SPOTLIGHT: Mr Reda Elazouar
Words - Taj Hayer
Photography - Ruth Crafer
Launching in cinemas in the UK at the end of this month, Pirates is the directorial debut of Mr. Reggie Yates. Keeping things new and fresh, the cast is made up of relative newcomers, and this subject of this Spotlight joins Elliot Edusah (1917) and Jordan Peters (Blue Story) in the leading roles as three best mates, Cappo, Two Tonne and Kidda, trying to break into the music scene through Pirate radio.
It seems much longer than it really was, but the action takes place in London at the turn of the millennium, with the trio driving through the city in a tiny Peugeot, wearing Moschino, Avirex and Naf Naf which are a cinematic joy to relive. Of course, there is more going on than the aforementioned comedy; the movie is about being on the brink of change and the pressure that comes with adulthood, a new year and a new century. We sat down with Mr. Elazouar to find out more about him and his performance.
How old were you in the period that Pirates was set?
I wasn’t even 6 months old yet!
What are your memories of the turn of the century?
That night, my parents took me to Vauxhall Bridge to watch the fireworks. We actually walked past Club Colosseum which is mad. So I was there but I remember nothing at all unfortunately. Apart from a yellow car swerving on the road…
How did you react to your Breakthrough BIFA longlist nomination?
It was nice especially since the film hadn’t released yet. I was so happy that Elliot, Jordan and Reggie were nominated alongside me. It showed me that people liked and enjoyed the film which is the most important thing. Of course, shoutout to Shaheen Baig who’s nominated for casting Pirates. Fingers crossed.
Was there any apprehension at all in working on a directorial debut project?
None at all. I just didn’t know that the same Reggie Yates I grew up watching on screen was now directing. I think his decades of experience in the industry made me trust that he’d be a very good director. He was also an actor so that made me comfortable as I was sure he’d know how to explain scenes and ideas to us in a way we could digest it and implement it on screen.
Was there anything specific that drew you to the project?
The comedy! The script was so funny and the characters are so reminiscent of people that I know and have met in London. I could relate to the locations, the banter and most of all, the experiences the characters go through. I had seen Reggie’s work previously and knew he was meticulous. Reading this script proved that and the icing on the cake was that we could play and improvise which we did a lot of.
Tell us about the atmosphere on set
It was so fun. Reggie would play music between takes and Elliot, Jordan and I would banter in character. There wasn’t a bad day on set. We all kept each other energised and because we all genuinely loved the script and understood its’ importance, we didn’t want to give less than 110%.
How important is the soundtrack to the movie?
Very. It wouldn’t be the same film without it. Understanding garage and what it meant to the people of the time is important to unlocking our characters.
As I was auditioning, I created a Pirates Playlist which had all the songs from the film in order. There’s just a feeling you get when you hear a song like ‘Battle’ or ‘Gabriel’ that makes you understand why people loved it so much.
Were there any scenes that were particularly difficult to shoot or prepare for?
We had a 7-month break between the first and second part of filming. When we got back, the first scene was the ‘Plantain’ scene with the brilliant Shiloh Coke. It was a big scene for me so I had to really make sure I was fully prepared with my character and the lines but also ready to let it all go and just play. We all got to improvise and have fun with it. Elliot and Jordan’s reactions in the scene are great because we all know a Kidda. In terms of shooting though, any scene with Youssef Kerkour was difficult. He’s hilarious with a capital H and it was hard to keep a straight face when he switched on his Uncle Ibbs side.
