Leila Djansi could be my breakthrough - Kay Elliott

      Leila Djansi could be my breakthrough - Kay Elliott

      

    By Martha Teiko Daitey and Eyra Doe

Ghanaian born actor K Elliott in Yvonne Nelson’s “Single and Married” has penned the director cum scriptwriter as the possible bearer of his breakthrough to Hollywood in his budding life in the Ghanaian Movie Industry.

Elliott also named Leila Djansi as his dream director “She has it, she is very professional, her movies go far, she is just the director I would love to work with.” He added however that his ultimate dream is to be in Hollywood.

Apart from Leila Djansi, Kay expressed his gratitude to his brother Mallon Kwabena Bartels of Barco Studios and Yvonne Nelson for unearthing his acting skills. “Yvonne Nelson was my breakthrough. Giving all that people are saying and the rumours, she has made up her mind to do one thing and she has remained focused on it, and I believe that will take her and her talents very far.”

The actor went on to express his gratitude to the producer stating that his role in the movie really made people recognize his talent “My friends and family have always been on my case to be an actor, but I didn’t have any interest in it, until 3 years ago when I had a call from my friend Yvonne Nelson. 

She asked that I audition for a role in her movie Single and Married, I did, got picked and now I am booked till January 2015, and I tell you her Single, Married and Complicated is going to be a big thing” he revealed.

Speaking in an interview with The General Telegraph on the issues pertaining to Ghana’s movie industry, the artiste added his voice to the numerous calls for a well-structured Ghanaian Movie Industry. He opined that, “the government of the nation should be aware of and interested in what filmmakers are putting out there because it is a way of marketing the nation, and it should be well regulated and coordinated.

The Graphic Designer/Entrepreneur/Model/Actor entered the Ghanaian movie industry about two years ago and has since rubbed shoulders with the likes of Chris Attoh, Nadia Buari and Anita Erskine, a situation he described as very challenging. “My debut role was challenging because there were the big shots, but once I was there I felt I also had something to offer and had to join them so I worked hard behind the scenes to be at par with them and I enjoyed it.”

Elliot is up for challenges but loves to focus on one thing at a time. As such, the actor has currently put on hold, MK Solutions; his ad consultancy firm, to enable him give all his attention to the movies he is currently shooting. He is also taking up radio hosting lessons from Caroline Sampson of YFM.

He however revealed to The General Telegraph that he is yet to act his challenging role “a serial killer”. “My most challenging role so far has been playing Elvis in “Heartbreak Hotel” on TV3. Elvis is a James Brown fanatic so he incorporates his dance moves whenever he gets the chance to entertain an audience. At the same time Elvis is in a love triangle.

Speaking about the most challenging role he would love to play, Kay says I would love to play a serial killer sometime. I wonder what goes on in their minds and how they manage not to be spotted. I wonder how they juggle being a psychopath and being normal.

Kay and Yvonne after the premiere of "Single&Married

Unfortunately, he has always been typecast as the player or married man in most of his movies, but yet to be challenged into other characters than that, “I think it’s just because I look the type but I would love to do some other roles, like a psychopath to know how they think and conceive their ideas, a doctor or someone with a life threatening disease like cancer just to inspire them to hold on and others around them”.

After starring in Single and Married, K has featured in five more movies, (Purple Rose, Devil In a Dress, Love Regardless, If You Were Mine, Cheaters) 4 movie series and still counting more to his credit. I am very picky when it comes to roles and scripts, I read, know my character and I look at the production crew. I believe that because I started with the top notch, I should maintain myself there, so am very picky which accounts for the fewer movies I have done so far.”

On settling down as a celebrity, and the perception on the subject? “Whoever you are, there is always someone out there for you but people think actors are very peculiar, they are unstable, always out, having affairs on set. Acting is just the person’s job and we are really done after the set. Most of us have wives and girlfriends. Partners who understand that we are and what we do on set its just business.”

He added that rumors will always go around but do not need to be responded to. “I heard rumors of me dating Yvonne Nelson and my naked pictures being on Ghana Celebrities and I didn’t react to in anyway because I believe I believe any publicity is good publicity”. In the not too distant future, K Elliot would want to integrate his acting career with that of his ad consultancy.

The friendly, well spoken, opinionated gentleman is the last of two children and is known by close friends as a “Mama Bee”. He schooled at Tema SOS, did Junior High at the Akosombo International School and continued at Mfantsipim, but left in the second year to the UK. There he studied HND Graphic Designing in college and continued to the University where he gained a degree in Graphic Designing and Digital Media, worked with Sky News for a year as well as Saachi and Saachi in East London.

The Denzel Washington inspired actor has an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) for neatness, is a fetish for neat female feet but hates his own toes. “Am ‘always’ in socks because I don’t like my toes. When asked if he was in a relationship Elliot stated “Am very single, not married and not complicated. He closes his interview saying my future Mrs. Kay Elliot should just be able to stimulate him mentally.

For fans of kay, he can be reached on the following social media handles:

@realkwekuelliott: Twitter / @ realkayelliott: Instagram / Kay Elliot: Google Plus