Archie Madekwe Biography

MARITAL STATUS
Profession Actor
British nationality
Birth February 10, 1995 (London, England)

BIOGRAPHY
Born in London, Archie Madekwe began studying theater at the BRIT School when he was 14. He then joined the National Youth Theater while continuing his studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He thus plays in numerous plays, such as The Goat, or Who is Sylvia alongside Damian Lewis . At the same time, he is casting for films and series.

Archie appears stealthily in series like Casualty , Les Misérables and Hang Ups . The young actor stands out more in 2019 in Teen Spirit , Max Minghella ‘s first production . He was seen the same year in the disturbing horror thriller Midsommar , in which a group of young people find themselves trapped in a cult located in a remote Swedish village.

Increasingly in demand, Archie Madekwe is chosen to slip into the shoes of the second Kofun twin in the series See worn by Jason Momoa . This Apple program, which takes place in a distant future where humanity has become blind and has returned to a primitive state, is very successful. He followed it up with the SF thriller Voyagers , starring Tye Sheridan and Lily-Rose Depp .

Then, Archie teams up again with the director of Midsommar for Beau Is Afraid , a crazy odyssey led by Joaquin Phoenix at the top of his art for a small role. That same year, he rubbed shoulders with Gal Gadot in the action film Agent Stone and above all played the hero of Gran Turismo , the live action adaptation of the famous video game saga directed by Neill Blomkamp .

But above all, this feature film is inspired by the story of Briton Jann Mardenborough, a gamer who became a professional racing driver. The actor explains: “He feels trapped. He is stuck in a routine in his small town where the same events repeat themselves every day. But he is driven by a consuming passion and the desire to rise above his condition.”
“He’s obsessed with cars and he’s crazy about Gran Turismo – the only thing he dreams of is becoming a driver, but it’s a world that has always been inaccessible to him… Until an opportunity introduces himself: he is offered to live an experience, consisting of training players so that they become real racing drivers.”

To be credible, Archie Madekwe had to learn to simulate driving and be able to actually participate in the Gran Turismo game. The London native recalls: “I had to be really good at this game. To shoot the scenes in the café with the consoles, we practiced playing against the AI, which was difficult, and we had to that I win.”

Madekwe was also trained by David Perel who, like Mardenborough, was a simulator driver and is now part of the Ferrari team: “PlayStation sent me a simulator – a seat, a steering wheel and pedals. And as soon as “I finished my previous shoot, I had to practice again and again. Getting started with driving on a track requires a lot of skill.”

“You have to learn the racing lines, the turns, and feel the brakes. And as soon as you get the hang of it, you have to repeat the gestures, over and over again. All this has inspired me with immense admiration and a lot of respect for the pilots because the exploits they accomplish in their circumstances are crazy.”

Laurent Schenck