Brit Pack Interviews
AML AMEEN
Name: Aml Ameen
Profession: Actor/Producer/Filmmaker
Current Residence: Burbank, Los Angeles
Previous Residence: Barnet, North London
Left UK in: 2010
Picture the scene. A father and son are 5,000 miles apart; one in Los Angeles, where the sun is hazy but blistering nevertheless. The other in London; where streetlights provide the only illumination. An important life lesson is taking place. Aml Ameen’s Dad is teaching him how to make the Jamaican dish, curry goat. And he’s doing it over Skype.
Authentic Caribbean food is one of the main things Aml misses since he moved to LA, almost two years ago.
“There is one West Indian restaurant out here, in North Hollywood but it’s not really the one,” he confesses. “I go there just for a little taste of home.”
The talented actor, producer and filmmaker is currently living the Hollywood dream.
After carving out a respectable reputation in England, from roles in the ITV drama ‘The Bill’ and leading man in the street film ‘Kidulthood’ the rising star set his sights on world domination and so far things are going to plan.
“I was pretty fed up with the material in England for people of my age group and demographic,” he admits. “In past interviews when people asked me where I was going to be in five years, this is the place I spoke of.”
In 2009 he came to LA for a week of auditions. The trip progressed into a year of back and forth meetings and screen tests and then the opportunity presented itself for a role in the US legal drama ‘Harry’s Law’, alongside Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates. As a regular on a primetime drama Aml’s face is slowly becoming familiar to US audiences. But it’s not the first time he’s been seen over here. His first major Hollywood film role came earlier this year in the George Lucas movie about the Tuskegee airmen, ‘Red Tails’. And he recently landed a guest spot in CSI Miami.
Impressive stuff for a young actor who has only been in LA for a short time.
Profession: Actor/Producer/Filmmaker
Current Residence: Burbank, Los Angeles
Previous Residence: Barnet, North London
Left UK in: 2010
Picture the scene. A father and son are 5,000 miles apart; one in Los Angeles, where the sun is hazy but blistering nevertheless. The other in London; where streetlights provide the only illumination. An important life lesson is taking place. Aml Ameen’s Dad is teaching him how to make the Jamaican dish, curry goat. And he’s doing it over Skype.
Authentic Caribbean food is one of the main things Aml misses since he moved to LA, almost two years ago.
“There is one West Indian restaurant out here, in North Hollywood but it’s not really the one,” he confesses. “I go there just for a little taste of home.”
The talented actor, producer and filmmaker is currently living the Hollywood dream.
After carving out a respectable reputation in England, from roles in the ITV drama ‘The Bill’ and leading man in the street film ‘Kidulthood’ the rising star set his sights on world domination and so far things are going to plan.
“I was pretty fed up with the material in England for people of my age group and demographic,” he admits. “In past interviews when people asked me where I was going to be in five years, this is the place I spoke of.”
In 2009 he came to LA for a week of auditions. The trip progressed into a year of back and forth meetings and screen tests and then the opportunity presented itself for a role in the US legal drama ‘Harry’s Law’, alongside Oscar winning actress Kathy Bates. As a regular on a primetime drama Aml’s face is slowly becoming familiar to US audiences. But it’s not the first time he’s been seen over here. His first major Hollywood film role came earlier this year in the George Lucas movie about the Tuskegee airmen, ‘Red Tails’. And he recently landed a guest spot in CSI Miami.
Impressive stuff for a young actor who has only been in LA for a short time.
I’m slightly surprised that he’s even found the time to be interviewed in his two-bedroom apartment in Burbank, conveniently located across the street from where ‘Harry’s Law’ is filmed. His life now is a steady stream of auditions, running lines on set and hustling to get his own projects off the ground. He’s produced five short films so far, the most recent is ‘12’ - a flick about the London riots, which will be showcasing at festivals this year.
It’s a stark contrast to the typical image of a fresh, young actor in Tinsel town - the one who has to resort to waiting tables until their big break comes. And he dismisses another stereotype that’s become synonymous with LA life - fake people. |
“It’s a very different world here but I haven’t found it to be fake,” he states. “This is the mecca of entertainment, so everyone is consumed with that and it can be annoying at times. But I find people are very celebratory of life and enthusiastic.”
The 26-year-old left a supportive family back in London to magnify his career in the States. He sees some family members regularly when they come to visit and of course via a quick Skype chat (or cooking lesson). And his fellow peers have also been supportive of his move.
“Actors I know in England are very understanding. They’re like ‘go and fly the flag, go and make it’. There’s not a British actor, especially black actors, who would not want to be doing what Idris Elba is doing. It’s about an international career and the world is much bigger than America and England. I think that should be every ambitious person’s goal.”
The number of British actors and actresses on American screens is increasing with every new production. Lennie James, Eamonn Walker, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Harewood, Chiwetel Ejiofor; the list goes on. Aml admits there’s a perception amongst some Hollywood execs that all British talent comes from the revered world of theatre and Shakespeare but it’s more than just a love affair with Britishness.
“We are coming with a new energy,” he reasons about the growing Brit list. “We’re hungry.”
He takes a swig from a liter bottle of water and contemplates the question some more.
“There’s a different scope of characters and roles to be filled on the 300 shows that they have here. If you’re able to get through the door, there’s a wider range of things in America because it’s bigger and there’s less of a glass ceiling. But wherever you go there are politics. African Americans have their own complaints about the politics here. But for me, I’m working and that’s good enough.”
His clean-cut looks and confidence could easily be mistaken for an American local. But he's mastered just the right balance of Stateside swagger and humility to be considered charming, but not arrogant. Another thing he's mastered is the various nuances of the American accent.
“I’m very comfortable speaking in this kind of vernacular,” he reveals, effortlessly sneaking into an American drawl. “I don’t have to think about it. It’s like me speaking with a Jamaican accent, it’s so natural.”
Visibly more relaxed, he sinks lower in his chair and admits that although he can’t see himself moving back to the UK any time soon, you won’t find him adopting an American accent anywhere other than in front of a camera.
“I’m not American. We say the same words but we don’t speak the same language. I wear my Britishness on my sleeve, it’s part of my identity. I make it a point to stay in contact with British people here and my British family and friends back home. When I go home I soak up the energy because that energy gives me the edge when I come back here.”
The 26-year-old left a supportive family back in London to magnify his career in the States. He sees some family members regularly when they come to visit and of course via a quick Skype chat (or cooking lesson). And his fellow peers have also been supportive of his move.
“Actors I know in England are very understanding. They’re like ‘go and fly the flag, go and make it’. There’s not a British actor, especially black actors, who would not want to be doing what Idris Elba is doing. It’s about an international career and the world is much bigger than America and England. I think that should be every ambitious person’s goal.”
The number of British actors and actresses on American screens is increasing with every new production. Lennie James, Eamonn Walker, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Harewood, Chiwetel Ejiofor; the list goes on. Aml admits there’s a perception amongst some Hollywood execs that all British talent comes from the revered world of theatre and Shakespeare but it’s more than just a love affair with Britishness.
“We are coming with a new energy,” he reasons about the growing Brit list. “We’re hungry.”
He takes a swig from a liter bottle of water and contemplates the question some more.
“There’s a different scope of characters and roles to be filled on the 300 shows that they have here. If you’re able to get through the door, there’s a wider range of things in America because it’s bigger and there’s less of a glass ceiling. But wherever you go there are politics. African Americans have their own complaints about the politics here. But for me, I’m working and that’s good enough.”
His clean-cut looks and confidence could easily be mistaken for an American local. But he's mastered just the right balance of Stateside swagger and humility to be considered charming, but not arrogant. Another thing he's mastered is the various nuances of the American accent.
“I’m very comfortable speaking in this kind of vernacular,” he reveals, effortlessly sneaking into an American drawl. “I don’t have to think about it. It’s like me speaking with a Jamaican accent, it’s so natural.”
Visibly more relaxed, he sinks lower in his chair and admits that although he can’t see himself moving back to the UK any time soon, you won’t find him adopting an American accent anywhere other than in front of a camera.
“I’m not American. We say the same words but we don’t speak the same language. I wear my Britishness on my sleeve, it’s part of my identity. I make it a point to stay in contact with British people here and my British family and friends back home. When I go home I soak up the energy because that energy gives me the edge when I come back here.”
I suspect Aml has a few messages to return and meetings to prepare for, but there's no urgency to the conversation. He's obviously enjoying talking about where his life is going right now.
In particular his passion to see young people better represented on UK screens. Through his company Ameen Dream entertainment, which he runs with his younger brother and the drama school he set up in 2008, Actors Student Alliance (ASA), his ties to England are still strong.
“I think I really want to go back and produce one of my projects. The film industry is very centered around the ‘street’ story right now. That’s fine, there are a million stories to tell within that framework, but we need to move the industry along so that we’re not misrepresented and there’s not a misconception about who young, black people are.”
*Catch Aml Ameen this summer in the movie ‘Evidence’ with Stephen Moyer and Radha Mitchell, directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.
Find out more about Aml at http://www.amlameen.com
In particular his passion to see young people better represented on UK screens. Through his company Ameen Dream entertainment, which he runs with his younger brother and the drama school he set up in 2008, Actors Student Alliance (ASA), his ties to England are still strong.
“I think I really want to go back and produce one of my projects. The film industry is very centered around the ‘street’ story right now. That’s fine, there are a million stories to tell within that framework, but we need to move the industry along so that we’re not misrepresented and there’s not a misconception about who young, black people are.”
*Catch Aml Ameen this summer in the movie ‘Evidence’ with Stephen Moyer and Radha Mitchell, directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.
Find out more about Aml at http://www.amlameen.com