sign in sign up
<<
Home , Dev Patel

DESIRE

Now a Hollywood-dwelling, Oscar-nominated A-lister, Dev Patel cuts a different figure than he used to. But as Sophy Grimshaw discovers, the newest Fan of Mandarin Oriental retains the easy charm that made him everyone’s favourite underdog. Portraits by Mary McCartney

“I was in a film calledSlumdog Millionaire, Dev’s last big film was 2016’s Lion, for which was the first film I did,” says Dev which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Patel, somewhere midway into our Actor Oscar. It tells the true story of Saroo conversation, over the phone from his home Brierley’s adoption from to Australia as in Los Angeles. It’s a strange thing to say, a five-year-old. Brierley in fact had a loving given how unlikely it is that anyone family but – having accidentally boarded a interviewing him would not know this, but train that took him miles from home – no way the warm and scrupulously polite Patel of finding them. In adulthood, armed with doesn't want to make any assumptons. nothing more than childhood memories and If you only knew one thing about Dev Patel, Google Earth, he traced his home village. though, that would be it: that he made his “Lion allowed me to dig into something with name in ’s clever, feel-good 2009 soul and go deeply into a character,” says film about a slum kid beating the Dev. “, the director, had me odds, which won eight Oscars including Best travelling on Indian trains and keeping diaries Picture. Dev’s relationship with co-star Freida beforehand, to create those kinds of Pinto – they were together for six years and memories. I also got to spend some time with remain friends – made almost as many Saroo; his is an incredible story.” headlines, often to his evident discomfort. So, in some ways, is Patel’s. In 2007, while “For that film, we did a dance sequence, still a pupil at a state comprehensive school in set in Chatrapati Shivaji in Mumbai,” he northwest , he won the part of Anwar, continues. “It’s one of the busiest train a hard-partying yet socially awkward Muslim stations in the world. And I was so nervous teen, in the British TV series (Patel’s about doing it. I remember Danny [Boyle] own family are Hindu). Occupying the gawky passionately explaining to me the reasons he end of geeky, but with a winning charisma felt we had to do a dance, to pay a tribute to and vulnerability, the sapling-limbed Patel and India.” The sequence, seen also turned out to be just what Trainspotting during the film’s end credits, was a huge hit director Danny Boyle was looking for in his with audiences and its soundtrack Jai Ho won next underdog hero. the Oscar for Best Original Song. “So that The films with which he followed Slumdog station is close to my heart. And when I saw Millionaire’s extraordinary success – including terror attacks [there] on the news, it broke me. The Last Airbender and Chappie – brought Dev My parents were watching the TV in tears.” mixed fortunes critically and commercially. He It’s these recent historical events that form also added more TV to his CV with a choice role the backdrop to Dev’s forthcoming film,Hotel in 's accaimed US TV series, The Mumbai. So despite the name, it’s not to be Newsroom, before the pitch-perfect confused with his jolly Best Exotic Marigold performance in Lion led to his first Oscar nod in Hotel movie franchise? “Ha, no! Very different. his own right. Rather like Leonardo DiCaprio, This is a harrowing story, about the 2008 he’s an actor who’s also grown up physically on terror attacks. I had some reservations about screen, unexpectedly shaking off what had taking the role actually, because I really didn’t seemed like a perpteual adolescence. want my presence on screen to be a Of the Best Supporting Actor nomination, distraction for the audience. Why was I in it? Dev says: “I don’t want to sound cheesy, but I had to make sure it made sense to be in it.” to me, the whole Oscars evening was about How did he do that? “I helped to develop making my mum feel like a superstar. It’s my character, as a self-educated Sikh guy because of her that I can be there at the from the slums who isn’t what you'd expect. It Oscars. She wanted to wear a sari, so I was great to have the chance to have that coordinated my outfit with hers.” What was

THE EVOLUTION OF DEV input. The film has real nuance.” the evening like? “It was mainly me trying to

<#L#> SPRING / SUMMER 2018 MANDARINORIENTAL.COM <#R#> DESIRE keep her under control around the world’s of course. I’ve met her, she’s lovely.” biggest celebrities,” he laughs. “Samuel L Most of the time, Dev’s not at home at all, Jackson was right there and but travelling. Hotels have certainly been a walked past, and she kept wanting to take out theme of his film career as well as his working her phone and take pictures of them. It was life, so it makes sense that he would become mainly me pinching her that we were there.” a Fan of Mandarin Oriental (“an ambassador”, “Without making it sound like it’s all about is how he puts it), having stayed first at me or putting the attention on myself,” he Mandarin Oriental, Prague. “I don’t want to adds, cautiously, “I also really hoped that my sound over-the-top,” he says, “but the place being nominated would inspire other people, was just magical. I went to sign the guestbook someone who might be a British Indian kid in and I flipped back a few pages and the Dalai Rayners Lane [London], to think ‘I could do Lama had signed it. Whoa!” that’. To feel that it’s More recently, he possible. I had actually went to Japan with his told my mum, when I partner, actor Tilda was quite young, ‘One ‘WHEN I LOOK Cobham-Hervey, and day, I will take you to stayed at Mandarin the Oscars.’ I don’t BACK AT MY WORK Oriental, Tokyo. “Our mean that to sound ALL I SEE IS FLAWS, room was incredible – egocentric.” the whole hotel is. It’s I tell him it doesn’t BUT THAT HELPS in the Nihonbashi area at all, that clearly he of the city and it’s a just wants people ME IMPROVE’ quiet, serene space to feel inspired to right in the heart of act, whatever their Tokyo, a haven. I felt I background. He seems relieved. “Yeah, had some time to experience the city and get exactly. I didn’t go to RADA or LAMDA. Those a feel for it, which is unusual for me. I’m are great institutions, but I don’t come from obsessed with Japan right now.” that route. But I was nominated – pigs can fly.” As for the future, Dev has recently tried his Does he feel at home in Hollywood now, hand at directing a short film (calledHome both as a place to live and to work? He has Shopper, it stars Armie Hammer), and has spoken of feeling uncomfortable in the past, imminent filming commitments – “I can't say yet has more has earned his place. too much because they haven't written the “Look,” he says, “there’s this thing that a lot press release yet...” – and is keen to move of actors will tell you they have… where you forward creatively. do feel like an imposter all the time. You “I’ve honestly never really felt like I ever had always do.” Maybe that can be healthy? a firm grip on what I’m doing," he says, “Yeah, I think it is. It’s OK to never let it laughing. "When I look back at my past work, go to your head. The other thing about red all I see is the flaws. It helps me improve carpets is they are a great leveller. I guess. I just want to keep moving, working, One minute everyone is taking your picture creating and trying new things. I’ve got ants and the next Emma Stone appears and every in my pants.” single camera swings towards her and everyone shouts, ‘Emma, Emma!’. That’s fine will be released in 2018

SLUMDOG TO TOP DOG: CRITIC ELLEN E JONES ON DEV'S CV

2007-2008 playing Anwar: 2009 2010 2011 2012-2014 2015 2015 2015 Skins a teenager who The Last Airbender The Best Exotic The Newsroom The Second Best Chappie The Man Who A 16-year-old Patel struggles to reconcile It’s lucky that director Patel’s first experience Marigold Hotel No one writes Exotic Marigold Hotel In a crime-ridden, Knew Infinity got his big break in his Muslim faith with Danny Boyle’s of big-budget Sonny Kapoor rapid-fire dialogue This sequel reunited near-future If you missed this the Channel 4 series, his hard partying. daughter was a Skins Hollywood (Patel; left) is the quite like TV series Patel with Judi Johannesburg, one, seek it out. Patel fan: she suggested filmmaking involved indefatigable hotelier The Newsroom’s Dench, Maggie super-smart techie is perfectly cast as the Patel for the role of a playing the ambitious who helps a motley creator Aaron Sorkin, Smith and , Deon (Patel) has humble but brilliant Mumbai street-kid young ‘firebender’ group of British and as the bright as his character developed a robot mathematician, turned quiz champion Prince Zuko, in the pensioners settle into blogger Neal Sampat, planned both a with a childlike, , 2016 Google Maps to track in this multiple M Night Shyamalan their retirement, in Patel proved himself business expansion enquiring mind. in this must-watch Lion down his Indian birth Academy anime-influenced this sun-soaked and more than up to the and a wedding. What Again... what could WWI-era Patel’s heart-rending family, bagged him Award-winner. fantasy film. heartwarming hit. task of delivering it. could go wrong? go wrong? true story. performance (pictured a BAFTA, and above), as an adopted a nomination for an Australian who uses Academy Award.

<#L#> SPRING / SUMMER 2018 MANDARINORIENTAL.COM <#R#>