There is no doubt that Yahya Abdul-Mateen II he is earning by hand —if he doesn’t already have it— the label that would classify him as one of the actors of the moment. In addition to having won a well-deserved Emmy for his impeccable work on Damon Lindelof’s ‘Watchmen’, he is developing a very diverse career that flirts with different genres and tones.
Entertain me, clown! (What would Ignatius say)
In your list of credits there are series like ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, racially oriented horror films like Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ or Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman’, prestigious titles like Aaron Sorkin’s ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ or action-packed blockbusters like ‘Matrix Resurrections’ and Michael Bay’s electrifying ‘Ambulance’.
But, like every top Hollywood performer, Abdul-Mateen II has also had his dalliance with superhero movies, in which he has played the villainous Black Manta in ‘Aquaman’ and its upcoming sequel ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’; a type of roles that he does not hesitate to describe as “clown jobs”.
This is how he explained it in an interview with the Vulture medium:
“Everything should be about achieving authenticity, but sometimes you have to be aware of what movie or genre you’re in. Something like ‘Aquaman,’ that’s clown work. ‘Aquaman’ is not ‘The Trial of the 7 of Chicago.’ You don’t have to think you’re that important.”
“To survive [como actor] And to do it right, you have to play that game and be sneaky when you want to surprise the audience, the director or yourself with a little bit of ‘Wow, I didn’t expect to see anything Chekhovian or August Wilson in Aquaman, but I did.'”
Despite the incendiary phrase, Yahya Abdu-Mateen II hints at a certain humility by pointing out that the key is to be aware of your job and not believe that you are above a role or a type of production. Yes, just in case his next job will leave the comic world aside and take him to Broadway to participate in ‘Topdog/Underdog’, Suzan-Lori’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play.