Story Created:
Sep 8, 2010 at 4:58 PM PST
Story Updated:
Sep 8, 2010 at 7:09 PM PST
It might be wise to avoid getting in an elevator with actor Bokeem Woodbine anytime soon because he might be the devil.
Not that the native New Yorker, known for his onscreen intensity and martial arts skills, has done anything reprehensible but his latest film might cause one or two fearful looks.
Woodbine, 37, stars in the genre-bending supernatural/horror/suspense/mystery “Devil,” set to be released Sept. 17, which is the first installment of a series of darkly-themed stories — “The Night Chronicles” — conceived by “The Sixth Sense” writer/director M. Night Shyamalan.
The premise — five strangers enter an elevator in a Philadelphia office tower — has a screenplay by Brian Nelson (“Hard Candy,” “30 Days of Night”) and was directed by John Erick Dowdle (“Quarantine,” “The Poughkeepsie Tapes”).
Outside of that short hook and a trailer that hints at some major frights, the powers-that-be are keeping things pretty close to their vest. And of course, to increase the intrigue — and hopefully not because it might be a bit of a letdown — the film has not been screened for film critics.
“Unfortunately, I can’t say too much about it other than I’m one of the five people [he plays a security guard] who would never normally interact with one another,” said Woodbine in a telephone interview this week.”
Asked directly if he’s the devil, Woodbine deflected: “I don’t know, we shot it so long ago I don’t remember.”
Having done his best to throw a reporter off the scent, Woodbine actually revealed that the movie was shot last fall in Toronto and his involvement was fairly straight-forward.
“I got the script from my agent and went in and read,” he recalled. “I didn’t think I had a chance in hell for the role because there were more prominent actors and rappers up for the part. So I dismissed it out of hand and a couple of months later I was on a shoot and got the call.”
Woodbine also kept mum on which rappers were in the running for a potential Satanic unveiling. “I don’t feel comfortable saying [anything on that],” he added.
However, Woodbine, who entered showbiz at the age of 19 as an extra in Ernest R. Dickerson’s “Juice,” did sing the praises of Shyamalan, the former critical darling who seems to have lost his touch in some of his recent films.
“He was a very hospitable host and spent time with us individually, discussing the specifics of our characters and the film overall,” said Woodbine. “He gave me some very poignant notes and he was always there to reach out to if we needed him.”
Photo: Bokeem Woodbine stars in "Devil," based on a story by filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. Credit: Kerry Hayes/Universal Pictures
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