-Chiwetel, nice to see you, bud.
-Thank you. Nice to see you, too.
Pleasure to be here. -Thank you.
Thank you so much for doing the show.
I know you made it back to London,
but the quarantine started for you here in New York,
is that right?
-That's right, that's right. I was in New York
when it all -- when it all kicked off,
which was -- I mean, it was pretty intense.
It was intense for everybody, of course, you know.
But it was pretty full-on in New York.
And I ended up getting on
what they called a repatriation flight,
you know, which sounded, like, very Orwellian.
I was like the only person in JFK.
-Wow. -It was incredibly surreal.
Just pulling up just to the terminal
and being in the only car in the whole thing,
it was really -- it really hit home at that point.
-Your family is -- Your mom and dad are both from Nigeria?
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-And your dad, I read somewhere,
your dad was a singer, like, a pretty famous musician, right?
-Yeah, he was.
He was a pretty famous musician in Nigeria.
He was a doctor, as well.
But he was pretty big in kind of sort of African high-life music,
with a lot of sort of jazz and sort of funk influence.
And I, you know -- I mean, it was, I mean, amazing for me
growing up and starting to learn, when we'd visit Nigeria,
just how well known he was there.
People just on the street would break into his music, you know?
-And how old were you when you saw that?
-I was like 7, I guess, you know,
7, 8 years old when I was kind of aware
that people were singing my father's songs,
and it was just sort of in random places in Nigeria.
And, you know, people would break into his music,
and I would just be like
sort of getting it and piecing it together
and realizing just that sense of community
and the influence that he was having.
-And your mom was a backup singer?
-Yeah, she was a backup singer in his band.
So, you know, they were like -- And actually, his mom, as well,
my grandmother on my father's side
was also one of the backup singers in the band.
So it was like a little family affair.
-Did you think of getting into music or your sisters?
-I did. I mean, I never had my father's voice, sadly,
but I loved --
you know, he was -- his influence on me was just
I think about in sort of entertainment
and being able to kind of communicate with people
and how music and for me then acting
was also a way of expressing self, you know,
and, you know, thinking about self-expression,
and thinking about sort of self-understanding
and communicating that with a group of people.
And that was the kind of --
I think that was the sort of line that I took
that was sort of like his, in a way.
-Yeah. That's wild you got the bug right there.
That's pretty wild.
Then look what you've done with everything.
I mean, you've just been crushing it,
every single movie you do.
I mean, you're getting nominated for Oscars.
It's like -- It's a pretty awesome career.
I want to talk about "The Old Guard" on Netflix.
Big hit. Congrats on that.
-Thank you.
-That's kind of a fun thing, too, to have a movie on Netflix.
'cause everyone's home right now, so --
-Well, that is a great advantage, you know,
that there is, like, a proper captive audience for the movie.
It's amazing. -Yeah, yeah.
You were saying somewhere that you think
this is a big either step forward in movies and film,
or is that because of the Netflix part?
-Yeah, I mean, I think it's all of it, you know?
"The Old Guard" I think is a great film in its own right.
And I think it's been brilliantly directed
by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
But also, it encapsulates, I think, this idea of how film
and how media in broad terms can really be inclusive
and how that is part of the -- With this film,
it's sort of an integral part of the narrative
is this kind of sense of inclusivity.
And everybody is represented in the film.
All sorts of different groups,
people of different walks of life
are all represented in their own way.
And that's both in the story and also behind the camera, as well.
And I think that that is a really important marker.
And just how popular the film has been, as well,
is just an important marker for the way these things can go.
I think that that is what's really going to be
a saving grace of our industry
and an important part of our industry forward
is really representing everybody.
-Yeah. I agree.
Can you set up the movie?
-So, "The Old Guard" is about
a group of mercenaries led by Charlize Theron
who also happen to be immortal.
I mean, stop right there.
-I know, exactly.
You guys -- I mean, seriously, she's amazing, unbelievable.
You guys together -- The film is great,
but she is just brilliant. Oh, my gosh.
-Yeah. They kind of run into
a group of nefarious characters who are not immortal,
but they are very sort of ethically and morally ambiguous.
I would categorize myself as one of that gang.
And then sort of chaos ensues.
-Yeah. It's very good. I want to show a clip.
Here's Chiwetel Ejiofor in "The Old Guard." Take a look.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
-Last overflight confirmed the personnel on-site.
♪♪
No food or water being brought in.
♪♪
-That means they're moving them soon.
-And when they do, most likely, they'll be separated,
and odds are, you'll never find them again.
Has to be done quickly, by the best.
And your team's the best I've ever seen.
You can name your price.
♪♪
-We'll invoice you when it's done.
-My thanks to Chiwetel Ejiofor.
"The Old Guard" is available now on Netflix.
Stay safe, buddy. Give my love to London, okay?