{"id":177492,"date":"2025-06-12T04:44:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T04:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/177492\/"},"modified":"2025-06-12T04:44:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T04:44:12","slug":"stormzy-launches-his-merkyfilms-with-big-man-exclusive-interview","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/177492\/","title":{"rendered":"Stormzy Launches His #MerkyFilms With \u2018Big Man\u2019: Exclusive Interview"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tEXCLUSIVE<\/strong>: Award-winning British musician Stormzy<\/a>, who fell in love with movies as a kid\u00a0watching\u00a0Titanic\u00a0and\u00a0Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit\u00a0with his mother, says he wants to \u201clearn from the best.\u201d He is launching his #MerkyFilms<\/a> shingle with a starring role in short film\u00a0Big Man<\/a>,\u00a0directed by Oscar-winning The Long Goodbye filmmaker Aneil Karia<\/a> and produced in association with Apple<\/a>. He reveals to Deadline that #MerkyFilms has entered into a development deal with Netflix.<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are, he says, plans with Netflix for a television drama series and a biopic of a \u201cpowerful figure.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe have a few projects developing with Netflix,\u201d but he\u2019s not allowed to discuss them in any detail. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201dBut they\u2019re really exciting,\u201d Stormzy says. \u201cI\u2019m bursting at the seams to talk about them. \u2026 It\u2019s fair to say it\u2019s Black stories, Black experiences depicted through the screen. \u2026 We want to give that feeling of a narrative that you\u2019ve experienced but never seen it on screen.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThere are also ongoing discussions with other film companies as well.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn an exclusive interview, Stormzy tells Deadline that he wants #MerkyFilms to embrace all facets of film and not necessarily limit output to the Black experience alone, though that would be a strong force.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring our conversation, Stormzy says that he\u2019s intent on learning \u201cfrom the best, all aspects\u201d of the industry, including acting, producing and \u201ceverything.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tHe heaped praise on\u00a0Adolescence\u00a0star Ashley Walters, who started out in the early 2000s as a member of garage collective So Solid Crew.\u00a0\u201cHe started in music as well, but you can tell that\u2019s someone who has taken his craft so seriously, and the work he\u2019s done is exemplary. I want to do that. I want to be a student, and I want to\u00a0do my 10,000 hours and my due diligence on all aspects. \u2026 It deserves that respect, it\u2019s a craft and it\u2019s an art form, and if I\u2019m doing it I want to do it to the best of my ability,\u201d he stresses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED: How \u2018Adolescence\u2019 Became So Much More Than A One-Shot Wonder: AwardsLine Cover Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tStormzy, all 6-foot-5 of him, allowed me a sneak of\u00a0the aptly named\u00a0Big Man, a 24-minute short film shot entirely on an Apple iPhone 16 Pro by cinematographer Stuart Bentley (Black Mirror, The Long Goodbye) and released June 18.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn\u00a0Big Man, the artist plays Tenzman, a fictional rapper who\u2019s stuck in a rut until he finds inspiration to write new music after meeting two cheeky teen lads in his London neighborhood. In turn, he encourages\u00a0them to \u201cdream bigger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn the credits, he is billed as Michael \u201cStormzy\u201d Omari<\/a>, and is hilariously almost unrecognizable, sporting an impressive Afro wig.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe hairpiece, he admits, was his idea. \u201cI feel like, playing a rapper, I really wanted to\u00a0distinguish myself from myself,\u201d adding, \u201cthat\u2019s always a tough thing, that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tStormzy as Tenzman, and his wig, co-star in \u2018Big Man\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBig Man\/#MerkyFilms\/Apple<\/p>\n

\n\tLaughing, he adds, \u201cThe wig felt like the most drastic way to [make clear that] this is not Stormzy the rapper, this is Tenzman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn any case, he says that \u201cin a mad way,\u201d the film\u2019s not about him. Rather, he wanted the film\u2019s focus\u00a0to be on the two cocky youngsters,\u00a0Klevis\u00a0and Tyrell, played with endearing naughtiness by Klevis Brahja and Jaydon Eastman, than on himself. \u201cEven before we really got started, I really wanted to put the spotlight on them. For me, it was about the relationship between Tenzman and the boys; for me, that was the biggest underlying factor \u2026 it was about the joy of youth, the spirit of youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s amazing how Bentley, on the iPhone 16 Pro, captures a sense of raw energy between the trio. The BTS footage I viewed further emphasizes the jolly japes they very clearly enjoyed. Plus, the two boys\u2019 wicked sense of humor is readily apparent.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso, it\u2019s instructive observing how Stormzy\u2019s Tenzman interplays and allows both himself and the character he plays to be sent up, often uproariously so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey were honestly my favorite part of the entire process,\u201d Stormzy says of Klevis and Jaydon, both 14.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey were so fearless \u2014 not even fearless in an abrupt way but in the way that kids don\u2019t even know how confident and how funny they are\u201d he says. \u201cThey would say stuff, and from their perspective it\u2019s hilarious, but they don\u2019t even know why it\u2019s hilarious because\u00a0they\u2019re just talking in their truth. Just a very innocent and pure\u00a0experience just being around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe says they reminded him of himself at that age. \u201cLife\u2019s an adventure,\u201d he says wryly.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs much as Stormzy argues that the film\u2019s not about him, it does manage to underpin the travails an artist endures to gain relevancy \u2014 and longevity.<\/p>\n

\n\tStormzy\u2019s had\u00a0little problem on that score; he\u2019s remained relevant through his BRIT Award-winning music and through branching out into books, football and now film \u2014 all under his #Merky banner.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe says that Akua Agyemfra, a mainstay of team #Merky who runs her own branding consultancy Bea Global, always has been \u201csuper passionate\u201d about film and television \u201cand has always been the driving force behind it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was Agyemfra who wrote the Big Man screenplay, though he observes that Karia encouraged the cast to rehearse and then improvise,\u00a0which Stormzy says he found \u201cscary\u201d and says no amount of acting lessons prepared him for that. However, he loved the process\u00a0of being thrown\u00a0\u201cin at the deep end.\u201d It was \u201ca tough and often uncomfortable experience,\u201d but he relished the opportunity\u00a0\u00a0of doing it, referring to the experience as \u201ca training ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFor him, it was \u201csuper enlightening and a good learning experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t(L-R) Stormzy bantering with Klevis Brahja and Jaydon Eastman in \u2018Big Man\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBig Man\/#MerkyFilms\/Apple<\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s a natural vibe to his performance, and the laughs \u2014 drawn from his relationship with Klevis and Jaydon \u2014 emerge organically. He credits Karia for \u201cpushing\u201d him into improv.<\/p>\n

\n\tKaria\u2019s also been in post on\u00a0Hamlet, Michael Leslie\u2019s feature adaptation of Shakespeare\u2019s popular tale that stars Riz Ahmed as the troubled prince. It also stars Art Malik, Morfydd Clark, Joe Alwyn, Timothy Spall and Sheena Chaddha.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe idea behind using\u00a0Big Man\u00a0to officially launch #MerkyFilms was, Stormzy explains, to give the endeavor\u00a0as \u201cmuch traction as possible\u201d and to show serious intent. There are executives involved in running the film division, but he felt it imperative\u00a0for \u201cme to be involved\u00a0in some way shape or form creatively,\u201d as he was in the launch of his\u00a0#MerkyBooks imprint in partnership with Penguin Random back in 2018.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tAs with the central \u201cdream bigger\u201d theme of\u00a0Big Man,\u00a0the\u00a0#MerkyFilms ethos is to \u201cthink of big ideas\u201d\u00a0to make British cinema\u00a0and television accessible for the Afro Caribbean and\u00a0other\u00a0communities.<\/p>\n

\n\tYes, there will be a focus on Black talent, but the spotlight will turn to other communities as well, he tells us.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, Stomzy also tells us that \u201cin all our initiatives in all our companies, there\u2019s always this kind of narrative where people sometimes see ethnic stories or representation as a monolith, like a one-dimensional thing, and I think with #Merky what we\u2019ve always tried to do is always broaden that horizon.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds that \u201cwe are multi-faceted. The Black experience is so intricate, it\u2019s so nuanced. We always want to be able to reinforce that through all our companies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen I ask Stormzy about the films he watched growing up, I love that he immediately offered up\u00a0Titanic\u00a0and\u00a0Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.\u00a0\u201dThey were films my mum watched. She just used to watch the same films all the time \u2026 and the most integral film in my growing up was\u00a0Sister Act 2,\u201d he says with the broadest smile.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo this day I adore that film because I loved the music, the singing and Whoopi Goldberg. To this day it\u2019s my favorite film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe was raised in the Pentecostal church, he states. \u201dI guess that film\u00a0probably has all the elements that I like in life \u2014 music, culture, It\u2019s got everything,\u201d he says before adding, impishly, \u201cLauryn Hill\u2019s in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThose films were on a repeat loop that he\u2019d eagerly watch with his mother. And if it wasn\u2019t\u00a0Titanic\u00a0and\u00a0Sister Act 2,\u00a0it was Nollywood. \u201cThey\u2019ve got a tenth of the budget but 10 times the laughter,\u201d he asserts.<\/p>\n

\n\tStormzy and his colleagues want to find\u00a0those people who are going to be the \u201cAneil Karias\u00a0of tomorrow who haven\u2019t had that shot yet. We always like to give that opportunity before the world latches on and catches up. I definitely, in 30 or 40 years time, want to see whoever wins the best director\u00a0of the year\u00a0at the Oscars to say that the first thing they directed was for #Merky Films.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe tracks young filmmakers through film schools, in theatre and on the streets. \u201dIt\u2019s about just having the right conversations with the right people \u2026 like with any industry, the buzz always starts on the ground.\u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tStormzy in a big sky moment from \u2018Big Man\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBig Man\/#MerkyFilms\/Apple<\/p>\n

\n\tEarlier this year, Indu Rubasingham, the National Theatre\u2019s artistic chief here in London, revealed that she and Stormzy are collaborating on what she calls \u201ca cut-through show that goes beyond theatre\u201d and will feature Stormzy\u2019s\u00a0music.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe\u2019ve got such a really exciting piece,\u201d he boasts. \u201cIt\u2019s been bubbling, and it\u2019s been very much Indhu spearheading it. She had a really golden idea and really wants to do this.\u00a0I had no idea it would work. \u2026It\u2019ll be my first ever time working in that kind of landscape. It\u2019s extremely exciting and inspiring. I\u2019m just buzzing to get it off the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe\u2019s forbidden to discuss exactly what the show\u2019s about, though he stresses that \u201cit\u2019s a lot more exciting than being just a musical.\u201c\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tThe piece is very much at pre-production stage, \u201cand it\u2019s something like two or three years away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe rapper paints an amusing portrait of rolling up at the National with a group of friends and seeing a performance of Kendall Feaver\u2019s adaptation of\u00a0Noel Streatfeild\u2019s\u00a0Ballet Shoes\u00a0directed by Katy Rudd.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI had no idea I was going to love it,\u201d he says. \u201cI saw it with five of the lads, and I knew we\u00a0were going to stick out a little bit. And two of my friends had never been to the theatre before; it was just so hilarious. I said to them, \u2018Who wants to roll?,\u201d it was super pure. We had no idea what we were going to see. It was sick, man.\u201c<\/p>\n

\n\tThe show fueled his appetite for more theatre and for watching more movies. \u201cI want do more, and I really want to be a student because I think with the same way with music \u2014 if people want to jump into music, there\u2019s some things they\u2019ve got to learn and got to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tHe adds: \u201cIt deserves a studious and respectful approach. I have opportunity and there\u2019s a bright future ahead for me, by the grace of God. \u2026 I\u2019m very much a newbie, a novice, when it comes to acting and films.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"EXCLUSIVE: Award-winning British musician Stormzy, who fell in love with movies as a kid\u00a0watching\u00a0Titanic\u00a0and\u00a0Sister Act 2: Back in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":177493,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3940],"tags":[73276,73277,1662,73278,45327,4080,77,73279,31582,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-177492","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-merkyfilms","9":"tag-aneil-karia","10":"tag-apple","11":"tag-big-man","12":"tag-breaking-baz","13":"tag-celebrities","14":"tag-entertainment","15":"tag-michael-u201cstormzyu201d-omari","16":"tag-stormzy","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114668573036338036","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177492\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}