Yahya Abdul-Mateen II knows his 'Man on Fire' is a 'dangerous' risk: 'I've got thick skin'

Smiles travel easy for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II these days, particularly erstwhile describing what it’s similar to beryllium connected “the train.”

“I’m incredibly blessed,” helium says. “Life is good.”

Since winning a supporting histrion Emmy successful 2020 for HBO’s “Watchmen,” Abdul-Mateen has been connected a nonstop rotation with aggregate projects. His twelvemonth kicked disconnected connected a precocious enactment with Disney+’s deed Marvel bid “Wonder Man,” which was rapidly renewed for a 2nd season. His aboriginal slate includes Apple’s sci-fi thriller “Liminal” and the civilian rights play “By Any Means” with Mark Wahlberg.

But erstwhile asked if his upcoming Netflix play “Man connected Fire” could correspond a risky gamble, the grin transforms into a full-throated laugh.

“Is that right?” Abdul-Mateen says, his chuckle filling a tiny country successful 1 of the streamer’s Hollywood offices.

The seven-episode play is the latest adaptation of A.J. Quinnell’s archetypal 2 novels astir erstwhile French Foreign Legion worker John Creasy. The astir well-known mentation — 2004’s “Man connected Fire” — repurposes Creasy arsenic a burned-out counterterrorism cause who goes connected the warpath aft a young miss nether his attraction is kidnapped.

Abdul-Mateen arsenic John Creasy successful Netflix’s “Man connected Fire.”

(Juan Rosas / Netflix)

That fashionable movie starring Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning stands arsenic 1 of the astir coagulated showcases of Washington’s edgy, magnetic surface presence, and manager Tony Scott’s flashy, kinetic intensity.

“I love, love, love, emotion that movie,” says Abdul-Mateen. “I emotion the performances of Denzel and Dakota. They were a team. There’s a beauteous simplicity to their performances and their story.”

He acknowledges that a caller “Man connected Fire” whitethorn beryllium met with furrowed brows by fans of the film, admitting his ain archetypal skepticism astir taking connected a conveyance truthful powerfully identified with Washington.

“Sure, determination was a liable level of trepidation,” Abdul-Mateen says. “That’s respect — respect for myself, arsenic good arsenic Denzel and everyone who took portion connected that film. I had to respect that enactment to find a justification for doing this. Otherwise I’m conscionable mounting myself for guaranteed failure.”

He adds, “I’m inactive mounting myself up for the scrutinization. But that’s fun. I tin woody with that. I’ve got heavy skin. I tin instrumentality it.”

The laughter erupts again.

But helium besides sees the bid arsenic different accidental to show his trade and the beardown self-confidence helium has possessed ever since helium was young.

“It’s the airy I person wrong me,” helium says. “I’ve ever known it, but I besides person humility astir it. It allows maine to effort antithetic things. It allows maine to fail. It allows maine to measurement into a ‘Man connected Fire.’ Someone mightiness say, ‘You’re brainsick to interaction that.’ But I say, ‘I don’t caput stepping into the unsafe places. I don’t caput failing oregon exploring publicly.’ ”

That assurance has propelled him done a divers resume successful the past respective years. The histrion played the villainous Black Manta successful DC’s “Aquaman” and “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” and his movie roles person included “Ambulance,” “Us,” “The Greatest Showman” and 2021’s reboot of the fearfulness classical “Candyman.”

He besides has a way grounds of stepping into characters originated by different performers. In HBO’s racially charged mentation of the comic publication franchise “Watchmen,” Abdul-Mateen played the mysterious Doctor Manhattan, who was portrayed by Billy Crudup successful the 2009 “Watchmen” film.

“Sure, determination was a liable level of trepidation,” Abdul-Mateen says astir the Netflix adaptation of “Man connected Fire.” “That’s respect — respect for myself, arsenic good arsenic Denzel and everyone who took portion connected that film.”

(Bexx Francois / For The Times)

And successful “The Matrix Resurrections,” the 2021 section of “The Matrix” franchise, Abdul-Mateen played Orpheus, a quality antecedently portrayed by Laurence Fishburne.

All those projects correspond what helium calls his continuous “search for truth, sincerity and honesty which has created a assemblage of enactment that leaves the spectator funny astir what other I tin do. Hopefully erstwhile radical spot my work, they spot maine aft something, trying to fig thing out.”

This quest has proved to beryllium peculiarly rewarding this twelvemonth with the back-to-back debuts of “Wonder Man” and “Man connected Fire”: “I’m fortunate to beryllium capable to amusement my versatility arsenic an artist, to amusement 2 antithetic sides. You would ne'er spot these 2 guys successful the aforesaid room. Hopefully determination is simply a consciousness of honesty successful some characters that shows a done enactment successful my work.”

He had a bully feeling that Marvel’s “Wonder Man” would onslaught a chord with audiences. The comedy-drama stars Abdul-Mateen arsenic Simon Williams, a struggling Hollywood histrion who wants to prima successful a remake of the superhero saga “Wonder Man” portion hiding his ain superpowers. Co-starring successful the amusement is Ben Kingsley, who plays chap histrion Trevor Slattery.

“I ever thought ‘Wonder Man’ was special, truthful I felt I had the triumph successful my pouch adjacent earlier we enactment it out,” helium says. “The triumph was successful the making of it. That’s what each my jobs should consciousness like. Ben Kingsley and I had a precocious level of respect for each other. The amusement truly resonated with artists who didn’t consciousness seen. Everyone has dreams, and that’s what truly resonated successful that show.”

“Plus,” helium adds, “I truly wanted to punctual radical that I tin smile, that there’s a light.”

Abdul-Mateen seldom smiles successful “Man connected Fire,” which shares immoderate parallels with the Washington movie (the archetypal movie mentation released successful 1987 and starring Scott Glenn is mostly forgotten).

Kyle Killen, who created the bid and is the showrunner, declared that helium is besides a immense instrumentality of the Washington film. “It’s a super-compelling quality and narrative. I deliberation that’s wherefore it’s had truthful galore adaptations. It lends itself to uncovering a spot successful the satellite adjacent arsenic it evolves.”

Killen does not see the bid arsenic a gamble: “We’re not trying to transcript anything. What the movie does bash is acceptable a bar. There was thing unsocial astir the ocular connection and the mode that each came together. That gave america licence to effort and find our own. “

In summation to starring successful “Man connected Fire,” the histrion starred successful Marvel’s “Wonder Man” earlier this year: “The amusement truly resonated with artists who didn’t consciousness seen.”

(Bexx Francois / For The Times)

The 2004 movie is acceptable successful Mexico City and introduces Washington arsenic Creasy, who is despondent and an alcoholic erstwhile helium takes connected the duty of being a bodyguard to Pita (Fanning), the young girl of affluent automaker Samuel Ramos (Marc Anthony). When Pita is kidnapped, Creasy, who has formed a beardown enslaved with the youngster, sets retired connected a blood-soaked ngo of unit and torture.

The Netflix bid takes much clip successful mounting up Creasy’s character, introducing him arsenic a cocky Special Forces person who descends into despair and alcoholism aft a ngo he’s successful complaint of goes horribly wrong.

Following an unsuccessful termination attempt, Creasy’s champion person Paul Rayburn (Bobby Cannavale) recruits him to articulation him successful Brazil and assistance pb an anti-terrorist operation. When the skyscraper wherever Rayburn and his household lives is destroyed successful an explosion, Creasy attempts to regain his subject prowess successful his determination to support Rayburn’s rebellious teen girl Poe (Billie Boullet), who has been targeted by the terrorists.

Adbul-Mateen characterizes Creasy arsenic a large quality who has reached the depths of desperation but sees a glimpse of hope: “If this alcoholic had immoderate combat and subject enactment skills, what would it look similar for him to physique himself backmost up agelong capable to support his friend’s girl safe?”

He compares his Creasy to Hamlet oregon Othello. “He’s incredibly hurt, quality and broken,” helium says. “He was enactment successful a presumption helium was not acceptable for, and that was breathtaking for me. The full clip I was filming, I was saying to myself, ‘This antheral should not beryllium here.’ So getting an accidental to springiness my instrumentality connected a large quality helps a batch to propulsion maine retired of the shadows of that ample shade that could different beryllium hanging implicit the project.”

In summation to starring, Abdul-Mateen is an enforcement shaper connected the series, and says helium took a nonstop attack to his behind-the-scenes role.

“I was ever advocating for what’s going to beryllium the astir honorable and the astir entertaining,” helium says. “I would ask, ‘Why would helium bash that? Why would we bash this?’ oregon ‘I’m talking excessively much.’ The assemblage wants to spot maine work. They don’t privation to spot maine talk.”

While feeling “extremely gracious” that helium has kept busy, Adbul-Mateen is acrophobic astir “some of my chap actors who are working, but I would similar to spot them more.”

He’s founded a accumulation company, House Eleven10, to make projects for himself and those performers. “Where is the large material, the worldly that I privation to bash and that I cognize they privation to do? I americium driven to make that situation for myself and different artists.”

It’s each part, helium says, of being “on the train.”