Charles Babalola – Full Circle
Charles Babalola plays Zeek in Fightland, 50 Cent's new series premiering on STARZ Friday, July 31st. Filmed across London, including a shoot at Canning Town's Peacock gym where he trained as a boy. Since originating a role opposite Bryan Cranston in the National Theatre's Network, Babalola built a career on instinct and truthful performance.
Photography JC Verona
When did you start in acting? Why?
I started acting in my first year of secondary school, it was in my year seven drama studies class. I was 12 years old, which is crazy to think of how long the journey has been so far. The time passed feels substantial, but also feels like yesterday. I started acting because it was on the school curriculum. Thank God for that! I’ve always said I loved acting from the first time I tried it out. There was a freedom and artistic expression it gave me when I was a kid. I was always getting up to no good in school and I was always getting distracted and being mischievous. So acting gave me something to really focus on. I was a creative, even without knowing I was. I was just vibing with something I knew I was good at.
What was the very first thing you did, and the one you’re most proud of?
The first ever thing I did was a Tennessee Williams play called Orpheus Descending in secondary school. It was fun material to play with from what I remember, but crazy playing those older characters as a teenager. I’m proud of being in the original cast of the National Theatre’s production of Network starring alongside Bryan Cranston. The show went on to Broadway with Bryan and an American cast. I loved the role and I loved the play. It was soooo good! Sparring with Bryan Cranston every night on the Lyttleton stage was epic. I really learned a lot from being in that play every night. And I also learnt a lot from him as a man and as good human.
What did you understand about Zeek that wasn't on the script?
That he is misunderstood. I understood that he had behavioural traits that seemed quite irrational and brash. He’s one of those people who lives in chaos, but that’s the only way he knows how to live. I saw there were real deep underlying issues that Zeek clearly has with his father. Zeek wants to be Kingsley (his Dad) - there is almost a borderline obsession he has with Kingsley. It has become unhealthy to a point where I asked myself, is Zeek doing this for his happiness, or his fathers happiness? People around him don’t see this silent battle he’s dealing with. Maybe his sister Cebella does, but it’s trauma that he’s brushed under the carpet and never dealt with. I think it’s indicative of how a lot of people in society deal with their trauma.
Is there a version of Zeek you didn't get to play that you wish you had?
Haha this question made me laugh ! I don’t want to give too much away but I think it’d be really fun to explore more of the lover-boy version of Zeek. Let’s just say I think the right woman could potentially get Zeek to fall hard. Within his character’s constant bravado and being the showman, I think there’s a man who has a lot of love to give and receive. But his life is complicated and dangerous and he just can’t let anybody in.
"There has to be a calmness in my body and my mind for me to deliver."
What's a piece of direction that changed how you thought about acting altogether?
Great question - so it wasn’t a piece of direction, it was a conversation with an older actor I’d worked with early on in my career. He simply told me the importance of relaxing when I’m on camera. Before the director calls action there is so much you have to think about. Lines, dialect, scene continuity, applying the directors notes. It can be overwhelming. But when the cameras are rolling, you have to relax. It’s very important for me irrespective of whether I’m playing charged up, despondent, anxious, ecstatic, stressed out, there has to be a calmness in my body and my mind for me to deliver.
Who was honest with you early on, and what did they say?
My agent and my American manager! “If you want to land these big jobs, your auditions and self-tapes have to be on point! They have to be phenomenal”.
It was a good kick up the ass!
Is there a role you turned down that you still think about?
I had to think hard about this one. There actually isn’t. I’m a very intuitive person and I know when something is meant for me. That also applies itself to my life outside of work. I’ve been strategic about the work I’ve done so far and will continue to do so. I have to believe in something if I’m going to do it. Me and my team a very aligned in our thinking which makes things easier to navigate.
"Being back in Canning Town shooting a TV show in that gym was so crazy."
What do you do on a day when the work isn't coming?
An average day when I’m not working - got to start off with a morning prayer. Thank God for getting me through the night and to bless my day! I’m in the gym first thing in the morning. I love that part of the day. For me it’s the time of the day where I can really be on my own and take that time for myself before I give myself to the world. It puts me in the right frame of mind to start my day. The rest of the day would consist of running errands. Trip to my local coffee shop. Meetings, reading and learning lines. Potential voice over recordings in town and then finish off in the day in front my tv watching some football. That’s not every day but it does look similar to that.
What does Nicholas Pinnock bring out of you as a scene partner?
Nicholas is a great communicator, so it made me feel safe to play. We did a few intense scenes that you have commit to if you want to find something truthful. Through always talking to each other, it was safe to go there. I’m grateful to him for this.
What was the strangest moment of the Fightland shoot
Filming this show in areas that I’d grown up in or not been back to for over 20 years. I’m an east London boy, born and raised. We shot in parts of east London that resonated with me, like the Peacock gym in Canning Town. I should say the ‘Legendary’ Peacock gym. It’s a famous London boxing gym that has developed world champions over the years. We had a few of their boxers and trainers come and work on the show. I trained with the Peacock gym football team from the age of 8-10 years old. I used to be in that gym with my Dad. I lived around the corner from it. So being back in Canning Town shooting a tv show in that gym was so crazy. I hadn’t been back to the gym for about 25 years. The area has changed so much but the gym still holds its east London essence. Strange but a nice full-circle moment.
Is there a scene in the show you'd want people to watch twice
The whole of the final episode. It goes off ! There’s a lot of twist and it will leave you gobsmacked.
Is there a part of working with 50 Cent that surprised you?
This wasn’t a surprise, but he was super passionate about making Fightland. Super passionate about making impactful television. He really really really loves this shit! There’s a lot of hard work that contributes to the success of his shows and he’s been doing the same for our show! He’s a hustler ! He loves it! And I’m grateful to have this opportunity to collaborate with him.
About Charles
He is a British actor. He went on to study drama at Havering College and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Upon leaving LAMDA, he received the Alan Bates Award for outstanding graduating actors.
In 2016, he appeared in the film The Legend of Tarzan and in 2018 in Helen Edmundson's film Mary Magdalene as Andrew, one of Jesus's twelve disciples.
In 2018, Babalola finished a five-month run at London's Royal National Theatre production of Network, opposite Bryan Cranston.
To know more about Charles Babalola follow him on Instagram
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