Having become familiar to UK audiences through his role in TV show Skins, Dev Patel shot to worldwide prominence as the star of Oscar-winning 2008 film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
Patel returns to India, opposite such British acting royalty as Judy Dench and Bill Nighy in ‘The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’, playing the charismatic owner of a run-down Indian hotel.
We caught up with the 21-year-old to find out what he's been up to, how scared he was on his first day and his horror hotel experiences!
Your character has a distinct Indian accent in the film, how hard was that to perfect?
It’s pretty tricky, actually. Especially with this character because he’s incredibly well spoken, he speaks so much and he speaks to fast. To give it clarity was very hard, it’s very hard to roll the ‘R’s’ and get it right. It just sort of came about when I was out there, you always start out with a really caricature-y, ‘Goodness Gracious Me’ voice, then you try and bring it down.
Do you feel any extra pressure taking on roles given that ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ was such a success?
Not really, it’s been a while since that movie came out, and I’ve done one or two stinkers in between! So anything coming away from those (films) was going to be a step up!
What was it like going back to India to film the movie?
That was strange, going back there and everyone recognising who I was. It was so embarrassing because I’m sitting at this table on one of quite a few dinners we had as a cast, and you’ve got all these amazing actors, in London no one would bat an eyelid at me. I mean, Judy’s (Dench) cooler than the Queen! But in India they’re not as recognisable as I am. ‘Slumdog’ was really big out there, it was like their national anthem, so we’d go to dinner and everyone would come and crowd around me. I’d feel so unworthy and embarrassed!
You must have been nervous starring in a film opposite so many great actors, what did you do to get over that?
The first week before I got cast was the most terrifying week of my life, and it’s just the anticipation of ‘how are these guys going to be’? Most of them are very familiar with each other because they’ve all done work together, and you’re just thinking ‘they’re going to see right through me- they’ve worked with pretty much everyone, and they’ve seen it all!’ I get there and I couldn’t have been more wrong, they were just so cool.
So what is your fame like in India? Can you walk down the street without getting mobbed?
Most of the people recognised me, which was strange. You’d think these people would never watch this foreign language film to them but you could consider ‘Slumdog’ an art house film in India, because it doesn’t have the nine song required or whatever it is (for a Bollywood movie)… it’s very different, a lot more subtle than their films. But it was surprising, even the rickshaw guys, who I guess are the equivalent of cab drivers, recognised me, just lots of random people. I guess my big ears make me stand out in the sea of brown faces! I was surprising, but compared to the really big movie stars out there I’m nothing.
You’re currently filming a TV show in America, how are you viewed over there?
It’s funny, from ‘Skins’ people here (the UK) know I can do a little bit of comedy, but in America everyone thinks I’m that forlorn, love struck guy from ‘Slumdog’, so I hope this movie is going to make audiences see that, because that’s a big part of who I am normally.
Finally, do you have any horror hotel stories of your own?
Oh yeah all the time, I’ve had some crazy situations! Cockroaches, bed bugs, dirty sheets… I’m quite adventurous, so me and my friends going around India have ended up in some crazy places. B&B’s by Indian standards, in tiny, middle-of-nowhere towns are scary. I developed a trick, where you take extra T Shirts, and you put them on top of a pillow to act as a clean pillow case- good tip!
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