Hammed Animashaun on Black Ops: ‘I never thought that being an actor was available to me’

Hammed Animashaun stars in BBC’s Black Ops. Sarah Kennedy chats to the rising star about filming in the heat, comedy heroes and the British comedy landscape. 

Shifts just got real. Bored of the beat, two under-qualified, undercover cops are thrust into London’s criminal underworld. Black Ops, coming to BBC1 on Friday at 9:30pm, is a chaotic comedy with high stakes, high risk and high panic. 

Hammed Animashaun plays good-natured naive Kay, partnered with smart, ambitious Dom (played by Gbemisola Ikumelo, who co-wrote the show with Akemnji Ndifornyen). Hammed sat down with me to talk about the show and his career. He was charming, funny and very passionate about his work. We discussed his early love of performing, his devoted loyalty to British theatre and his ‘pinch-me’ moments. Now might not be the right time for his debut stand-up show but is exactly the right time for Black Ops and he thinks the show is really special.

With the Met Police in the news almost daily for all the wrong reasons, do you think now is the perfect time for Black Ops to air?

Yeah, why not? (He laughs a little nervously).

Even though the show is centred around policing it’s about two characters in a situation they didn’t ask for, thrust into a world of secrets and espionage, and how the hell they get out. It just so happens they are PCSOs. The Met have a bit of attention right now, I think it’s nice to laugh a little bit as well.

Credit: BBC

From the exterior shots of brown grass it looks like you were filming Black Ops last summer. Was that quite difficult in the heat?

It was 40 degrees! We’d based the show in winter so we were all wearing big jackets. I remember shooting on one of the concrete estates and it insulates heat. I’ve never experienced heat like it before! In general the whole shoot was really fun. We all knew we were making something pretty special. 

How do you feel about the characters Kay and Dom? Would you go for a drink with them?

I don’t think Kay would go to a pub, it’d be a bit extreme for him! Maybe a cafe? As people they are really interesting. I don’t think you see many characters like them. I think they’re really cool. I’d have a drink with them.

Was there anyone in the cast you especially gelled with?

Every single person who came on the show was amazing. Colin Hoult is so funny. Shout out to Lucian Msamati – I call him Uncle L – I love him very much and I’ve had the pleasure of working with him before. He’s my acting god. To be able to work with him again was just a dream. Katherine Kelly, Felicity Montague, everyone was so cool.

Zoe Wanamaker… that was one of those pinch me moments! Ariyon Bakare; he’s one of the reasons why I became an actor. Ariyon was one of the few people of colour, one of the few people who looked like me on screen. I knew I wanted to do what he was doing. The same with Lucian. To work with them was a dream come true.

Credit: BBC

Did you get the acting bug when you were young?

I was definitely a performer. I loved making my brothers and my mum laugh. I was sort of the class clown. Kind of disruptive (he giggles) but always with love. I loved to perform but I never thought that being an actor was available to me. My drama teacher at school; shout out to Fran Cervi. She was instrumental in installing that belief in me, that I could become an actor, and a successful one as well. She really pushed me and she really believed in me. I owe her a lot.

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As the class clown were you drawn to comedy at all? And do you think taller people become silly and funny because people are looking at us anyway?

I like to laugh. I think there’s a peace and safety in laughter. My growth spurt was in college. I went from 5’7’’ to 6’1’’ over one summer. That’s when people started to stare and then I guess I thought if you’re going to stare I might as well make it somewhat entertaining. My youngest brother, who I think is one of the funniest people alive, is 6’9’’ and he’s hilarious. I guess maybe there’s a formula there.

Did you ever consider trying stand-up?

It’s a different craft. It’s a different animal. I feel much better when I’m on set whereas when you’re on stage by yourself with a mic with people going (he crosses his arms and looks unimpressed) “Okay. Make me laugh!”. I’m too scared.

Who are you comedy heroes?

My comedy heroes are people like Slim, Kojo Amin, Mo Gilligan, Kevin J, Dave Chapelle, Kevin Hart, Katt Williams, Chris Rock. 

I love comedy. I love stand-up. But I wouldn’t do it myself, not yet anyway. Maybe one day. If it was a challenge or something, I’d probably give it a go. 

Do it for Comic Relief or something? 

Yeah!

It’s a terrific achievement for Black Ops to be picked up by BBC One. In the modern streaming landscape, do you think there’s still a prestige in that?

How we watch TV has changed over the years, but I still feel that your OG channels are always going to be there and there’s always a part of us as creatives who want to partner up with those channels. I think the show is important and it will stand the test of time. To have writers and creators like Gbemi and AK who go against the grain and say we can stand here too, we can create good content not just for people to binge but for people to really enjoy. I feel like Black Ops is one of those shows you can watch over and over again for the different set pieces that happen throughout the series. You’ll laugh, it’ll have you on tenterhooks and there’s cliffhanger after cliffhanger. They made it alongside the BBC, such an established and important channel, and I think that makes their achievement just that bit bigger. 

Credit: BBC

I wanted to ask you about your incredible CV. Wheel of Time, Black Mirror and loads of award-winning work in the theatre. It’s so varied. What do you think the trick is to avoid being typecast?

That’s a really good question. I think that’s happenstance, not intentional, that all the jobs I’ve done have been quite different. I always go with my gut and I’ve got such a great team behind me instrumental to all the stuff I do. I don’t know the formula. Being typecast isn’t a bad thing. If you know you’re good at something you stick to it. For me personally, I’ve been blessed with jobs where, for whatever reason, they’ve been so different. For me it’s always about jobs where I’ll be having fun. Levelling up and challenging myself as well. As an actor I always want to be better.

I really admire the way that black British shows like Falalam, Chewing Gum and Sliced joke about tough subjects, and audiences are engaged via humour. Do you think that’s a useful tool for actors and writers when it comes to big social problems?

Adding lightness to these situations always makes it easier for the audience to take in. Things have happened in our time on this planet and you view it a certain way. And we’re so lucky to have amazing creatives who subvert that and turn it into something that the audience can take in. Shows like Famalam, arguably one of the best sketch shows in recent years, show the funny side of things so people can have a conversation about it. Chewing Gum, I May Destroy You, there’s all these ways of telling stories. Drama is an incredible tool but when you add the humour in you really engage people and start a serious conversation. 

Samson Kayo’s line in Sliced about stop and search being the black man’s burden still makes me laugh when I think about it.

Creators like Samson, who is a genius in my opinion, can make a serious matter into a one liner and it starts a conversation. 

Credit: BBC

Speaking of Samson, he recently said there’s still more opportunities for black actors working in America than in the UK. How do you feel about that, and do you see any improvement in British TV and film?

I was born and bred in the UK, and my acting career started in the UK. That’s where I’ll stay for as long as I’m able to. I’m not disputing what Samson says. I think he’s right that there are more opportunities overseas. My foundation has always been the stage so whenever I get the chance I will always go back there. If an opportunity comes up that just so happens to be in the US and the vibe, the connection and the timing is right then of course I’ll go overseas and I’ll do the gig. I haven’t made that leap yet. I am working on an American show right now (he laughs) but we’re shooting in Europe. My foundations will always be in the UK. 

With opportunities for black actors, I think things are getting better but like with everything it’s a slow process. As creatives we have to keep pushing and keep working, keep grinding. But it’s happening.

What’s coming next for you? And what would your ideal project be?

At the moment I’m in Prague shooting the third series of the Wheel of Time for Amazon Prime. I joined the team four years ago so I’ve been on this show for a while and we just started shooting season 3 which has been amazing. 

In the future, I would like to have my own show. I don’t know what that looks like but a show that I can create and oversee, that I’m the boss of, you know? I’d love to do what AK and Gbemi did with Black Ops, create something that’s mine and have a good time doing it too.

Black Ops airs on BBC One on Fridays at 9.30pm.