Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje portrayed Algrim/Kurse in Thor: The Dark World.

Significant roles[]

Hitu in Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
Simon Adebisi in Oz (1997-2000)
Lock-Nah in The Mummy Returns (2001)
Wombosi in The Bourne Identity (2002)
Majestic in Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2005)
Mr. Eko in Lost (2005-2006)
Heavy Duty in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)
Samuel Waingaya in Monk (2009)
The Evangelist in Faster (2010)
Derek Jameson in The Thing (2011)
Morel in Bullet to the Head (2013)
Atticus in Pompeii (2014)
Nash in Annie (2014)
Dave Duerson in Concussion (2015)
Waylon Jones / Killer Croc in Suicide Squad (2016)

Quotes[]

" Thor 2; great movie, great opportunity. I've been a fan of the Marvel Comics and I got a massive opportunity to play two characters in the movie: Algrim and Kurse. You go in thinking, 'Yeah this is great.' But when you get in there, you're like whoa; six hours of makeup, prosthetics, all the physical stuff. But honestly, I loved it. It's going to be such an epic. And both of the characters; I have blonde hair, blue eyes, pointed ears, fangs, horns; everything you could want as boy in an action hero movie. It's amazing. The fighting was really demanding. For instance, Kurse is the one that does all the fighting. It's forty pounds of extra weight and the good thing about it is that it's very flexible and elastic. I have a routine before I put it on: I stretch and do all my pilates. You see this big creature doing pilates, it's great. And then we'd have to go fight. Me and Chris go toe-to-toe. It was hardcore. But you don't really get into these kinds of movies of you're not ready for that kind of thing. You gotta be mentally fit, physically fit because you're going to shoot a scene ten to fifteen different ways."
"Thor and Kurse fight differently. Chris has his hammer while Kurse is very animalistic, he's got horns. So I tried to go with that flow. My movements are basically like an animal: twisting my body, turning my head, all kinds of things. Kurse is meant to be extremely powerful, nothing can stop him. It's a great ride. There's fights everything in the movie. Loki gets his fair share of fights; one of which is between him and I as well. The great thing about Kurse is he is having it with everybody. But yes, Loki has some amazing fights. Fans are really gonna be happy with this movie. Everybody gets their little shine. I won't tell you what really happens, but there's some great surprises."
"As we speak, Marvel and I are talking about playing in another Marvel movie. Obviously, Marvel is a great family that I'm happy to be working with. We had a great time on Thor: The Dark World. I loved to continue that relationship. I'm not talking about anything yet, just having a good relationship with Marvel."
"Who do I want to play him [The Black Panther]? Myself, let’s be real. I would hope that playing Kurse would ingratiate me to becoming the Panther. You get in and have success in one, and you go and do the next one. My campaign is definitely not dropped. He’s one of my faves. I would love to play him. You have to keep at it, you have to keep your card in the hat and see what comes out but I have to say I’m thrilled, I’ve been able to play two characters in one movie and if Marvel likes this and it this does well, it just gives you a better chance."
"I didn’t actually know an awful lot about that character and when I did my research in the comics there wasn’t an awful lot. But with the director and myself, we sat down and looked at what was traditionally known as Kurse and we tried to put our spin on it. There was quite a bit of creative license in how I would interpret him but the wardrobe, the setting, they were phenomenal. When I set into that outfit, I was Kurse. They did such an amazing job it made my job so easy. There were all these different factions, a different person was making the helmet, a different person making the arms, they all came together prior to the shoot, but in terms of my research before I didn’t do an awful lot but once I got into the outfit it set it off. I think the fans are going to be pleased."
"I can recall...I’m in the scene and Rene Russo is in my arms or beside me and I’m facing Anthony Hopkins and Chris Hemsworth and Chris Eccleston–and just about every great actor within that genre is in the room and you just realize it’s a great privilege and honor. To be opposite Anthony Hopkins and to watch him work is just…amazing. And you’re right–Marvel has really pushed the bar with regard to tentpole movies and the caliber of actors that they put inside of them. I think that’s one of the most enjoyable aspects of these movies. From Iron Man, what Robert Downey was able to do with the Iron Man character and particularly Thor, which is more thespian-oriented, right from the onset of Kenneth Branagh directing it. You’ll find that even more so–you know, Tom Hiddleston did an amazing job with Loki. These are stand-out performances and classic, classy actors."
"Ultimately, when you get in front of the camera, it comes down to the same thing. I mean, yes you will have spectacular outfits on, and maybe ingenious prosthetics but when you do look into the eyes of the other characters, be they aliens or superheroes, you are going to be relating to them as an actor. So the job is the same, the process may be different, and it is a bit surreal. You know, we were out in Iceland on these black volcanic mountains, and it’s spectacular, and then you’re in Brooklyn, in the ghetto, and those are distinctly different. And you enjoy both of them–I enjoy both of them–but yeah, there is an adjustment. The thing about doing a Mister and Pete, or even a Bullet to the Head is it’s grounding."
"I think it all depends on the character. You never know what will become of what character–nobody ever really dies. I think that’s all I can really say; it depends on the character you’re playing. I think my answer to that is that I’m just happy to be in business with Marvel and looking forward to continuing the relationship."
"I think that’s the most exciting part about it–the fact that you’re going to be rolling up your sleeves and getting dirty. As an actor, that’s what turns you on. That’s what we did, is put on those costumes and we went for it, toe to toe, pound for pound, including those choreographed fights. It wasn’t blue or green screen–they obviously need a certain amount of that but there was a lot of stuff that we–that I certainly did. I pretty much did everything myself. Obviously the dangerous stunts were done by stuntmen but I enjoyed the process of choreographing the fights; that was fun."
"When I was first approached about the role, I was a little confused, because my perception of an elf was a dwarf, and I thought, ‘This is interesting - are they going to morph me int this dwarf character?’ But, actually, It’s a very interesting take on a dark elf: this creature who is dark because he comes from a dark world. I can’t tell you that much, but I can tell you Marvel are going all-out to really give this character an incredible visual impact. It's exciting for me, not just as an actor, but as a guy."
"It’s an amalgamation of a bull and a lava-like creature. He has very animalistic tendencies but with this insatiable and unstoppable power. As an actor, that’s one of the hardest things to embody. You have to realize you are probably the most powerful thing you could imagine. And you have to be that. You can’t pretend, so that when you face Thor, it’s real."
"The outfit weighed about 40 pounds. I’m sure there will be a certain amount of CGI but a good 80% was me in that suit. The outfit informed how I was going to move – the horns – his fighting style as well. It’s almost like he’s made out of stone."
"A huge opportunity to pull double duty. In order to prepare you obviously go through and read the comics and research the characters history. You also look at the imagery and have discussions with Marvel and the directors to see their vision for the characters. Then the rest is left for the designers who create the costumes, which really then assists in your performance. Specifically for Kurse, it was very much looking at the costume and what I thought it would embody. For instance it had a certain look, so I used that look for his interpretive actions. I found that very useful. So with the horns and everything, I just went with that flow and tried to define a way of moving and fighting that was in the rhythm and the way that he looked. With Algrim, again the aesthetic look and the outfit really factored in as does the location and the set. From the moment you step into that world, you immediately become that character. You make them real. So in a way you have to ground the character in reality that makes it normal for them to be in that world. I believe and hope that we have done that well in this & that the audiences are going to enjoy it."