Former NFL Star Vernon Davis Explains How He Prepared to Play a Serial Killer in New Movie With Morgan Freeman
After 14 successful seasons in the NFL, Vernon Davis transitioned to acting. He’s been in a number of films and has shared the screen with some A-list celebrities. In his new movie, The Ritual Killer with Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, he plays a murderer named Randoku.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet caught up with Davis to talk about how he prepared for the role of a serial killer and what other projects he’s been working on.
What ‘The Ritual Killer’ is about
The Ritual Killer is a dramatic thriller directed by George Gallo. The film follows a detective who teams up with a professor of African Studies to track down a serial killer performing ancient black magic.
“I play a serial killer named Randoku, who kills based on a brutal South African tribal ritual known as Muti,” Davis explained. “I’m being hunted by homicide detective Lucas Boyd (Hauser), who recruits the help of Professor Mackles (Freeman), an anthropologist who hides an unspeakable secret of his own. The line between sanity and madness thins as Boyd goes deeper into Randoku’s world.”
How Davis prepared for the role of serial killer Randoku
Randoku is the film’s main antagonist and Davis discussed how he prepared to play such a dark and evil character.
“I had to give this guy a unique backstory, something that was really close to my life and something I had to go through … pain. I had to find something that was really painful for me as a kid, and I found it,” Davis shared. “That thing that I found allowed me to tap into this character and become him truthfully.
“As I studied the film’s script, I also realized I needed to take on my villain character’s Zulu language and South African dialect. I went as far as to work with a translator, as well as a dialect coach.”
What he learned from Freeman and the film’s director
Davis enjoyed his time working alongside a director like Gallo and a legendary actor like Freeman so much that at one point during filming he thought: “It’s not going to get any better than this. This might be the best movie that I ever do.'”
“George is an amazing director, from whom I learned to take chances and explore with every scene,” Davis said. “He taught me the importance of finding inspiration everywhere and applying it in new ways, even if you don’t think it will work.”
“During a scene alongside Morgan Freeman, I had just gotten up from the ground, had a knife in my hand, looked at Morgan, and tossed the knife to the side,” he recalled. “Morgan said, ‘Here, try this,’ and wanted me to hold the knife, look at the knife, twist it around in my hand, just drop it, and walk away. Basically, it’s the little actions in every action that can really make a difference. Morgan has also encouraged me to understand and appreciate the journey.”
Davis also has some other projects in the works
Davis has been busy lately with some new projects.
“I recently landed a role alongside action icon Jean-Claude Van Damme in an upcoming action feature Silent Kill,” he revealed. “Anthony Hickox (Hellraiser III) wrote the screenplay and will direct the film, which will follow four mercenaries who find a hidden treasure in the Congo. They bury it and agree to meet back at the same spot in three years and split the fortune evenly, but things take a different turn.”
He’s not just acting though, Davis has been in the studio working on new music as well for his upcoming album.
“I’m working on my first hip-hop album,” he said. “I’ve already released two singles ‘Smile for Me’ and ‘Bounce Like Dis’ that will be featured on the 10-track project. ‘Bounce Like Dis’ was produced by Tone P, who’s worked with Wale, Curren$y, and other famous artists.”
You can follow all Davis’ latest projects on Twitter @VernonDavis85 and Instagram. And you can catch The Ritual Killer in theaters and on demand March 10.
