Q&A: Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

A. When we first met doing “The Mummy Returns,” our characters didn’t actually connect, so I only got to know him very briefly. But even then he struck me as a real professional and a genuinely decent guy. It was a pleasure getting to work with him again. He comes to the set prepared and he’s very respectful of the craft. To be honest, I was a little blown away by the level of his performance in this. We had a very meaty and dramatic scene to play and we really poured our hearts into it. I hadn’t seen him play that depth of character before, but I was really impressed with his talent. He was ready to go there, without any hesitation, and that really fueled my own performance.

Q. You don’t have any scenes with [co-star] Billy Bob Thornton [who plays a cop]. Did you get to meet him at least?

A. We did hang out for a day, and it was great listening to his stories of conquering Hollywood. He’s a really cool cat, a legend, very entertaining.

Q. What appealed to you about this role?

A. I’ve always loved that era in American culture [the 1960s], and certainly as a British actor, I relished the chance to portray a character from that era. The character has a great arc, a lot of layers, and we had to pack a lot into a short amount of screen time. For an action movie, there was a little more to this than just guns and bullets. It had a heart and soul. My character was embedded in a kind of spirituality and folklore that gave me a rich text to work from. Any opportunity to disappear into a role like that, one that’s so far apart from who I am, I loved it.

Q. Has there been any downside to being so strongly identified with your roles on “Oz” or “Lost”?

A. No. The success of those shows has only been a benefit. “Oz” was like a foundation for my whole career. Producers and casting directors still tell me that they responded to me on the basis of my work on that show. It’s the main reason I got cast in “The Bourne Identity” and “G.I. Joe.” The producers of “Lost” were big fans [of “Oz”], and as a direct result of that show, I’ve made five movies in the last year. It hasn’t been a hindrance at all. I’m still reaping the benefits.

Q. What’s the first thing that went through your mind when you found out you were going to be working with Robert De Niro [in a remake of “The Killer Elite,” due out next year]?

A. Get ready and be prepared.

Q. What led you from studying law [at King’s College in England] to an acting career?

A. I'm still trying to figure that out myself [laughs]. The law was a family profession. My father became a lawyer. Two of my sisters are lawyers. As the only son among four daughters, I was expected to follow suit, but I didn't want to spend the rest of my life reading books. I didn't know what I wanted to do instead. I just knew what I didn't want to do. Once I came to Hollywood and got my first taste of this business [with a small role in 1995's "Congo"], it was a prophetic moment. That's when I made the decision that this is what I was going to do.