loved that it was a London-centric film and it being a lead role meant it would be a new challenge.

Working with Reggie is an experience I will genuinely never forget. He was always on TV screen growing up, so at the beginning I had to remind myself that he was a real person. My experience filming with Reggie was nothing short of amazing. The fact that he wrote the script meant that any question I had was answered swiftly and with so much detail. When I first booked the role, Reggie organised a 2-day trip away to the seaside with the other two leads, Jordan and Elliot. We watched films, cooked for eachother, and had time to bond. I have never seen a director put that much effort into their cast and can’t wait to work him again.

You also played Beau in the final season of ‘Sex Education’. How was it joining such an established, globally popular series?

I think I speak for everyone when I say that Season 1 felt like it changed TV forever. I loved the first season and wanted to be a part of the show for a few years. It seemed like so much fun, and I had the opportunity to audition for Season 2, but the character wasn’t the right fit for me. When the character of Beau came along, it felt right, and it was great to be on a show that I had watched and loved. It helped me understand how to create a character arc over a whole season as I had never done a character that was in every episode before. I was over the moon that I was able to be on a such a great show with such talented actors too. 

Next, you’re about to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in ‘The Family Plan 2. What can you tell us about your role and working on a big-budget Apple TV+ production?

I play Omar who we discover is Nina’s French-Moroccan boyfriend that she meets after moving to London. He juggles quite a few jobs, but is most useful for his parkour skills which come in handy when all the family must go to Paris after being hunted by Dan’s brother, played by Kit Harrington. 

I had never worked in a production this big before and it was unlike anything I had done previously, especially acting opposite Mark, Michelle and Kit who are all actors I’ve watched for many years. The size of the production also meant that we filmed in some iconic locations both in London and Paris, such as Piccadilly Circus and Montmartre. 

We’ll be also seeing you in ‘Maigret’, where you play Detective Lapointe. What was it like stepping into a classic detective narrative, and how did you prepare for that role?

It was the first time I played a character with a job, and that’s when I realised I’m getting older. The first thing I did though was order a lock-picking kit. It’s mentioned in the script that he picks a lock and upon seeing that the script revision took that bit out, I asked the writer, Patrick Harbinson, if we could put it back in. We don’t find this out in Season 1, but Lapointe gets hired and mentored by Maigret after Maigret catches him breaking the law when he was young. So, I knew that Lapointe had to be knowledgeable about certain illegalities and have an unorthodox way of fighting crime just like his boss that he admires. 

Apart from that, I read all the books that Season 1 was inspired by, which helped me understand the show and the world of Maigret. 

You’ve worked across a wide range of genres — from gritty dramas like Baghdad Central to sci-fi in Outside the Wire. What’s been the most challenging role of your career so far, and why

I’d have to say ‘The Family Plan 2’ as it came with a lot of physical prep. Omar does a lot of parkour in the film, and I had never done any of that previously. Before getting the job, it was made clear to me that I had to be in great shape. Upon booking the role, I started doing parkour, stunt and boxing sessions and working with 2 personal trainers, Simon Waterson and Tim Blakeley, in December and all through the winter holidays. They trained me for 5 weeks to get ready for Omar’s first scene in the film. Performance chef Dan Sargent and nutritionist Juliet O’Sullivan also helped me massively as I had to be on quite a strict calorie-restricted diet to get in shape on time. That, on top with the normal pressures of being in a huge film like this, made this the most challenging job I’ve ever done. But yes, I’d do it all again. Being able to learn new skills and work with amazing people was a bonus.

You produced ‘Why a Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister’. What inspired that project, and how was the reception?

I was asked by Zakiyyah Deen who wrote and led ‘Why a Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister’ and it was a poignant two-hander which echoed sentiments of the political landscape of British politics and the block women’s maternal health. I was happy at how it was received as we sold out a 3-week run at Camden People’s Theatre and had great reviews on the performances. We’re hoping and working towards it being on stage again when the time is right.

Are there any current projects you’re developing that you’re especially excited about?

I’m currently writing a mockumentary series centred around three seemingly different people with different political views from different backgrounds that are all more similar than they think they are, a racist 50 year old, a young working-class wannabe entrepreneur who gets fostered into a rich family and a posh guy from Surrey who moves to Peckham in hopes he can find himself and find independence. This’ll all make sense when it comes out.

It’s inspired by the London that I grew up in and by the variety of different people you get to meet just because of the nature of the way London is set up. I’m looking forward to finishing it and hopefully there’ll be more news about it soon!

What does success look like to you at this stage of your career?

At this point for me, success is being able to choose what I do next and have the power of saying no if I feel that a project doesn’t align with me morally. It’s also being able to attend acting classes and having the time to give my attention to other hobbies, which in turn help me become a better actor. 

If you could go back and give advice to your 18-year-old self before your first role, what would it be?

I’d have to say “Keep a journal”. I still fall victim to this now, but back then, I was more focused on what was next. What’s the next acting job going to be? How am I going to get to the next level? That definitely robbed me from enjoying what was happening in the moment and I think keeping a diary would’ve helped me be appreciative of what was happening in the here and now.

TEAM CREDITS:

photography DAVID REISS
styling HOLLY WHITE
grooming CHARLIE CULLEN