Jersey actor to appear in movie with Idris Elba

A Jersey actor has landed a prominent role in the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie, starring Idris Elba and Jared Leto.

James Wilkinson is set to play Mekaneck in the blockbuster which will see the return of 1980s comic book character He-Man.

Speaking to BBC Radio Jersey, the actor described the night he found out he had got the part as "mad".

"My wi-fi was terrible so I had to run a kilometre [0.6 miles] down the road to this restaurant that I knew had good wi-fi, but it was closed so I was just stealing their wi-fi while on the phone to my agent finding out what was going on," he said.

Discussing the Masters of the Universe franchise, Wilkinson said: "I had heard of it but it was before my time.

"I'm 35 as of Wednesday and it was just that little bit before my time, but my older sister loved it.

"She told me how much of a huge deal it was when I got it."

In order to familiarise himself with universe of He-Man, Wilkinson said he sat down with a bowl of cereal to watch all the cartoons, which he described as the "easiest research ever".

Acknowledging the franchise's large fanbase, Wilkinson said: "It's such a responsibility because you want to make sure the fans are being looked after and represented.

"At the same time, it has to be fresh and new for new audience members to grasp onto."

He added: "When you get on set, you see just how grand a scale it is with hundreds and hundreds of people working on this.

"And I'm just fortunate to be there."

When asked about his love for Jersey, the 35-year-old said: "I miss it so much when I'm away.

"Growing up on the island you just get used to being by the ocean, especially in the summer.

"There's nothing worse than being in London when it's hot and there's nowhere to escape, you can't go to the beach, you can't go in the water.

"I love it and I love coming home to see the family."

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