Entertainment
Boxing Day’s Aml Ameen wants to empower ‘dope Black dads’ through his Christmas rom-com
Aml is the force behing the first Black British Christmas movie (Picture: Getty Images for Warner Bros)
Aml Ameen has used his character in Boxing Day to open up a conversation about men growing up and becoming ‘dope Black dads’.
The Kidulthood actor has directed the rom-com, the first Black British Christmas movie, while also starring as successful author Melvin alongside Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Aja Naomi King.
*** SPOILERS ***
Melvin eventually learns that his fiance Lisa (King) has been keeping a pretty big secret from him – she’s pregnant with their child. However, the writer’s initial reaction isn’t one of complete joy as he previously didn’t want kids, but he eventually comes round to the idea.
Was Aml trying to put a different spin on the absent father narrative?
The actor told Metro.co.uk: ‘I know a lot of dope Black dads, that’s mostly what I know to be honest.’
He added: ‘I was more trying to have a conversation about the difficulty of growing up and the difficulty of responsibility and how a lot of young men, Black or otherwise, we fear that moment where our life becomes about someone else completely and about a family.’
Aml has directed and stars in the rom-com (Picture: Warner Bros.)
He stars opposite Leigh-Anne Pinnock who makes her acting debut (Picture: Warner Bros.)
He continued: ‘It’s also about him healing from his trauma with his relationship with his dad, so it’s much more in that vein rather than dispelling the myth of the absent father because I mostly see in my world, my life, dope Black dads.’
Boxing Day is Aml’s directorial debut and, you would assume, a difficult thing to master while also starring in the same movie.
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However, the former Bill star took it all in his stride and said: ‘Having to jump between watching yourself and rushing back to look at the tapes but I didn’t find it that challenging in that sense. I was so elated in making the movie and energised that I was just happy all the time.
‘It’s really lovely to make something from your imagination. Because I wrote it and it’s about my family, it’s very nice to see something go from your mind into the physical world.’
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His co-star Leigh-Anne recalled fondly: ‘I remember watching you jump from behind the camera, then in front of the camera and thinking, “this guy’s a genius, how is he doing this? How are you directing a film and acting at the same time?” It blew my mind personally. Props to you.’
Meanwhile, Leigh-Anne opened up about her nerves singing without her Little Mix bandmates for the first time in the film.
Boxing Day is out in cinemas on Friday.
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