HE dreamt of being a famous actor long before making pop hits – now Peter Andre has fulfilled his ambition of being on the silver screen as a lead star.
It signals a new era for the Mysterious Girl singer who transforms into Gary Buckle, a crook risking his life to pull off a heist to cover his nan’s care, in Fredi Nwaka’s crime-comedy Jafaican, out today in ODEON cinemas.
Hours after landing back in the UK following an eight-day promotion tour in , Peter sat down with to discuss playing conman Gazza, who must master a accent and culture to impersonate a notorious Jamaican gangster for a £3million payout.
“When I read the script, I spent the whole time laughing,”;; says Peter, in an interview from his home.
“It was warm, with a deep, heartfelt message about what someone would do to care for the person that they love. It was also a beautiful tribute to Jamaica.
“But for me, working on Jafaican has been a dream come true.
“I know some people were a bit sceptical at first because we didn’t know whether I could deliver what we had planned, but the reviews we’ve had have been phenomenal.
“I studied acting as a kid before going into music from 16, but I always knew I was going to come back to it. I always said to my dad, ‘when I get to my 40s, I’m moving back into film, that’s what I want to do’.”;;
That’s why it meant so much to Peter to have his beloved father attend the film’s world premiere at the Gold Coast Film Festival on May 9, where critics hailed Jafaican as fast-paced and full of laughs, with an emotional undertone.
Peter is already making plans to star in the sequel having spent two months filming in Jamaica, his ‘bucket list’ location, using local crew and businesses to feed money back into the economy.
He also worked alongside some of the country’s most-celebrated stars including musician Sizzla Kalonji and comedian Oliver Samuels.
Fast-paced film Jafaican is full of laughs
Despite rave reviews across the world, controversy around cultural identity was sparked over Peter’s fake Jamaican accent and dreadlocks when the trailer dropped last month. The title of the film is named after the term that describes a white person adopting a Jamaican dialect.
He has today spoken openly about how his own experiences with racism as a child shaped the way he sees the world today.
“I remember the bullying and the racism we suffered as kids in and how tough that was,”;; says Peter, who was born in London to Greek-Cypriot parents before emigrating Down Under aged six.
“But it gave me a deep understanding of what’s truly offensive and what’s not.
“If someone dressed up with a curly wig and a big nose, doing a Greek accent, I’d probably laugh – it depends on the intention. But if someone said ‘I hate you Greeks’ or made hateful comments about our skin, that’s where the line is. That’s racism.”;;
I genuinely believe Jafaican is about storytelling and paying homage, not mockery.
Peter Andre
Peter – who was tied to a fence by blue-eyed, blonde-haired schoolkids throwing stones at his head because of his darker skin tone – added: “In a way, things have become muddied. I genuinely believe Jafaican is about storytelling and paying homage, not mockery.
“I know some people can genuinely feel offended, and their voices matter, but sometimes people react without context or full understanding.
“We did our research, we worked with Jamaican talent, and we wanted to tell a story with heart.”;;
His ability to separate art from personal attacks comes from his own experience of being ridiculed on-screen by actor , whose character Moff in the 1999 film Human Traffic included an “horrific”;; minute-long monologue about wanting to kill him.
Danny Dyer hurt me, but he’s a great actor
Talking about Robert De Niro’s 1976 psychological movie Taxi Driver in the back of a cab, Moff calls Peter an “ugly f***”;; before describing how he’d brutally torture him before eventually shooting him between the eyes, adding: “So long Pete, no one gives a f*** about you.”;;
Peter tells us: “At the time, I was hurt – I rang my lawyers. But over the years I came to understand: it’s just acting. Danny was playing a role. I’ve met him many times since and I think he’s a great guy.”;;
He’s grown a thick skin over a three-decade career and it’s no surprise he’s earned the reputation of being TV’s Mr Nice Guy.
Jafaican is warm, with a deep, heartfelt message about what someone would do to care for the person they love.
Peter Andre
Alongside juggling his soaring film career, Pete is still a hands-on dad bringing up Junior and Princess from his first marriage and his three youngest kids with his wife , Theo, Amelia and Arabella.
Moments before our interview, family-man Pete sweetly kisses 17-year-old Princess on her forehead as she offers to make lunch for guests he’s welcomed into his beautiful five-bed home.
Soon, the youngest kids come home from school and lovingly run to see their dad, who got to spend time with his elderly parents while working in Australia over the last week.
Family-man Pete wants to spend more time in Australia
Family means everything to Pete who describes Jafaican’s plot as a “love story disguised under the heist”;;.
The comedy’s hidden meaning is what writer, producer and director Fredi says he’s most proud of.
“It’s a comedy, it’s a feel-good film that’s high octane, hilarious, but with a good meaning and a good takeaway at the end,”;; said Fredi, whose film will be seen in full for the first time at a pre-screening tonight in London.
“There’s a lot of what I call bubblegum and popcorn films, where you go to the cinema, you laugh a lot, and then you just go home. Well, this one actually leaves you with a really strong message to take away from it.”;;
Fredi joined Peter at the film premiere Down Under whose mum, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, could sadly not attend because of ill health.
“It was a bittersweet night because mum couldn’t come, but I got to take my dad – and the premiere was just around the corner from the house I grew up in. It meant the world to me,”;; admits Peter.
Watch this space, says ambitious Peter Andre
He is now working on a plan to spend more time out on the Gold Coast making more memories with his parents, who have been married 70 years this September.
Fighting back tears, an emotional Peter said: “If there’s a way I could just go there for the next five years and be with them more often, I would do it in a heartbeat.
“Everyone knows how much I love , but mum and dad are there. I wish it was closer.
“One thing that mum said that’s really stuck with me is I kept saying, ‘but mum, I need you’ and she said, ‘like, you need me, your kids need you’.
“I don’t want to be without her. It’s tough even saying it.
“It’s causing a lot of anxiety, but I’ve got to be here for my kids. I’m working on ways to be able to spend more time out in Australia with my Emily and the kids.”;;
Thanks to the backing of his family, Peter’s screen acting career is just getting started.
“I’ve got a TV drama, a 10-part series, that I’ve filmed, which will be coming out later in the year”;;, he adds.
“I’m not allowed to give the title away, but it’s an international release on Paramount+.
“Also, I can’t wait until we start on the Jafaican sequel. So, watch this space.”;;
Watch Jafaican in ODEON cinemas now, starring Bradley Turner, Peter Andre, Alexander Garcia, Sizzla Kalonji, Jamie Lomas, Wil Johnson, Jessica-Jane Stafford.
