Forest Whitaker Was ‘Frightened’ of Losing His Idi Amin Accent During ‘The Last King of Scotland’
Forest Whitaker is one of Hollywood’s most versatile performers. From his early roles in movies like Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Good Morning, Vietnam to parts in dramas such as Panic Room and Respect, Whitaker has more than proven that he has the acting chops to take on any role. One of the actor’s best-known projects is the 2006 historical drama The Last King of Scotland. Whitaker, who played Ugandan President Idi Amin, received critical acclaim for his work, with many calling out how well he nailed Amin’s accent. In a 2006 interview, Whitaker talked about the work that he did on the film, revealing that he was “frightened” of slipping out of Amin’s accent when he was preparing to shoot The Last King of Scotland.
‘The Last King of Scotland’ received great critical acclaim
The Last King of Scotland tells the story of the dictatorship of Ugandan President Idi Amin, utilizing the point of view of a fictional Scottish doctor named Dr. Nicholas Garrigan. The doctor becomes Amin’s personal physician, and after beginning a romantic relationship with one of Amin’s wives, Garrigan slowly becomes more and more disillusioned with the dictator.
According to IMDb, The Last King of Scotland had only a limited release in movie theaters but quickly became popular with critics and fans. While James McAvoy’s performance as Garrigan was praised, Forest Whitaker’s role as Amin received the lion’s share of attention – with many calling out how the actor seemed to completely transform into the real-life dictator.
What did Forest Whitaker say about his accent in ‘The Last King of Scotland’?
For Forest Whitaker, the challenge of playing a real person was significant enough – but the added struggle of mastering Idi Amin’s unique accent made it even harder. In a 2006 interview with CBS News, Whitaker admitted that he worked hard to master Amin’s accent, even using it when he wasn’t on the set in an attempt to better stay in character. “There was one time into rehearsals that I dropped it because I had to go down and meet all the dignitaries, and it took me days to get it back,” Whitaker revealed. “I was so frightened because I was there a month before and I was like, ‘this is not going to happen again, I am not going to lose this character.'”
In the end, everyone took notice of Whitaker’s hard work. The actor took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Amin. Additionally, he received the British Academy Film Award, the Golden Globe Award, and the Screen Actors Guild Award.
Whitaker admitted he took the character of Idi Amin with him after filming
Forest Whitaker not only learned Swahili and gained 50 pounds to play Amin – but he also immersed himself in research, learning everything he could about the controversial dictator. It was such an intensive process, in fact, that Whitaker had a hard time leaving the role behind even after filming was done. In his interview with CBS News, Whitaker admitted, “It took me a while. Even though I left the energy and voice, I was still talking in the first person for a while. My friends were like, ‘could you stop saying, I, I, I? It’s a character, let it go.'”
The acclaimed actor also noted that filming The Last King of Scotland on location in Uganda was essential for making the movie as well as they did. “I don’t know if we could have done it anywhere else,” Whitaker revealed. In the end, The Last King of Scotland stands as one of Whitaker’s best films and a project that perfectly showcases his commitment to the craft of acting.
