Kingsley Ben-Adir had 'no time be scared' playing Malcolm X

Kingsley Ben-Adir had "no time be scared" playing Malcolm X in 'One Night in Miami'.

The 35-year-old actor plays the civil rights activist in Regina King's drama movie, which focuses on a fictionalized meeting between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke in 1964, and was so desperate to land the role that he had to ignore any pressure associated with the part.

Kingsley said: "I knew I really wanted to do it and I knew I really had to persuade Regina that I was up for it, so I had no time to be scared."

The star's performance in the movie has led to speculation that he could win an Academy Award but Kingsley credited Regina's work behind the camera in making the flick a success.

Asked about the Oscar Buzz during an appearance on 'The Graham Norton Show', he said: "I've heard there is some talk. Regina brings so much to the table and the process of making the movie with her was so special – it was such hard work but so much fun – it was a beautiful process."

Kingsley – who has also played Barack Obama in TV drama series 'The Comey Rule' - says that his recent success has been "trippy".

He shared: "I don't know how it happened, but the last few months have been trippy! It happened so suddenly and has been such a whirlwind. It's intense, but I am just getting on with it."

Kingsley previously said that he found it an "honor" to play the civil rights activist - who was assassinated in 1965 at the age of 39.

He said: "My feeling is that he's a bona-fide intellectual genius. It's an honor to get to play a man who means so much to so many people. This is a man who put the fear of God into white America – he demanded respect."

Watch the full interview with Kingsley on 'The Graham Norton Show' on BBC One on Friday night (02.26.21)