‘Supacell' Lead Tosin Cole on Bringing South London's Black Experience to the Sci-Fi World in Netflix Series: ‘It's About Time'
Tosin Cole has already been part of two of the best-known sci-fi franchises around.
Sure, the American-born British actor admits his turn as starfighter pilot Lieutenant Bastian in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was perhaps a little "blink-and-you'll miss it" (although it could have been a lot more - he got down to the final few auditioning for John Boyega's role of Finn but "it just didn't work out" and J.J. Abrams offered him this part instead). But in BBC cult series "Doctor Who," however, across seasons 11 and 12, he played the main character of Ryan Sinclair, companion to Jodie Whittaker's Time Lord. It all gives him some solid bragging rights.
"You know, I can tell my grandkids, ‘Your granddaddy was in this show!,'" he exclaims.
But now there's another sci-fi that he hopes could also become something to tell the grandchildren about in years to come.
"Supacell," which lands on Netflix on June 27, is the brainchild of Rapman, the British rapper turned filmmaker who rose to prominence thanks to his cult three-part YouTube series "Shiro's Story" and his 2019 directorial feature debut "Blue Story."
At its heart it's a classic superhero drama, following a group of ordinary individuals as they suddenly develop special powers which they try to use to overcome hurdles in their own lives and, ultimately, confront a menacing threat that lurks over the horizon. But what makes "Supacell" stand out is its South London setting - away from the gleaming city center high-rises and wealthy suburbs usually depicted on screen - and an all-Black cast that reflects the economic and cultural diversity of those neighborhoods.
"It's about time," says Cole of "Supacell" bringing London's Black experience to the sci-fi world. "We should have already had something like this, but there's no more perfect time like now. So I'm excited to be in something of this scale that hasn't been done before, especially in London."
And Cole isn't just part of "Supacell," but leads the cast as Michael, a delivery driver besotted with his girlfriend Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo) who discovers that he can teleport through space and time. It's up to Michael to bring together the disparate group of super-powered individuals to prevent a future tragedy from occurring.
Tosin Cole in "Supacell"
Cole knew Rapman long before the role came his way, the two having first met at a screening and then regularly bumping into each other across South London. He says they would often talk about doing something together, and Cole was initially supposed to appear in "Blue Story" but the timing clashed. "We'd crossed paths and almost worked together and didn't work together," he says. "Sometimes things just don't work out, but here we are with ‘Supacell'."
When he first heard about the show, Cole says it sounded "epic," but he was particularly drawn to the setting he knew so well. "My patriotic side came out," he says. On reading the script his immediate reaction was that he recognized the characters, be the people from his school or his sisters. "They were so real and authentic. So just seeing a true authentic depiction of South London - barring the powers! - was something I related to, and I was just like, ‘Yeah, I can see myself watching this and it's something that I want to be a part of."
While "Supacell" may now join of growing list of sci-fis on Cole's resume, the last few years have seen him spread his dramatic wings in numerous other directions.
Having cut his teeth on British television (like many U.K. stars, the teen soap "Hollyoaks" served as a breakout), he's recently been seen in both films in Joanna Hogg's "The Souvenir" two-parter, Chinonye Chukwa's acclaimed biopic "Till" and last year's "House Party" reboot. Earlier this year, he played the Wailers's legendary keyboardist Tyrone Downie in Paramount's hugely successful music biopic "Bob Marley: One Love," while next up he's playing a shepherd in Amazon MGM's live-action comedy "Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie" alongside Hugh Jackson and Emma Thompson. Back on the small screen, he had a major role in the first season of AMC's 2022 legal drama "61st Street," playing a high school athlete mistaken by police for a Chicago gang member.
There's the stage as well, with Cole currently appearing alongside Heather Agyepong in Benedict Lombe's romance "Shifters," which is soon transferring to the West End.
But "Supacell" gives Cole his biggest chance yet to shine to the widest audience, a leading role in a glossy, big-budget and buzzy series hitting screens around the world. It's a show in which he laughs, cries, loves, fights and - as per the nature of the story - magically teleports through space and time.
"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a leading man," Cole says, mimicking the famed opening line of "Goodfellas."
"But sure, doing something of this stature is definitely new territory and I'm grateful for the opportunity. And I think it's just about showcasing that you can lead stories and show a range of emotions that keep people compelled and engaged. And hopefully more leading opportunities come from it."
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