Award-winning seasoned actor Dennis Mailu has been captivating audiences with his unique charisma and talents in film and television since launching his entertainment career. Born and raised in Nairobi, the African actor speaks in multi-languages including his tribal language of Kikamba, Swahili and English fluently making him one of Hollywood’s hottest actors. We sat down with Dennis to talk about working in Los Angeles and his latest movie BET.
Can you tell us your backstory?
I was born in a small village in Nairobi, Kenya. Growing up I enjoyed performing and started my path in acting during high school, where I did plays and discovering myself! I loved the thrill at the time! I have always been adventurous and when I wrote and acted in a play that won some awards, I knew I was destined for Hollywood!
Why did you leave Kenya?
Daring to be great comes via high courage and sacrifice and it is the reason I left my home country to fortify and seek out vast worldly experiences to build character, a point of view about the world we live in and gain an education. I lived in the United Kingdom for 9 years, a period where I continued to act and perform. Thereafter, I moved to Los Angeles for further training at the New York Film Academy and American Academy of Dramatic arts, the latter where I got awarded the Prestigious Charles Jehlinger Award for Excellence in Acting.
What types of movies do you typically prefer?
I have a soft spot for projects that have a deep and mysterious plot but engage the audience’s curiosity throughout the story. Genres that I have thrived in and achieved this artistic style is drama, thriller (psychological) and science fiction.
What is your creative process when preparing for a movie?
The first step of my creative process begins with script analysis, interpretation, and research. Thereafter I love to take all the literal facts about my character, build it whilst memorizing my lines as I endow the text with personal experiences and imagination in order to connect fully to the words. In the same breadth, I love to situate my character within the world of script-exploring relationships and tone.
Tell us about the movie, ‘BET’
The buddy comedy film is about two guys (Tommy and Bobby) who fate ends up bringing together. They get caught up in a gambling debt and have to go through some hoops to complete a delivery and clear their bet for Ms Fang. However, the errand takes a different turn when they find out what’s in the briefcase.
What character do you play, and do you have any similarities?
I play the character of Bobby, He is a retired boxer who now works as a bartender. He constantly makes bets and knows quite bit about the sport. Our similarities reside in the fact that I am a big fight fan myself! I tune into majority of the boxing and mixed marts arts fights on display, mostly live!
What makes this project great?
The fact that we were able to incorporate two different venues on the same day with constricted time! Its amazing to see what one can achieve under pressure.
Can you tell us about any secrets from the set?
Yes! This film was done in 48 hours-Prep to completion- as part of a festival. So, the whole cast and crew had minimal time to prepare! I had to memorize my script and be on set in 8 hours!
If you were to tell your younger self three things, what would they be?
There will be hurdles to overcome at every stage in life, for every choice there is a consequence and count your blessings at every moment!
Finally, how can people keep up with you?
Most of my work can be found on IMDb – and my social media platforms are Instagram and Facebook . My website has a good source of information too Website.
