Forest Whitaker

format_quote (On his role in The Last King of Scotland (2006)) "It was an experience that changed my life and my thoughts. I went there with the purpose of understanding what it was like to be Ugandan, and I wanted to understand the food, the life, the way they deal with children and wives and with authority figures. I sat with Idi Amin's brother underneath a big mango tree and he told me stories about what Idi was like and how he used to come to town and pull together soccer or rugby games. It all helped me with figuring out the way he behaved and the way he thought, so that 24 hours a day, even in my dreams, I was totally consumed by the character of Idi Amin. It wasn't until the movie was over that I decided I could let go of the character, so the first thing I did was take a shower because I figured I could wash him off by scrubbing myself. I was in a room by myself, so I started yelling to get his voice out of me and get my own voice back."

stars  In May 2011, Whitaker became the co-founder of the International Institute for Peace (IIP) at Rutgers University in Newark, New Jersey.

stars  In 2010, Whitaker received the Artist-Citizen of the World Award in France.

stars  The United Nations inducted Whitaker as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation on June 21, 2011, during a ceremony which was held at the UNESCO headquarters.

stars  Whitaker is the chief of Igbo community of Nkwerre and has been allotted the title of Nwannedinamba of Nkwerre which implies that he is a Brother in a Foreign Land.

stars  He is a humanitarian and supports Hope North, a boarding school and vocational training center in northern Uganda for refugee child soldiers, orphans, and other young victims of the country’s civil war.