Dennis Mailu

Kenyan-born actor Dennis Mailu talks being multi-linguistic and his latest movies in Hollywood. In an exclusive interview, Film News sat down with Dennis to talk about the movie ‘PREY.’

Can you introduce yourself for our readers please?
Hi! I am Dennis Mailu, an actor based in Los Angeles. I was born in Kenya, Africa.

What prompted you to be an actor?
Growing up I enjoyed performing and started my path in acting during high school, where I did plays and discovered myself. I loved the thrill at the time. I have always been adventurous and when I wrote and acted in a play that won some awards, I knew I was destined for Hollywood. I left my home country to fortify and seek out vast experiences to build character, a point of view about the world we live in and gain an education. I spent 9 years in the United Kingdom where I continued to act and perform.

What made you move to Los Angeles?
I moved to Los Angeles for further training at both the New York Film Academy and American Academy of Dramatic arts, the latter I was awarded the Prestigious Charles Jehlinger Award for Excellence in Acting.

What do you love most about being an actor?
As an actor, I love curating artistic visual and vocal performances that focus on strengthening human behavior and connection. I have worked on various projects including ‘Blue Light Melody’ on Amazon Prime, ‘Why Me’ documentary and award winning and nominated shorts ‘The Spell That Backfired’ and more recently ‘PREY.’

Tell us about the movie ‘PREY’
So, PREY is a crime, fantasy, drama film that is a modern spin on the little red riding hood fable. A young girl Penny gets to unravel the battle between science, religion, and affinity fraud through her ailing mother Patricia. She witnesses the first hand battle between trickery from a false prophet vs. the lens of medical treatment.

What character do you play?
I play Dr. Burke, a close family friend to Penny and family doctor of Patricia.

Did you find the role challenging? How did you prepare?
The role was challenging in that I am the friend and doctor of an ailing patient at the same time which is a tough position to be in and finding a fine balance in performance. To prepare I had to draw from imagination as well as past experiences of hardship to find the emotional capacity of the scenes I undertook.

Where did you film and what was the set like?
The film was shot in Dubuque in Iowa. Lots of vast open land and snow which brought out fine cinematography. In my scenes I had the opportunity to work in a hospital for the day, which really helped me live in the world of the film authentically.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Be kind enough and patient to myself in achieving key life milestones. Count the small wins along the way as they serve as excellent motivation.

What’s up next for you?
Thank you, Dennis, for taking the time to chat with us. Stay up to date with Dennis on IMDb – and my social media platforms are Instagram and Facebook . My website has a good source of information too Website.