The movie that had a profound effect on Don Cheadle
Playing a real-life character in a movie can often have a noticeable impact on the person who inhabited them on-screen, with Don Cheadle among that number after delivering one of the best performances of his career.
The actor may have scooped two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a pair of Grammys, two Golden Globes, and a Tony for his contributions to screen and stage, but he’s only ever been nominated for a solitary Academy Award, which came for his moving performance in 2004’s Hotel Rwanda.
In co-writer, producer, and director Terry George’s documentary-style drama, Cheadle plays Paul Rusesabagina, who worked as the manager of the country’s Hôtel des Mille Collines during a time when it housed upwards of 1,200 refugees who fled from militia forces during the Rwandan genocide.
The Ocean’s trilogy star was already involved in various forms of activism before his leading role in Hotel Rwanda, but the true story behind the part he was playing saw him become increasingly vocal about African causes in particular, with his attendance at the film’s local premiere sparking him into action.
He even partnered with John Prendergast – a noted human rights activist and former director of African affairs at the National Security Council – to co-author a book about the continent’s genocides and political conflicts titled Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond, which became a bestseller.
He also played a pivotal role in co-founding the Not on Our Watch Project alongside esteemed Hollywood figures like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon. This initiative aimed to shed light on human rights violations in regions such as Darfur while providing support to those endeavouring to halt mass atrocities worldwide. His writing partner, Prendergast, also contributed as a board member and strategic advisor, underscoring their commitment to humanitarian efforts beyond the realm of entertainment.
For his humanitarian work, Cheadle was presented with the ‘Humanitarian Award’ by the British branch of Bafta in 2007, not to mention the documentary series on climate change titled Years of Living Dangerously that he co-created alongside Harrison Ford, his position on the advisory board of the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, or his status as an ambassador for the UN’s Environment Programme.
On its own, Hotel Rwanda was an acclaimed and unflinching drama that retold a harrowing series of events that had unfolded only a decade previously, one that received widespread recognition. Beyond that, it lit the fuse under Cheadle’s involvement with numerous causes in Africa that have seen him dedicate himself to a number of charitable organisations in an effort to help in any way that he can.
A single role in a movie may seem minuscule in regard to an actor’s entire life, but in this case, it altered Cheadle’s off-screen trajectory to a massive degree.
