A gifted actor with a magnetic on-screen presence, Adetokumboh M’Cormack is swiftly emerging as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after talents with a passion for the performing arts and a skill for challenging himself with each role.
Ade M’Cormack stars in the highly anticipated action sci-fi thriller, BATTLE: LOS ANGELES opposite Aaron Eckhart, Michelle Rodriguez, and Bridget Moynahan. The film follows a marine platoon (that includes M’Cormack and Eckhart) that has to go back into Los Angeles after a massive alien attack. The movie is now in theaters.
M’Cormack was born in the West African nation of Sierra Leone, grew up in Kenya and lived in Nigeria before attending SUNY Purchase in New York where he studied acting and honed his skills as a performer.
He is most widely recognized for his role as “Yemi” on LOST and for his part in Ed Zwick’s BLOOD DIAMOND. He also had notable roles in 24 (portraying “Zeze Eto’o”), THE UNIT, HEROES, WITHOUT A TRACE and GILMORE GIRLS.
Born in Sierra Leone, Africa how difficult was it when making the transition from Africa to US?
It actually wasn’t that difficult. I grew up mostly in Nairobi, (Kenya) a metropolitan not dissimilar to any other major city like Los Angeles for example. And I would visit the States all throughout my childhood so when I finally moved to America, I adapted quite easily. One thing I did have to get used to, was having to use different words when referring to things – like I would say, “boot” when referring to the trunk of a car, or say “rubbish bin” instead of trash can. And having grown up in a British schooling system I would spell words like, color, “c-o-l-o-u-r” So making those changes took some getting used to.
Do you visit Africa often and what do you miss the most?
I try to go back to Sierra Leone as often as I can. One of the things I miss most is eating out on the beach. We’ve got these amazing restaurants all along the beach that serve all this incredible Sierra Leonean cuisine. And the seafood is out of this world!. So one of the first things I do when I go back is grab a bite and sit and eat on the sand looking out over the Atlantic. There’s nothing like it.
What do you think your future would have been like if you never came to the US?
Oh I don’t know (laughs) I would like to think that I would still be following the same path. Maybe running some theatre company or working in the local film industry in Kenya or Sierra Leone. I’ve always wanted to be an actor so I don’t think that would have changed had I stayed in Africa. I think the only difference would be the level of recognition I would have had. The entertainment industry still isn’t quite on par with the States but that is something that is swiftly changing. I’ve been watching a lot of African movies lately and some have been really impressive. It’s exciting to see some of the amazing talent coming out of the continent.
Tell us from all the roles you’ve played which one has been the most difficult and which one has been your favorite?
I’ve had so many wonderful roles so it’s tough to narrow it down and say which one was my absolute favorite. I really enjoyed playing Yemi, on Lost. I loved the writing and the character the writers created. And I really loved playing Adukwu in Battle. It is such a great role. It was also by far the most challenging role I’ve ever played. Our director, Jonathan Liebesman encouraged us to do our own stunts and inevitably we would end up with scrapes and bruises. But you know what, we loved it. We were striving to make an authentic war movie and you understand that sometimes injuries are part that process.
What was also challenging was that Jonathan would sometimes ask us to improvise. So being a medic, I had to make sure everything I said and did was authentic. I did a ton of research – I read lots of books, spoke to real navy corpsmen, army medics and doctors. And thankfully we had technical advisors on hand who were invaluable to the shoot.
Sometimes in a scene Jonathan would decide to give a character a different injury from what was originally in the script and I would have to make sure I was always on my toes. I would have to know if I was going to use a tourniquet in that scene, or use quick clot to stop the bleeding or set up an IV. All of this stuff was in my medical bag that I carry around in every scene. So in my research I had to present the various medics I spoke to with every possible hypothetical scenario in order to be fully prepared. Because when the cameras start rolling…you’re on your own and you have to know what you’re doing.
So you play a Marine Corps in the current movie Battle: Los Angeles. How much physical training was involved if any?
Before filming, we did a three week boot camp in Camp Minden in Louisiana. We had three military advisors led by Sergeant Jim Dever who whipped us into shape. We would wake up at 5 am and run several miles and do a ton of physical training. Then we would get into our full gear, learn how to use different weapons, learn how to clear a room, and basically learn how to walk, talk and act like marines. We did all this with 40 pounds of gear in 100 degree heat in the hot Louisiana summer. It was hard but after watching the film and seeing how we applied our training…It was all definitely worth it.
Tell us about your role as Adukwu and do you relate to him at all?
I play Corpsman Jibril “Doc” Adukwu, a medic originally from Nigeria who comes to America to become a surgeon. I think there are a lot of similarities between Adukwu and myself. Adukwu is kind and caring. And that is definitely something I always strive to be. He’s also cool under pressure. When things get out of control all around him he remains focused, he knows what he has to do and gets it done. That’s how I am. Although if I were ever in a real alien attack, it may be a different story (laughs).
Do you believe in Aliens?
I think the existence of extraterrestrial life is a strong possibility. This universe is so vast and there are so many galaxies with solar systems similar to ours that chances are yes…alien life may exist.
You got to star in a movie with two attractive actresses. If you had to save one from the Aliens who would it be, Michelle Rodriguez or Bridget Moynahan and why?
(laughs) These are some of the toughest women I know. Battle: LA was a really physically demanding shoot but they never once complained. Bridget always made sure everyone was doing okay and was taken care off. And Michelle, wow she really impressed me. She did boot camp with the rest of us, did all the sit ups and pushups better than even some of the guys. she was able to take apart and put together an M-4 faster than anybody. So yeah, these ladies definitely wouldn’t need saving!
What’s next for you?
I’m producing and starring in a romantic comedy set in Africa. I’m really excited about this one because it’s a departure from roles I usually play. It’s a great story about finding love and I think a lot of people will be able to connect to it.
Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Pinstripe Magazine. Creative thinker and menswear designer who has been writing articles dedicated to men’s fashion, lifestyle, luxury items, home design, gear, grooming and gadgets since 1998. For info on PinstripeMag, any editorial needs or to contact me please email at marv@pinstripemag.com.
