2. Anime Shinichiro Watanabe, Makoto Shinkai, Hideaki Anno — they’re really interested in the human condition, whether there’s supernatural elements or just truly simple stories about people relating to one another in the face of great adversity. Shinichiro Watanabe is probably best known for “Cowboy Bebop,” which is my favorite show. Period. Makoto Shinkai’s “Your Name” was a big reason I was drawn to “Archive 81,” actually, because it’s kind of a love story separated by space and time. I don’t use this word lightly: I do think they’re geniuses.
3. Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables” In high school I was always walking past that book, but I was like, “Man, that’s a tome. I don’t want to commit.” Then a teacher put some adaptation with Liam Neeson on, and I was like, “I’ve got to stop watching this right now and just read this book.” Jean Valjean, I mean, who doesn’t love that guy? He’s a true definition of a hero. And Victor Hugo — the thing that struck me about that book was that he would describe the prison walls for 20 pages. I’ve really grown to appreciate that level of detail and painstaking dedication to painting a crystal-clear picture of what you want to share.
4. David Bowie I remember reading something [at “David Bowie is,” the 2018 Brooklyn Museum exhibition] that said he was involved in every single bit of what was onstage, what was being worn, down to the curtains. It reminded me, “There are ways to cut corners, and it’s never worth it. You have the time. If you have anything left to give, you should really just give it all.”
5. His Bikes I used to ride my sister’s bike when I was a kid, because that was the one bike that we had. I never got another bike until this summer. I was working out with this trainer and I was always admiring his array of bikes. He sold me a bike that he had secondhand. And I was like, “Mamoudou, what the [expletive] is the matter with you? You can afford a bike now. Buy a bike.” I now have this specialized Aethos that I’m obsessed with. And also a Crux and an All-City Cosmic Stallion, which I bought because of the name. It happens to be a great bike, but I would be lying to you if I didn’t tell you that.
Five Movies to Watch This Winter
6. TV on the Radio A lot of the pop examples of what cool is just seem bored and disinterested to me. But TV on the Radio, there’s a real passion. They are a staple of every character playlist I’ve ever created, really. What really impresses me more than anything, even more than talent, is when people put their all into something. I almost don’t care about the end result.
7. Friedrich Durrenmatt’s “The Visit” It was a third-year production at Yale. And this is going to sound weird, but it’s the moment I realized why I want to be an actor. I loved it, but there were certain projects I was super bad in. I was definitely going through some growing pains, so it wasn’t ever like, “Oh my God, did you see Mamoudou?” It just wasn’t happening. But in “The Visit,” I played the school master, and he’s a philosopher and he gets drunk one day and he goes over to the home [of the man next in line to be mayor] and he says, “They’re going to kill you, and I’m going to join them.” And he tells him why. It’s so heartbreaking to see somebody go against — oh, man, sorry, it’s getting me now — go against all of their ideals because they’re just so desperate and want money. And the conversations I’d have on the street about this play — people were talking to me in a way that I’d never experienced before.
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