In the film 'Wanted', opening June 27th, there is an intense, focused character that is a perfect shot and definitely knows how to wield a gun, he is called the Gunsmith.
Best known as a highly acclaimed Grammy award wining hip-hop artist having recorded six albums, Common portrays the Gunsmith, a character with very little dialogue, but that could probably kill a man simply with his stoic look. However, in person Common comes across as incredibly humble, polite and there is a genuine ease to his demeanor.
So what attracted Common to the film? "I thought the script was great when I read it. I definitely was impressed…it kind of made my imagination go places the way it was written," Common told Comics2Film during a recent interview.
"Then you put Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman there. I was like man I am there. I knew my character didn’t have a lot of lines, but I figured that whatever I do have I am going to go in there and do my best. It’s going to have a presence. I knew it was an opportunity to be around some great actors to learn and be a part of something that could be special. I mean it’s Angelina, Morgan and James. Come on! I didn’t even really need to read the script to know I wanted to be in that movie."
With such high profile actors, particularly Jolie, one might expect there could be some tension on the set. However, that seemed to be far from the case.
"It was a lot of fun. It was such a warm feeling on the set. From Angelina to Morgan to James, everyone was so cool and embracing," the actor said. "Morgan would come over and give me advice. Angelina and I would be on the set just talking about life. With James we would be talking about how we were going to do this technique.
"Then even beyond that we would go out and hang out after. I thought that was a good experience for me being new as an actor. I had never been on location for a month in Prague by myself. We formed a really good family. Even from the first day. I was really nervous meeting Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie, but they were so cool from that point on it was part of a family effort."
Since Common is new to acting (he made his debut in the 2007 film 'Smoking Aces') was he able to learn anything from his co-stars, particularly Morgan Freeman?
"It was like wisdom from a guru that I can’t really reveal. You know what I mean? He told me some things that were so helpful for me," he said.
"One thing that I can tell you that I learned from him was that he stayed so free and open. He stayed in a very creative space and was really open and that’s necessary when you are an artist and you’re an actor. It’s important you don’t go in there rigid.
"I learned that from all three actors because Angelina would come on and be spontaneously creating things. She and I did a scene where were improvising. I like that element in being free in the space. I have to commend Timur too because he was really spontaneous. That was a really great energy, I like that energy."
Common will certainly be keeping busy in the next few months as he just recently finished his latest album "Invincible Summer" and a recently released book, which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award called M.E Mixed Emotions. In terms of his acting career, Common will be co-starring with Christian Bale in the next 'Terminator' installment, which has begun shooting.
For now you can catch Common as he heats up the screen when 'Wanted' opens on June 27th.
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