Hakeem Kae-Kazim has starred in hit films such as Hotel Rwanada, X-Men: Wolverine, and Pirates of the Caribbean. Now he is starring in the much awaited television series Black Sails on STARZ. He is a very busy man, always researching and practicing for his roles. Kae-Kazim likes engulfing himself with as much knowledge about his characters as possible. I admired his passion for acting, and I wanted to get the scoop on Black Sails. Kae-Kazim agreed to sit and chat with Cliché about his upcoming TV series. By Jasmine Moustafa / Photographed by Blinkit Photography
Cliché: What or who inspired you to become an actor?
Hakeem Kae-Kazim: While at drama school, my English teacher Mr. Williams really inspired and encouraged me to become an actor.
Is this something you dreamed about while growing up?
Not really. It was not something I thought about doing until I started to do it properly at the age of 16. Then I started to take it a bit more seriously than doing school plays.
How do you prepare yourself for your movie roles?
It depends on the character. I research each individual role, who the character is, and who the person actually was.
Which character that you have played did you enjoy playing the most?
At the moment, it is Mr. Scott on Black Sails, as he has a fascinating back story and is a joy to play.
You have a new TV series coming out in January 2014. Can you tell us a little about it?
It is all set in the Bahamas between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is about pirates on the high seas in West Indies. There is a lot of sex and violence, and it is sort of Spartacus meets Game of Thrones on the high seas.
Since you had some training in being a pirate, did you think it was easier for you to act in this new series?
Not really. It is very different. It is much more real, and the character research I did was based on real people that existed at that time.
Is there anything you’re working on now or plan on working on in the future?
We are about to start filming the new series of Black Sails, as it’s already been commissioned for the second series.
