Dev Patel on ‘Monkey Man’ Sequel Possibilities and Trans Representation: ‘This Is an Anthem for the Underdogs, the Voiceless and the Marginalized’
Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Dev Patel refused to let the slew of injuries he suffered while filming his elaborate fight scenes in “Monkey Man” get in the way of him completing the movie.
Patel not only directed and co-wrote the action movie, but he also stars as Kid, a young man who seeks to avenge his mother’s death at the hands of India’s corrupt law enforcement officials, political figures and spiritual leaders.
He earns money by competing in a brutally violent underground fight club. While Patel recently outlined the many production hurdles he had to overcome to make the film in a Reddit AMA, Variety caught up with him at the “Monkey Man” premiere in Los Angeles on Wednesday to talk about the film’s impact on his body during the four-month shoot in Indonesia. “I broke my hand in the first big action scene, broke some toes, tore a shoulder, eye infections, bruises,” Patel said.
Eye infections? “I was crawling on a bathroom floor and it’s flooding. We were shooting this scene for three days,” Patel explained. “All the crew were coming in with their dirty shoes and I’m drinking this water literally.
