Bokeem Woodbine Interview

Bokeem Woodbine

Apple TV+ continues its winning streak of exciting original programming with the David Oweloyo lead show Government Cheese, which follows Hampton Chambers, an ex-fraudster released from jail trying his best to re-assemble his family unit in space age 60s America.

What follows is a collection of funny and surreal escapades that both the audience and the unconventional family unit experience. The New Black Film Collective had the chance to speak to renowned character actor, Bokeem Woodbine, about his supporting turn as Bootsy, the criminal best friend of Hampton. In this interview, we discuss Woodbine's process when portraying real-life characters, his approach to comedy and much more. 

TNBFC: It’s such a privilege to be able to interview you. I’ve been a huge fan of your work since Fargo Season 2, and your work in this is just fantastic. 

Bokeem Woodbine: Thank you, man. 

TNBFC: One of your most notable roles would be Mike Milligan in the 70s set series of Fargo. What was it like stepping back into the past again?

BW: For me, it's starting to get more familiar. I've been in several productions that depict that period. I feel lucky to be an actor who can portray these parts because not everybody gets selected to play roles depicting a bygone era. Some folks are considered to be too contemporary from an aesthetic standpoint. For me, that's always been my challenge. I don't necessarily fit the paradigm of what people think an actor should look like. So when I get selected to play a part that takes place in the past, I just feel very lucky. I feel very fortunate. It's getting a little bit easier to embody characters from that period. 

TNBFC: What was it like working with David Oweloyo, and how did you build the back-and-forth eccentric camaraderie you both share on screen?

BW: Well, it was just enormous fun to work with David. I was shocked at how quickly and seamlessly we got along. I was surprised at how quickly we started to build that relationship up. He’s one of the best actors in the game. But he’s also just a great human being, and anybody you speak to just has great things to say about him. You can't not like the guy, and that helps the process of depicting this bond that they're supposed to have. They're supposed to have known each other since childhood, and we hit it off immediately, which was very helpful to the process.

TNBFC: What were some of the inspirations and influences behind your portrayal of Bootsy?

BW: I had the privilege of being able to mine Paul's memories because Bootsy's based on a real person whose name was Bootsy - he was tight with Paul's dad. So when you can talk to a person who remembers Bootsy from the perspective of being a younger guy, that's invaluable. Your memories and impressions of people from childhood are generally very genuine because when you're a kid, you're not seeing things through the lens of what life has challenged you with, or what your suppositions as a grown man are, or the assumptions we tend to make because, you know, sometimes assumptions are born out of necessity to protect ourselves. Sometimes it's easier and quicker to assume something than to leave an open-ended opportunity to learn about them, because who has the time for that? 

It's just quicker to draw an assumption. So Paul's memories of Bootsy were from a time when he was unfettered by the kind of stuff that adults carry with them. So he was giving me a genuine description of Bootsy, he was giving me a very clear idea of who Bootsy was, and that was invaluable.

There was a book that I'd read for a picture that I did many years ago that was about the Black veterans' experiences in Vietnam, and it's called Bloods. I reread many of the chapters in Bloods to immerse myself in that mindset and world because that is part of who Bootsy is.   

Even though he’s a fun-loving, whimsical, free-spirited guy. He has killed people in combat situations. He's been wounded, he's seen his fellow soldiers get killed, and everything like that. So that does leave an impression on somebody, no matter who they are. Those two things combined were helpful in my trying to interpret and get to the truth of who Bootsy is. 

TNBFC: What's it like drawing from real people as opposed to entirely fictionalised creations? How does your process change when you are differentiating between those projects? 

BW: When you're playing somebody who lived, it’s a huge responsibility. You have to try and temper the weight of that responsibility with your interpretation because you have to bring something of yourself to the table. You have to have some type of idea of who it is that you're portraying that comes from you. You can't rely entirely on footage or talking to somebody who knew this person, or whatever research you might do on the internet. 

You have to infuse some of your idea of who the person is, so that's the challenge. It’s honouring the reality of who this person was and the responsibility of portraying them with your spin on it. You have to find the balance between those two things.

TNBFC: Speaking of putting your spin on things, what would you say is your approach to comedy? 

BW: I decided early on to just lean into the reality of the situation as opposed to trying to go for the joke. Like, the situation is funny, right? So whatever the situation is, it's naturally comedic. So, just being honest about the moment and what my character is experiencing or expressing in that moment. And hopefully it will be funny because it's a naturally funny situation, but to never really try to force the joke. 

TNBFC: Thank you so much. I've had an amazing time chatting with you. It's been a real honour. 

BW: I appreciate that, man. Thank you so much. Great questions.

Government Cheese is streaming now on Apple TV+.