Tony Revolori

Dope + Umrika

Interview by James Patrick Herman  Photographs by Jeff Vespa

What’s the most Anaheim thing about you?  I never hang out in my hometown. No one goes to Disney. We have it right there so we take it for granted.

What was your first acting job?  I might have been a Gerber baby, but I’m not sure. The earliest thing I remember was an insurance commercial when I was six.

What was your big break?  Without a doubt The Grand Budapest Hotel. When people hear that you’ve been in a Wes Anderson film, immediately they want to talk to you. Also, it won a shit ton of awards, so I feel like I just won the lottery.

What will you pack for Sundance? Thermal underwear. Cool-looking clothes. A travel bag with deodorant and all that — I don’t want to be the smelly kid.

Tell me about your character in Dope.  Jib is the ghetto kid who was never meant to be a ghetto kid. He’s not a thug even though he wants to be a badass.

What about Umrika?  Lalu is quirky and carefree. He’s never serious, but when he has to be — and when he is — it’s important. Because you see this other side of him — and how strong he is. But these two characters are absolutely opposite and absolutely the same person. The world is small and big at the same time, and we’re just here to live in it.

What’s the buzz about your films? I never speak a lick of English in Umrika. I’m speaking in a language and a dialect that I do not know. I’m not Indian nor am I familiar with Indian culture, so eight hours a day I practiced to get this accent right. The buzz about Dope is probably Pharrell Williams — he produced and did all of the music for the film.

Are you a fan of Robert Redford?  Yes. And  not just for Captain America. He was in Easy Rider if I’m not mistaken, was he not?