A Man Of Shocking Extremes And Contradictions

There are few names in history as recognizable as Idi Amin. He has joined Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot and Sadam Hussein, among others, in the ranks of dictators who seemingly knew no human bounds. But Amin was also a unique case—a one-time boxer and soldier who climbed his way up from literally nothing, charmed the nation with his vibrant pride and personality and appeared to many to be a newly independent Uganda’s greatest hope for becoming a truly African nation.

When he first came to power in a 1971 coup against the corrupt and pro-communist Milton Obote, Amin found widespread support among the media and around the globe—the British Foreign Office optimistically described him as "a splendid type and a good football player"— until it became clear he was ruthlessly murdering his enemies and structuring his government around his own bizarre appetites, mystical "visions" and paranoid fears.

In Fox Searchlight’s thriller "The Last King of Scotland," Forest Whitaker (in a performance nominated for the Best Actor Oscar and that already won Golden Globe, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild awards) was able to evoke Amin’s split personality—his allure and his menace—so authentically that many on the set found it downright eerie. "Forest’s portrayal was phenomenal," says producer Charles Steel. "He’s captured both the largeness of the character and the danger. There’s a tremendous range and realism to his performance."

Amin’s dangerous nature emerged as he began to engage in extreme nationalism, expelling Uganda’s 50,000 Asians, instigating war with neighboring countries, assisting in the PLO hijacking of an Air France Airbus and creating conditions that led to the deaths or disappearances of hundreds of thousands of Ugandans. Exiles from Uganda told stomach-churning stories of torture, cruelty and even rumoured cannibalism in the highest ranks of government.

And yet, even today there remain people in Uganda who speak reverently of Amin. Notes "Last King" director Kevin MacDonald: "One of the amazing things we discovered in Uganda is that there are lots of people who still have a great deal of respect for Amin. People in the West don’t understand that he was seen as a pretty incredible person. What was perhaps simultaneously most attractive and dangerous about Idi was how mercurial he could be. He was somebody who started with great intentions, but was brought down by his own character flaws. People originally thought he was warm and funny. They thought this man could never hurt a fly. I think all those contradictions are fascinating."

Whitaker came to the project with the standard impression of Amin as a buffoon and killer, but soon found his view deepening far beyond that. "At first, I had only very dark images of this man," he admits. "I saw him as a big, angry maniac. But as I read the novel and did more research, I began to have a different understanding. When you look at old footage you can see that Idi was also an extremely charming man. The challenge for me as an actor was to play a really complete character, not just a stereotyped image."

While researching Amin’s history, Whitaker came to the conclusion that he was a man who wanted to be a visionary but who fell victim to his own delusions. Observes the actor: "He was someone who rose not just from poor but from dirt poor all the way to the top. He was often said to be unintelligent and yet he spoke ten different languages. And I think he did want to build more schools and hospitals and fix roads—but he didn’t find the best ways to do these things. Then, as he started to fear that he was going to lose power, he became extremely paranoid and developed into a much darker figure."

The darkness of Idi Amin led eventually to rampant rumors of cannibalism and blood rituals, although these were never conclusively proven. Modern historians have even wondered if Amin may have been suffering from physical or psychological disorders that led to his inhumane behavior. But without succumbing to too much speculation, Whitaker instead carefully developed his approach to Amin by focusing on the more human qualities of his thwarted dreams and out-of-control fears. Rather than turn Amin once again into a stereotype, Whitaker attempted to make the role his own.

"I did not want to do a direct impersonation," Whitaker explains, "but I did study tapes of Amin to help me understand him better as a man. I worked out the way he talked, and studied Swahili because that was his first language. I was most concerned with grabbing a certain essence of the man—to give the sense that whatever else he was, he was a real person."

While in Uganda, Whitaker was constantly reminded of just how divided people still remain in their feelings towards the dictator. "I met a general there who worked with Amin," recalls Whitaker, "and he said, ‘Yes, Amin killed my father, yet he did some wonderful things for this country.’ That is the way many see Idi Amin."

The Last King of Scotland will be shown exclusively at Ayala Cinemas—Glorietta 4 and Greenbelt 3 starting Feb. 21.