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Slumdog star on naked acting, living in Harrow and his nagging mum
Liz Hoggard9 Jan 2009
THE 18-year-old award-winning star of Slumdog Millionaire today told how he is still nagged by his mother despite being in one of the films of the year.
Dev Patel had no formal training as an actor when he was cast in the role of the boy who escapes poverty in Mumbai and tries to win back his lost love by appearing on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
But his performance has made him a contender for an Oscar nomination as well as winning today's Critics' Choice award for best young actor.
But he says his family have kept his feet on the ground. He still lives with parents in their £300,000 semi-detached home in Harrow, where he was brought up.
"My mum is still nagging me to make my bed," he said. "My sister and I annoy each other. That's what keeps me grounded. It's just when I go to work I'm treated as an adult."
Patel, who went to Longfield Middle School only became involved in drama because his mother, Anita, a care worker, and father Raj, and IT consultant, were concerned that he had become the "class clown" and made him audition for the school play. He won a prize for playing Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night.
When his mother saw an advertisement in the local paper for an audition for Skins, the E4 drama about the lives of teenagers, Patel was more concerned about his exams.
"I said 'Mum, I can't go, I've got a science exam tomorrow, they probably don't even need a brown guy'," he said. But Mrs Patel forced him to revise on the Tube journey to the casting, and he won the part of Anwar, a sex-obsessed Muslim, a role of which he is proud. "When my parents went to community events everyone would ask them what I was doing," he said. "When my parents told them that I was an actor and I had just been in Skins the penny would drop. 'Oh my God, did he play that naked boy? Outrageous.'"
He added: "He wasn't just a good kid at home eating chapattis. Even now British Asians come up to me and say: 'You're a legend for doing that.'"
Patel paid tribute to his parents, especially his mother, for not pressurising him into another career.
"She's not at all strict. And I think I get a lot of my acting from her, she's a brilliant mimic. There's still an expectation that you'll become a teacher, a dentist in Asian families, but it's getting much better."
Skins was the key to his breakthrough because Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle's daughter Caitlin watched the show and pointed out Patel to him.
Reader views (4)
I have seen this movie few days back and believe me it was one of the best movies I have seen in years. Really mind blowing performance by Dev and Anil Kapoor.
Dev, you rocks. Keep up the good work.
- Shashank Arun Sinha, New Delhi, India, 12/01/2009 07:49
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Singh is King
- Hs, Harrow, 10/01/2009 20:56
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Good luck to him a real feel good story. I shall deffo see the movie.
P x
- Paul Jardine, Bromley, Kent, 09/01/2009 18:00
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Well done Mum for pushing him and giving him confidence when he really had lost it
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 09/01/2009 16:05
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