Yahya Abdul-Mateen II compares acting in Aquaman to ‘clown work’

Abdul-Mateen will appear in Pulitzer Prize-winning Suzan Lori Parks’s ‘Topdog/Underdog’

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has compared acting in the Aquaman movies to “clown work”, expressing a desire to balance superhero fare with more serious roles.

Abdul-Mateen, who plays David Kane/Manta alongside Aquaman lead Jason Momoa in the DC franchise films, has also appeared in Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, Emmy-winning HBO series Watchmen, The Matrix Resurrections, and Nia DaCosta’s Candyman reboot since making his debut in Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix drama seriesThe Get Down in 2016.

In a new interview, Abdul-Mateen talked about the difference between working on a project like Aquaman and his forthcoming role in Pulitzer Prize-winning Suzan Lori Parks’s play Topdog/Underdog on Broadway later this year.

On his acting process, the 36-year-old actor told Vulture: “Everything should be about getting to the truth.

“But sometimes you got to know which movie or genre you’re in,” he continued. “Something like Aquaman, that’s clown work. Aquaman is not The Trial of the Chicago 7. You have got to get over yourself.”

Elaborating on his comments, Abdul-Mateen added: “In order to survive [as an actor] and to do it well, you have to play that game and then be crafty about when you want to surprise the audience, the director, or yourself with a little bit of ‘Wow, I didn’t expect to see a Chekhovian thing or August Wilson and Aquaman, but I did.’ ”

Abdul-Mateen will reprise his Aquaman role in the forthcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is directed by James Wan scheduled for release on Christmas day next year.

Parks’ Topdog/Underdog premiered off-Broadway in 2001 before opening on Broadway the following year.

In addition to Abdul-Mateen, the highly anticipated revival also stars Corey Hawkins. The actors play African-American brothers Booth and Lincoln respectively in a story about racism, poverty, ambition, and family.

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They will be reprising roles played by Don Cheadle and Jeffrey Wright in the off-Broadway production before Mos Def took over the role of Booth from Cheadle for the Broadway performances.