Dev Patel has revealed that his character in The Last Airbender has been a stretch for him as an actor.
The thing about this is it's a real stretch for me.
It's the first time that we have seen Patel on the big screen since the huge success of Slumdog Millionaire last year as he teams up with M.Night Shyamalan to adapt a hit cartoon into a live action movie.
He takes on the role of fire bending Prince Zuko, the movie's villain, and admits that he struggled with the anger and aggression of the character because it is so different to himself.
Speaking to Comingsoon.net the actor said: "The thing about this is it's a real stretch for me. At the start, going into it, I was a bit naïve, and I thought, 'This is just going to be a big laugh. I'm playing a cartoon character.'
"Then I got on set with everyone and read the script and M. Night's in front of me, and there's a lot of soul-searching to be done. It's a real departure from who I am as a human being.
"I try and think of myself as a happy go lucky sort of guy who just loves joking around and not taking things too seriously and then I'm playing a guy who is full of all this anger and aggression. It's actually been a real stretch for me to get that intensity constantly, yeah.
The Last Airbender is the first movie for Shyamalan in the director's chair since The Happening back in 2008 as he bring together a cast that includes Patel, Rathbone Jackson and introduces Noah Ringer.
The Last Airbender is released 13th August.
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