Pop Culturalist Chats with The First Purge’s Rotimi Paul

Announcing the commencement of the first Purge…we’re only kidding. But, we are excited to introduce you to quadruple threat, Rotimi Paul. He’s one of the stars of the most anticipated film of the summer, The First Purge. And yes, you guessed it: it’s the origin story to the franchise that revolutionized the movie industry. In the film, Rotimi plays Skeletor, a character with questionable motives. Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Rotimi about the role and how the film differentiates itself from its predecessors.

PC: Tell us about The First Purge, your character, and what drew you to this project.
Rotimi: The First Purge is an origin story. It lets the audience in on how the annual day of legalized crime became a national event. The script that James DeMonaco came up with for this film took me on an amazing ride, and I got more excited as I read through it. But what specifically drew me in was the excitement and challenge that I felt surrounding the bringing of my character, Skeletor, to life.

PC: What is Skeletor’s opinion on The Purge? How challenging was it to get into his mindset?
Rotimi: Skeletor sees opportunity in The Purge. The challenge of his mindset lays in truthfully crafting and bringing to the surface the underlying pain that informs his behavior.

PC: The First Purge is a prequel to the other films in the franchise. How familiar were you with them and do you have a favorite?
Rotimi: I was very familiar with the other films and knew the premise of the franchise but hadn’t seen them, so with knowing that our script was a prequel, I made the choice to wait until we wrapped shooting to go watch all of them. I didn’t want to be influenced by any of the characters that already existed in that world and it also made sense based on the timeline because everything that we shot comes before the other films, so they wouldn’t have much relevance to the time period in our film. Of the first three films, Anarchy was my favorite. Of the entire franchise, ours is undoubtedly my favorite. The First Purge added some powerful new elements to the series and is told through some incredibly strong characters.

PC: If your character could witness all the events from the other three films, do you think his opinion would change?
Rotimi: No. His opinion stems from the internal, not the reality of how things unfolded in the external.

PC: How does The First Purge differentiate itself from the other three films?
Rotimi: The story that we’re telling is ultimately different from any of the other three films because we are delving into the origin of Purge Night. There is no certainty of what that night looks like for the characters in our film.

PC: If the Purge was legalized today, what would you do?
Rotimi: It’s a scary thought, but if such a night existed, I would immediately begin planning how to keep my loved ones safe.

PC: Besides The First Purge, do you have any other upcoming projects that you can chat about?
Rotimi: I’m currently working on a documentary titled Surviving Jonestown about my father’s story of getting out of that situation alive on that night of November 18th, 1978. Jonestown is a topic that has been covered from the perspective of Americans, but I want to look at it from the perspective of the Guyanese. My dad’s story is fascinating and how it works into the overall narrative of that event is something that will really be powerful for a lot of people.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Rotimi: Animal Kingdom

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Rotimi: Any of the Scary Movie films.

PC: Favorite book?
Rotimi: This is an impossible question to answer.

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Rotimi: My favorite play is A Raisin in the Sun. My favorite musical is either Fela! or Hamilton. Probably Hamilton. Definitely Hamilton.

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Rotimi: Instagram

PC: Last show you binge-watched?
Rotimi: Orange Is the New Black

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Rotimi: Wolfmother

PC: Hidden talent?
Rotimi: Interior Design. I feel like I have an eye for making spaces look good.

Make sure to follow Rotimi on Twitter and Instagram, and catch The First Purge in theaters now.

Photo Credit: Dave Krugman