American actor-musician Alexx O'Nell’s journey to the Indian film industry has been nothing short of fascinating. From working in over 40 movies in Bollywood, Bengali and the south film industries, the actor, however landed his first break with R Balki and shared screen with actor Amitabh Bachchan in Cheeni Kum (2007) right after he started his career as a model. RRR (2022), Khufiya (2023), Aarya (2020) and Saheb Biwi aur Gangster 3 (2018) followed; he plays a ruthless British officer in the recently released Sara Ali Khan-starrer period drama Ae Watan Mere Watan on Amazon Prime.
“It’s a ruthless character embodying all that was dark about the British Empire. But he speaks fluent Hindi, which was quite difficult to pull off,” he says. “There is also a scene where Sara quietly asks me to slap her in the face, and I was taken aback by it. There was another where I was asked to step on her head as this evil incarnate. But I discussed it with the director, that if I caress her head with my head, it would align with the man’s character better. It was just as humiliating and would show the power dynamic. This added uneasiness to my role and Sara and I worked well together on this.”
While the actor has been enjoying such meatier roles recently, he did not put too much thought into choosing his initial scripts. “To be honest, I just kind of kept saying yes initially to whatever opportunities came my way and they kept coming. So, I ended up with a career doing something that I love. So, I would say, ‘Sure, I chose to be in India, but India really did choose me as well’,” he says.
A man of options
As a theatre artist, O’Nell says at present he is looking for things that excite him. “If I don’t get a project which excites me, I can always fall back on paragliding or take on a different series, or go motorcycle riding. I’m also a scuba diver. So, there’s a lot of other options that I have. I don’t feel stuck,” he says.
As an American, however, more often than not, the actor lands roles that are similar, and risks being typecast. He admits that it is inevitable, given his nationality, but is grateful for the diversity
in his characters. “You’re going to think of particular types of roles when you look at me. I cannot play a south Indian because I simply don’t look the part. Even then I’ve played a diverse range of characters. Be it in Mein Aur Charles (2015), where Randeep Hooda and I escape from prison, or a CIA agent working in the US in Khufiya. There are several roles for a British man in the colonial era, not everyone has to be an officer. There are so many truly fascinating stories that need to be told from that period and to be a part of some of them is a privilege,” he says.
A singer, writer of music
O’Nell also has a flair for music. During the long-drawn pandemic, when he was at home, the artist tried his hand at music. He wrote songs and released them. He believes music is inextricably linked to Indian films. “One listens to a song and immediately wonders if it’s a Shah Rukh song or a Hrithik song. People identify the song by who performed it on screen. I did release three singles here in India, but I have found my audience in South Africa and western Europe, where there is more demand for English songs on radio,” he says. What he is now looking forward to is to get a romantic comedy. “I would love to work in this genre. Karan Johar tops the list as the best director in the genre, and I have been manifesting that he signs me up for one,” he says.