Gbenga Akinnagbe on Playing Tall, Quiet, and Deadly on Hulu’s ‘The Old Man’

Like so many other viewers, Gbenga Akinnagbe came into my world as the enforcer/hit man Chris Partlow on The Wire. While Akinnagbe is one of the first people a casting director might choose when seeking someone to play someone tall, quiet, and deadly, Akinnagbe is always looking for ways to add a fresh spin to those characters. As well, Akinnagbe has made great efforts to showcase other sides of his acting talent (To Kill A Mockingbird on Broadway with Aaron Sorkin, and as Mook in Wu Tang: An American Saga).

While Julian, a former Special Forces soldier turned hitman, may seem to land Akinnagbe right in his hot zone, the show’s screenplay gives Julian a real backstory, and the actor who inhabits him some lovely grace notes to play. In our conversation, Akinnagbe and I discuss how he avoids being typecast, and how he lends gravitas to characters who may not have a lot of lines, but have significant impact.

Awards Daily: I hate to be that guy that tells you the thing you’ve probably heard a thousand times, but I discovered you on The Wire (laughs) and I think what happens to a lot of actors that are in large urban ensembles like that is that sometimes they don’t get a chance to do things other than that. While I think in your career you have a niche that I want to talk about, I do find it interesting that you have been able to expand out from the base of Chris Partlow. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I’ve been very fortunate as far as the projects I’ve been a part of, the things that I’ve been able to do, but it’s also been very important to me to make sure that there is a range. It’s also what interests me naturally. I like playing different characters. I like different stories. I love gangster stuff and sci-fi. I love romantic comedies. I love all these things. It’s all just storytelling in the end. 

Awards Daily: Many of the characters you’ve played have a certain moral flexibility and are very much about their business. (Laughs).  They have a very fixed moral lens that is strongly connected to the job they’re doing – whether it’s Damages or The Old Man or even Chris on The Wire. Is that something that’s come to you or is that something that you gravitate towards or a little bit of both?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I think it’s something that has come to me. Every character that I play has some part of that character in me. As far as that, I think it comes to me and people see a good fit. I enjoy a range. Sometimes it’s a character that’s about their business and sometimes it’s a character who is just a complete mess up. I don’t get to play that often though, somebody who’s just a shit show. (Laughs). But I enjoy those characters. Years ago, I did Barbershop (on TV) and that was cool. That was a group of people that were just trying to figure it out and definitely didn’t have it all together. I don’t get those characters that often.

Awards Daily: Like playing Mook in the Wu-Tang series. That is a person who smiles a lot, which you are not always asked to do on camera. (Laughs). Even in something like The Deuce, that’s not the same guy you played in The Wire for David Simon, definitely not the same guy. There’s a lot more expansiveness in those parts. They get to show you different shades of your personality. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I’ve been fortunate. The roles that I’ve gotten, but also what I’ve been allowed to do with a lot of those roles. I feel that I get to work with collaborators who trust me, but also collaborators who push me as well. On film and on stage. With Aaron Sorkin, on Broadway for To Kill a Mockingbird – it was amazing to get to create that character with them. I’ve been fortunate to have some really good collaborators who have pushed me.

Awards Daily: There’s a certain physical presence that you carry your roles and sometimes not as much dialogue. When you’re being that person who doesn have reams of lines but has to be impactful in a scene, what is your approach to playing that?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I think a lot of it is 90% of communication is nonverbal. There’s a camera on this character so you see and hear a lot more of his nonverbal communication. That’s honestly most people. Because this character is going through something, we get to experience it through his nonverbal communication. I enjoy the conversations that happen when words aren’t used. With good writing you get to play off that. I enjoy good words too and writing. When things aren’t verbal, you can make people lean in, and they can relate to – whether they realize it or not – a lot of the communication that is happening when there are very few words. 

Awards Daily: That brings us to The Old Man. When I spoke to E.J. Bonilla about playing Raymond, he was talking about how this show wanted to carry a 70’s film vibe. There’s patience. Things take their time to roll out. Characters don’t tell you what is going on in their heads the whole time. I can imagine that was a large part of the appeal to playing Julian – the project as a whole.

Gbenga Akinnagbe: Oh, I still think about it and marvel at how ridiculous it was that I got to be a part of this thing, working with John Lithgow and Joel Grey and Amy and Jeff. That’s one thing, the amazing cast, but then the writing was so beautiful. The storytelling that’s there, and then to E.J.’s point, the cinematography and the storytelling with the camera. It is these beautiful colors and you get to sit in moments, uncomfortable moments, and then beautiful moments. That’s kind of daring given that we’re used to things happening so fast and spoon feeding folks. When I saw it and learned that I was going to be a part of this, I was super excited. I was excited by the cast and I was excited by the words.

Because of the type of filming that was done, especially with a lot of the action stuff and the camerawork as far as how they told the story, there was a need – and this was the first time I’ve ever shot this way – as soon as we shot: shoot /review, shoot/review. I almost never watch the things I do, it’s painful as hell. (Laughs). That was actually part of the process. To me it was happening so fast and there were so many things we had to get done and watch and adjust that my hypercritical mind didn’t get a chance to judge me and feel pain. So it was exciting to do that with our stunt team, to do that with the writers, to do that with the directors. Just shoot/review, shoot/review, shoot/review to see if we got it.

Awards Daily: I love how the action sequences are almost like punctuation. There’s long stretches where it’s people talking or going places or just thinking. You get to watch characters think onscreen in The Old Man. Then when the violence or action comes, it’s almost more powerful because of the space between those moments. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: Absolutely. You are dead on. Not only is it more powerful because of the space, but these characters spend most of the time holding back and showing restraint from being their uglier selves. We don’t want to see it, but we kind of do. The work that they’re doing to not do that, to avoid it, and in some ways help each other out is obvious, but it’s inevitable, we’re going to see all their uglier selves. Like you said, the violence punctuates it. The whole show isn’t violent, and the characters, as much as they can, try not to be violent. 

Awards Daily: I know from speaking to E.J. that Jeff received his cancer diagnosis while filming. The role asks a lot of him physically. He is a man of a few years and on top of that he was managing a serious health issue. In your action sequences especially the one you and he have together where you are essentially trying to fight to the death, I know there’s stunt work of course but with the close ups it looked very grueling. Was there any part of you that was thinking about Jeff being at all compromised by his health when you were doing that sequence?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: No. No, actually, and not because I’m cruel. (Laughs). We actually shot that, if I remember correctly because it’s been such a long time, we actually shot that before we knew of Jeff’s diagnosis. I took precaution as I would with any other actor. I didn’t think I was fighting with a sick man. Jeff definitely didn’t fight like a sick man. I knew he was really strong and he had been training prior. I just knew I wanted to be careful because I knew if I accidentally hit him, he probably would hit me back. (Laughs).

Awards Daily: He does look like a sturdy fellow to say the least. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: He does. I didn’t want to get karate chopped in the throat by the Dude. (Laughs).

Awards Daily: I’m curious if you don’t mind saying, how tall are you?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I am 5’10”.

Awards Daily: You look so much bigger on screen.

Gbenga Akinnagbe: TV and film does that. (Laughs).

Awards Daily: I would have guessed from watching The Wire you were like 6’2”. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: People say that all the time and I’m like “Sorry to disappoint you.” I am not 6’ anything. (Laughs).

Awards Daily: In The Old Man, you start out with an assassination attempt on Jeff Bridges’ character that is assigned to you by John Lithgow’s character. By the end of it your character is getting double crossed by the guy who paid you to kill him because now he’s working with Jeff Bridges and the tables have turned. That creates a real complication for Julian to figure out where he’s supposed to be and what side he’s on. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: You’re absolutely right. I think those things will manifest more so. I think what makes Julian so good is he’s the mission person. He keeps super clear. He’s the guy who doesn’t miss. Who with all the complications, with everything, he’s the guy that doesn’t miss. He does all his research. He does all his homework before going into a place. I don’t know if you noticed, but when he went in after being shot, you see him in the back of the truck and then on his forearms he has these cuffs because he had prepared for the dogs. His jacket had been ripped off and you see these cuffs underneath. He does an extraordinary amount of research but the only thing he can’t be prepared for is when the folks who are hiring him are shifting their loyalties – playing a different political game. And so it gets more complicated. As far as he’s concerned there is a job and he’ll get it done. I think it’s the gray area when he’s forced to deal with some of these things that preceded him by decades. It starts to manifest in a different way. It’s going to be interesting to see how he deals with that. 

Awards Daily: Season one leads up to a powerfully climactic action sequence where you’re in the Middle East, trying to escape and you’re surrounded on all sides. EJ Bonilla as Raymond Sanders has a different perspective because he truly knows this woman that you’ve abducted. You can kind of see him trying to figure out what he’s supposed to do in this situation with your character and your partner. You’re thinking this guy is not one of us exactly, and is he gonna stay straight? I love the dynamic of that while also trying to dodge bullets. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: It’s coming from all sides as far as the pressure in that scene. It was fun to work with E.J. doing that. No one is all good or all bad on this show. The most interesting shows are like that. I think you see that come to a head in a scene like that where Julian starts to see he’s not necessarily one of us, but he’s not a bad guy. He also knows that E.J.’s character is trying to gain sympathy. There’s a lot of strategy happening there, but Julian understands that he’s trying to gain sympathy but maybe he actually should get some sympathy. What I’m going through, this guy might be going through as well. He doesn’t have all the pieces and  he’s been thrown into this. 

Awards Daily: That’s a good point. Kind of the same thing is happening to both of you but from very different perspectives. E.J.’s Raymond is trying to do his job and the shifting loyalties are affecting him. And you’re trying to do your job and the shifting loyalties are affecting you. The two of you are looking at each other like who are we even with? 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: Exactly. Meanwhile there’s gunmen outside. (Laughs).

Awards Daily: How did you  get involved with The Old Man? I can totally understand why you jumped on it but what was the path?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: It came through my agent. I auditioned for it. I don’t know if I had the whole script, just a description of what the story was gonna be. Maybe I had the whole script, I don’t think so, and the character but even that I wasn’t completely sure on. So I auditioned for it and I didn’t hear anything for quite some time and kind of went on about my business. I finished doing Mockingbird and I had done that for a year so I was ready to just travel, hit the world, do something. Actually I was in Argentina when I got a call that they wanted to talk to me about this. I was like “Oh, what project is that? Oh yeah. I think I remember liking that.” (Laughs). Then I came back and as I started to find out more and more about it I was like oh my god this is so cool. Then I remember meeting Jon and Dan, the creator and E.P. of the show when I got back. They were talking to me “Blah blah blah and John Lithgow…” and I was like “John Lithgow’s in the show?!” 

Awards Daily: That’s what E.J. said too. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I was so excited. Yeah I think I want to do this.

Awards Daily: You have had a number of parts that have some similarity with Julian. At the same time, you’re always looking for new shades to play. What was something that you tried to give to Julian that was maybe different from what you have done in roles before that may have had some similar aspects?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: I would like to take credit for giving him something of a different shade, but it was actually written. Something that I really enjoyed was his other side – he works at a hospice, he genuinely cares for his patients. He’s one of the last people that they will see before they die, and he is constantly dealing with death and comforting them and their families. That was written in and I think a really good piece of writing to give him that other side. Then he has his grandmother that he takes care of. There’s a different side. The way we had talked about it was that this guy, had he continued, because he was also Special Forces, he would have been this generation’s Dan Chase had he continued in his career. Having lost all his family except for his grandmother, he stopped and came back. He may have intended to have a different career, but he’s with his most important loved one, and that matters most to him.

Awards Daily: It’s a fascinating point that Julian basically has two jobs and both of them involve him possibly being the last person that somebody sees before they die.

Gbenga Akinnagbe: (Laughs).That is good, dude. That is very good.

Awards Daily: A lot of times a character like Julian isn’t given that backstory. They’re just this blunt force instrument. You are not just that. I can imagine that was a big appeal to playing this character. 

Gbenga Akinnagbe: Exactly. You are spot on. After The Wire, I was offered a lot of roles that were kind of more two dimensional versions of Chris and I wasn’t that interested in that. I was fortunate that I ended up doing my first film Savages where I got to play a nurse with Philip Hoffman and Laura Linney. That spoke to me to get to play a character who again is caring for someone who is passing, about to die. This character spoke to me in a similar way because it was multilayered and not just this blunt force instrument. Although I enjoy playing that, I won’t play just that.

The Old Man is available for streaming now on Hulu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvhJYrRe5Ho