From the haunting corridors of Backrooms to the dangerous kingdom of Children of Blood and Bone, Chiwetel Ejiofor opens up about his characters—and why he believes his career is only getting started.
How much does an actor have to accomplish before he feels he has arrived? For Chiwetel Ejiofor, the answer appears to be: there is still much more to do.
Introduced as the second of Esquire UK’s four “Better Men” cover stars, Ejiofor offers a surprising perspective on a career the magazine celebrates across Hollywood, horror and the West End. While others might see an established heavyweight, he sees possibilities still waiting to be explored.
In an interview excerpt shared on the magazine’s Instagram, he suggests he may still be “in the first part of my working life.”
That is quite a statement from someone with such a substantial body of work. It also raises an irresistible question: if this is the beginning, what exactly does Chiwetel Ejiofor have planned for the next act?
The magazine’s interview previews offer a few clues, taking readers from the unsettling corridors of Backrooms to the dangerous royal household of Children of Blood and Bone. Across both, a compelling thread emerges: his interest in what makes people vulnerable, destructive and painfully human.
When the Monster Isn’t the Only Thing to Fear
In Backrooms, Ejiofor plays Clark, a disaffected furniture-store owner who discovers another dimension through his shop’s basement.
Forget a basement that simply needs better lighting. This one leads to seemingly endless yellow corridors, a murderous entity and the sort of surroundings that make every wrong turn feel like a terrible decision.
Yet the detail that lingers in Esquire’s description is Clark himself: desperate, lost and searching for something that ordinary life has failed to give him.
Discussing the feeling behind the character, Ejiofor speaks about being “untethered and a bit lost and wanting to reconnect and to be understood.”
There is something unsettlingly familiar in that observation. You do not have to enter another dimension to recognise the ache of disconnection. A person can have somewhere to go every morning and still feel that they belong nowhere.
That is what makes the interview excerpt interesting. It invites us to look beyond the frightening setting and consider the man walking through it. The corridors may be strange, but the emotional territory is recognisable.
A King Whose Cruelty Reaches His Own Children
Then comes a very different kind of danger.
In Children of Blood and Bone, Ejiofor takes on King Saran, the brutal monarch of Orïsha, a fictional land where magic has been suppressed.
According to Esquire’s accompanying Instagram excerpt, Saran also plays his children against one another: Inan, portrayed by Damson Idris, and Amari, played by Amandla Stenberg.
That introduces a chilling family dynamic. What happens when the person with the greatest power over your life is also your father—and affection, loyalty and authority become difficult to separate?
Ejiofor was already familiar with the book trilogy when director Gina Prince-Bythewood approached him. In the excerpt, he emphasises the adaptation’s emotional grounding and recalls a filming experience that reflected that quality.
For audiences, that is an enticing prospect. An imagined kingdom becomes much more absorbing when its conflicts carry feelings we recognise: fear, resentment, love and the need to win a parent’s approval.
Saran’s royal power may belong to fantasy. The wounds within his household sound much closer to home.
Why His “First Act” Remark Stays With You
Put these roles beside his comments about his working life, and the cover story begins to feel like a portrait of continuing curiosity.
Clark offers an opportunity to explore disconnection. Saran brings authority and family conflict into focus. Each character gives Ejiofor a different emotional problem to investigate.
His career remark is refreshing because it leaves the future open. There is no suggestion that an impressive résumé has exhausted his appetite for the work.
Esquire also says the full interview explores parenthood, adding another personal dimension to the profile. The promotional excerpts do not reveal those reflections, but they make clear that the conversation reaches beyond his screen appearances.
The Cover, the Clothes and the Next Chapter
The accompanying fashion shoot features Ejiofor wearing Burberry, photographed by Nick Thompson and styled by Rudy Simba Betty. The issue was advertised as arriving on newsstands on 14 October.
For all the polish of a magazine cover, though, it is the sense of unfinished ambition that gives this profile its pull.
Chiwetel Ejiofor still sees more ahead of him. Watching where that conviction takes him could be the most interesting part.
Which performance interests you most: Clark in Backrooms or King Saran in Children of Blood and Bone? And what kind of role would you love to see Ejiofor take on next? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Image credit: Esquire UK / Photography: Nick Thompson. Styling: Rudy Simba Betty. Clothing: Burberry.
Source:
Esquire UK on Instagram — Chiwetel Ejiofor cover interview
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