Rapper-turned-actor Common has slowly found his way into the Hollywood consciousness of late with bit part roles in the likes of “Smokin’ Aces,” “Terminator Salvation,” “Wanted” and “Date Night.” However the all-round entertainer has now revealed greater ambitions for his acting foray: to play motown legend Marvin Gaye in a biopic.
“I hope some people out in Hollywood see I can do more than bad guys, that I start to see material that I can really do something with,” Common tells the Orlando Sentinel. “I took a U-turn with ‘Just Wright,’ maybe people will see there’s more to me. I’d love to play Marvin Gaye, for instance.”
“I’ve been sniffing around, trying to figure out who might be interested, who might be already planning one. Marvin was a monumental figure in music, important in our lives in so many ways. And troubled. He’s a character with so much depth. I’d be all-in on that project.”
Common probably has a few gestating projects to dig at as well: Sony and Cameron Crowe have been cooking one up for a while which Will Smith evidently passed on; “Law And Order” star Jesse L. Martin and James Gandolfini were supposed to star in another one as Gaye and Belgian producer Freddy Cousaert which was set to shoot in 2008 but fell through; and F. Gary Gray also has one in the works titled “Marvin.”
Even so, we’re not too sure the inexperienced Common can pull off such a big role. Musically, he seems a bit off the mark as well and surely, if they’re going to compromise on acting ability, there are lines around the block of soul and R&B artists who’d kill for the role.