Actor Mamadou Athie talks starring in new coming-of-age movie “Pattie Cake$”
Widely known for his role as Grandmaster Flash, the living hip-hop legend in the Netflix Original, The Get Down, Mamoudou Athie joins Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett and many more for the new film, “Patti Cake$.”
Described as a coming-of-age story “straight out of Jersey,” the movie follows a young woman trying to find her voice by breaking into the hip hop game. Patti Cake$ is underdog who is living in poverty but has big dreams.
If you ask Mamoudou Athie, he’d tell you that his character Basterd the Anti-Christ – which is one hell of a name- can be described in three words: beautiful, musical, and gentle.
His hair is dreaded and locked a lot like Basquiat the artist, and there are an abundance of piercings that adorn his face, giving way to the idea that he’s not your ordinary guy and more so the dark and twisty, mysterious type.
Not to mention he also wears one blue eye contact in his left eye. The music starts and it’s hard metal rock music which entails a cacophony of screams and banging drums. Basterd performs for all of what seems like 90 seconds and then walks off the stage abruptly. No effs given.
Though his introductory scene gets off to a rough start, you find that Basterd is a mute introvert that dreams of pursuing freedom by fleeing his small shack that he calls home, to hop from freight train to freight train across the country.
While he and his character are certainly different, what’s most commendable about Athie is his versatility and ability to adapt to any role that he plays. Humble and soft spoken, Athie explains how his time spent and education that he received at Yale shaped his acting skills.
“I don’t know what I would be doing if I hadn’t gone to that school,” Athie tells theGrio. “It truly changed my life for the better. I had an amazing group of teachers there. Everything that they taught you, it seeps in once you’ve graduated.”
Since graduating from Yale in 2014 and being in the movie and film industry for the past couple years, Athie is still adapting to this new chapter in life.
He’s learned what roles he’s attracted to and suits him best and he gives it his all. Hence, why the actor has a DJ turntable set sitting in his apartment after he took on the role as Grandmaster Flash in The Get Down.
Tapping into his music side again in “Patti Cake$” is just another opportunity to do what he loves.
All in all, Mamoudzou says all kinds of people can see themselves in “Patti Cake$” even if they don’t want to be in the music industry.
“I figured that it can appeal to a lot of people because it’s about somebody going after their dreams and I hope that that’s everyone can relate to… at least some point in their lives. And the music is phenomenal…. If someone asked me, I think you should go see it because I think it’s incredible.”
