What's your take on Ellis, the piano player you play who is a love interest for two characters in the film?

He's charming and seemingly kind of faultless, but I think the need to charm in Ellis speaks to something less lovable. I think he's looking for a muse, and he's happy to move on when that muse no longer suits him.

How does it feel being the first black actor to have that major a role in an Allen film?

I think some people pay attention to that kind of thing, but it's not a part of the movie. I think it's a bit of a silly footnote.

But Allen is one of the most important directors of his generation, and the characters in his films have been almost universally white. Does that give you pause?

Any filmmaker can write about what they want to write about. He's the filmmaker and it's his film. He should be able to make what he wants. I don't think I or anyone else should really tell Woody what to create.

Stephen Frears' "Dirty Pretty Things" was really your breakout role. What did it mean to you?

I loved the script, and when I read it I was very keen to get the part. I had a terrific time making the movie. Incidentally, it's been great seeing Sophie [Okonedo] get recognition and an Oscar nomination after "Hotel Rwanda." Audrey [Tautou] and Sergi López are excellent actors, too. And Stephen Frears is what I'd call an insightful director.

That film received a lot of praise for portraying a new era in London, one more culturally diverse and constantly in flux with immigrants. As a native Londoner, how did it strike you?

I do think one of the great joys of London is that it's a very multicultural place. People just get on with it. They're not in their own pockets of the city as much, which I think tends to happen more in the United States.

Do you approach your career with particular goals or do you just take it as it comes?

I don't have a game plan for my career. I'm interested in characters more than anything else. I just read the scripts I'm sent and either I accept the role or I don't.

I would assume the number of scripts you're sent has increased these days.

Yeah, there are certainly more of them. But by no means is every one something I fall in love with.

Are there certain scripts you've been sent that particularly made you laugh or cringe?

There are certainly scripts that I haven't responded to, but if I tell you what they were I'd be insulting the people who wrote them. I don't want to do that. Besides, I don't have to read every script that is sent to me. I work with my agent and other people, and I read the best of what they see. But even out of those, there are plenty of times where I just don't feel like the character I'm being considered for appeals to me.

Is there anything common to the roles you have played or want to?

It has to be a journey you want to take. I'm an actor who enjoys a challenge, seeing something different and being able to bring something special to the role. I also enjoy going into a different world. So ideally the script should be something that triggers my imagination. But it's not to say everything has to be perfect. The details of the character can always be worked out, as long as the story has something of interest.

Do you like playing a strong role in the development of your character, or are you happiest when you are given a script where you think not a word needs to be changed?

It always depends. It's moment to moment, especially if you're working with a director who is into improv or rehearsal. It can change organically as a result of that. But it's great if you can read something and love it for what it is right away.

What attracts you on a personal, emotional level to acting?

It's an interest in the world and in other people, trying to understand where other people come from as a way of understanding myself. I think there's something endlessly fascinating about different people's points of view and what drives them, what their life stories and situations are. What's great about acting is not only do you go on a journey with them psychologically, but a lot of times physically too. You can really travel the world with this job. I've had an extraordinary amount of experiences because of that.

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