79 In-spire LS
I
t's not often I can boast to having bagged an
interview with an actor on their way to set, but
Thanks to Rez Kempton, I can do just that.
Not one to let his movie star status get to his head,
Rez was `keeping it real' by using one of London's
red Limousines to get to work.
For me, that was almost as impressive as his acting
credits.
When he's not appearing in award winning
television programmes like
Spooks and Banged Up
Abroad, you can see him in
critically acclaimed films
such as Mystic Massuer and
Brothers in Trouble.
"I've been so lucky to play a
variety of roles and I think
for an actor that's a dream
really," Rez tells me when we
speak about what he has achieved so far.
I have to mention the fact he even has Bollywood
titles to his name, and you can practically hear the
smile in his voice when he answers simply: "Yes."
With a role in the ingeniously titled Harri Puttar, it
would be fair to say that the man has quite a few
acting strings to his bow.
It's this versatility that probably landed him one of
the title roles in Atul Malhotra's Amar Akbar and
Tony.
Set in Southall, Amar Akbar and Tony is billed
as a coming of age comedy drama. I ask Rez to
explain the premise in a nutshell without being
a plot spoiler, so he tells me: "It's about these
guys following their story as they reach mature
adulthood. They are kind of carefree in the
beginning of the film and then an event happens
and it's about what happens to their friendship
after that."
Sam Vincenti and Martin Delaney also play
alongside him and it's clear that Rez has enjoyed
being part of this project. "You can really feel the
love on set, we have all made really good friends
and it feels like a family."
I pick up on a budding Bro-mance between him
and co-star Martin. "I've found a brother I didn't
know I had," he tells me minus the cheesy gush that
normally comes with that kind of statement, but
with all the sincerity it deserves.
One of the things I admire most when speaking
to Rez is how fortunate he feels. "I'm
so lucky and privileged to be doing the
job I love." His journey to our screens
seems to have developed organically
from a genuine passion for film although
circumstances could have been different.
Rez's father sadly passed away early on
in his life, and he understandably felt the
pressure to be a central male figure in his
family. "A lot of people said to me at that time `son
you have responsibility now.'"
He also tells me that his mum had ambitions of him
being a doctor but "I quelled that really early on by
making those films."
Those films he is referring to were set in Hainult
Forest when he was a kid. "My friend and thought
it would be really good to make our own, so his dad
got a camcorder and we got our friends together."
Describing the result as being like The Son of
Rambo, complete with spider webs from the joke
shop and Papier-mâché rocks to throw at each other,
it was clear from the onset he was destined to be on
screen and you can't help but be chuffed that he has
made it.
He left me with some valuable advice that I think is
worth taking on board. "If you dreamt it, go for it.
You only get one shot at life."
A M
oMent
W
ith
Words by Taytula Burke @taykeova
"If you dreamt
it, go for it. You
only get one shot
at life."
r
ez
K
empton
i
n
-
spire
Ls M
ovie
M
atters