Malachi Kirby

Professions :

I was taught about slavery, but it was the ancient Egyptians. That's the closest I got to African history.

about slavery taught history

Kunta Kinte is the closest thing I've ever seen... to a superhero. He's amazing. He's inspirational.

seen amazing he inspirational

I found that there were things that God could reveal to me that I could never get myself physically.

never myself me god

When I was in school, my first acknowledgement of 'Roots' was Kunta Kinte.

first acknowledgement roots school

I was 22 when my mother gave me the original box set of 'Roots' and she said, 'I want you to watch this.' I watched the whole thing back to back in the span of 24 hours. It had a profound effect on me. It felt like my story.

me you roots mother

Playing Kunta Kinte is an emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental journey.

playing emotional journey spiritual

I haven't experienced a lot of prejudice in my life, but I'm not naive to what goes on in the world.

my-life prejudice life world

My dad passed when I was 6. I found out when I was about 21 that my dad always said acting would be the making of me. Where he got that from, I have no idea.

me always dad said

I was the shiest person you could think of. I didn't really speak. I was an only child, so most of my life I spent in my bedroom playing with toys by myself, speaking through them.

my-life myself you life

When I heard that 'Roots' was being remade, my first response was, 'Seriously?' I was a bit skeptical. Then I had an audition in early 2015. I didn't know how to feel about it. I was a little scared of the responsibility of telling the story again with the weight of the first one behind me - I was scared of comparisons.

feel me responsibility roots

At first, I had this huge desire to play a superhero, that little kid in me. Then I realized it wasn't actually a superhero I wanted to play: it was someone fighting for a cause that's bigger than themselves, which can go into all sorts of things.

someone me fighting play

My knowledge of my ancestry, like a lot of black people not living in Africa today, is very vague.

black today people knowledge

Kunta Kinte's strength derives from the knowledge of where he comes from, but it struck me that I don't know where I come from. I understand that my last name is Kirby, that I was born in London, third-generation Jamaican, and at some point along the line, that name was changed. I didn't know my history past my grandparents.

me strength history knowledge

You're always going to have typecasting, especially with TV.

going tv you always

If you're good enough to play a role with emotion and universal human elements, then you'll get others coming to you.

good you enough play

There are stories I wanted to tell, and they are not defined by what I look like.

tell like look wanted

I believe it's important to have equal opportunities as a black actor. My way of fighting for it is through my art, by not accepting that there are roles that aren't for me.

me black believe art

Schoolkids - black and white - would call me Kunta Kinte as a cuss. If ever my hair was particularly messy, if ever I looked scruffy at school, I would be called Kunta Kinte. My first impression was that it was bad to be African and bad to be associated with him.

me black-and-white black hair

'Roots' focuses on a particular group of people who defy the odds and win, eventually, even if it isn't in their lifetimes. This is, for me, a very positive story and a very empowering one, if only we have that perspective on it.

me perspective positive people

Kids under, I'd say, 14 are still maturing; they are still growing. They are still understanding themselves. To hit them with something like 'Roots,' to hit them with this particular period of time, it's important to discuss the matters beyond the program itself.

understanding important roots time

Ian Mckellen

Adhir Kalyan

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Bert Lahr

Alan Arkin

Alan Alda