Anil Kapoor continues to make inroads in Hollywood. He has just signed his third Hollywood film — Cities — to be directed by
Roger Donaldson, which will star Golden Globe winner Clive Owen. It will be shot in multiple cities including
London,
Mumbai and
New York.
Anil says he feels just like a newcomer, as anxious, as excited... and he's loving it. Over to the actor, who spoke to BT from LA.
So this time you are playing a cop, something you've done before in Hindi films...
Actually, it's something I've never done before. I may have played a cop, but not this kind of a character. The whole story of the film is about greed and ambition that takes place on a global scale. This is one of the scripts that I've really liked.
Now that you are spending a lot of time abroad, are you developing a different accent?
No, I speak the same way. Here, it depends on the films that you are doing. They are very dialect conscious. If you can pick up dialects of various countries and characters, it's a big plus. Like in the TV show 24 that I did, they wanted a different kind of a dialect and there are coaches who train you.
Having done only lead roles in Indian cinema, Hollywood is a different setup for you...
I do feel like I'm starting from scratch and that's the challenging part. Here, I may not be playing the lead or the whole film may not revolve around me, but they do have a lot of respect for people who play various characters because they believe it's not the length of the role, but the quality that matters. And the challenge for an actor is to make an impact within the time you have on screen.
Your colleagues here surely would want to know what is it that has helped you make inroads into Hollywood?
It is very difficult to make inroads in Hollywood because one needs to have an agent. You get an agent only if you have some work to show. So, overall it is tough. I was lucky to get
Slumdog Millionaire and that helped me get my next film and so on. Of course, I got Slumdog... because of my body of work in
India and my image as a sincere, hardworking actor, who's always looking to raise the bar. So, in my case, it is a combination of a lot of factors. This is just the beginning, I have a long way to go.
How was it working with
Tom Cruise on Mission Impossible's next installment?
The franchise is so big, and working with Tom Cruise was a cool thing. He is very big world over. In fact, this is one question I'm asked by everyone, not just in India, but abroad too. There's an aura around him, which makes him so popular across the globe.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/newsinterviews/Im-starting-all-over-again-Anil-Kapoor/articleshow/8340113.cms 
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