After a recent screening of Hendrix: All Is By My Side, star Andre Benjamin, aka Outkast's Andre 3000, talked about preparing to play the guitar god.
Benjamin had to lose about 20 pounds for the role, and, more crucial to the film, had to learn how to play the guitar left-handed. "To get that gait, to move in that way, I had to feel that way," he said during a Q&A at the Grammy Museum, Rolling Stone reports. "I worked out twice a week, and ate just enough calories to keep myself going. Guitar training was strenuous because I'm a right-handed guitar-player. Left-handed is completely opposite. It's like walking backwards." To recreate Hendrix's signature speech patterns, Benjamin started each day with an impression of the pink mountain lion cartoon character Snagglepuss because he sounds "Jimi-ish."
Writer-director John Ridley (12 Years A Slave) revealed why he chose Benjamin to play Hendrix, who died in 1970 at the age of 27. "I felt this isn't about trying to attract the right actor for the role," he said. "This is about trying to attract the right person who embodies a certain spirit." The movie is out this Friday (Sept. 26).
Benjamin also had a few laughs talking about a possible Outkast biopic. "It would be great to make an Outkast movie right now, but instead of really serious, make it a full comedy," he joked, "like Kevin Hart would play Big Boi." What about an onscreen Andre 3000? "We should cast somebody stupid — like Leonardo [DiCaprio]." In all seriousness, Benjamin did explain what he would like to see in the hypothetical film about the Atlanta duo. "Probably the importance of balance within the group," he said. "One of the biggest things that kills me is when people try to put Big Boi down."
Outkast have been headlining festivals since they returned to touring in April. The duo have stated that they are not making new music together.
