On the day of the release of the action comedy-thriller Boy Kills World, we had the opportunity to have a brief sit-down interview with one of the film’s stars, Sharlto Copley. In the few minutes we had with him, we had a wide-ranging conversation that included an attempt to get him to spill the tea about District 10 and what it would take to get him to do a rom-com.
Sharlto Copley in Boy Kills World
At a packed premiere on the 25th of April, we got to watch the highly anticipated Boy Kills World, which, based on its trailer, had been described as everything from “crazy” to “psycho” and by many other expletives too colourful to publish here. The film, referred to by some as just Boy, is a genre-bending action-comedy-thriller that has gained much attention for its frenetic energy and darkly comedic tone.
The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Boy, a deaf-mute who goes on a bloody and often ruthless quest for vengeance after his family’s brutal murder. Driven by a twisted internal monologue inspired by a childhood video game (voiced by the excellent H. Jon Benjamin), Boy hones his martial arts skills under the tutelage of a mysterious shaman. The film is a real visual treat, overflowing with stylized action sequences and a non-stop pace, not to mention enough moments to have you gasping, cringing or turning away. For those who’ve watched the film, the phrase ‘grated armpits’ should be enough to get your memory bank going.
The presence of Sharlto Copley is unmistakable in the film, as he’s an actor we’ve come to know and love for his captivating portrayals of eccentric and often unpredictable characters. In Boy Kills World, he plays the role of Glen van der Koy, a rather odd, flamboyant, yet hilariously insecure husband to Melanie van der Koy, one of the siblings ruling the city. As Copley generally does, he steals almost every scene he’s in and is a pleasure to watch. We won’t spoil too much here, but hearing him share his thoughts about the movie was good.
Fortress of Solitude: What drew you to Boy [Kills World]?
Sharlto Copley: What drew me to Boy was the central concept of a character who’s seeking revenge that we’ve seen 100 times, but he’s a deaf-mute, and he gives himself a video game voice. I just thought that’s a ballsy thing to do. Would you be able to sustain that for two hours? What’s that movie going to be like? It’s an interesting creative challenge.
If you could have picked any other character than Glen, what other character would you have been happy to play?
Sharlto Copley: I play a lot of different characters, so I could probably have played a bunch of characters in this movie. Almost any of the main ones, other than Boy, I probably would have been reasonably comfortable playing.
District 9 was one of the films that made many of us instant fans of Sharlto Copley. Are you willing to leave any breadcrumbs about District 10?
Sharlto Copley: I’m sealed now because every time I drop breadcrumbs, there’s problems. So, I’m literally pleading the 5th about anything to do with it. Sorry.
So you’re not talking-
Sharlto Copley: There’s no breadcrumbs. I’m starving.
Fair enough… Looking at your filmography, your characters always have a bit of an edge. Is that by choice?
Sharlto Copley: It’s interesting you use that word because I gravitate towards characters that have some type of edge, and I’m not particularly interested in playing the most normal man in the world. I’ve ended up doing a lot more villains than I’d have liked … Zany, fun performances that I used to watch growing up, like Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, and Jim Carrey—I was definitely influenced by that type of performance, where there’s a spirit of fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously.
If someone were to hand you a script for a rom-com, would they need to factor that edge into the character?
Sharlto Copley: There best be an edge in that rom-com. There best be something that happens. Otherwise, I’ll just be, “Nah, there’s too many other guys that do this better.”
Too ordinary?
Sharlto Copley: Yeah.
You can watch Sharlto Copley in Boy Kills World in theatres now and check out more clips from our interview on YouTube. Also, check out this article on what to expect from District 10.
