Chukwudi Iwuji Stars as ‘High Evolutionary’ in ‘Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3’

Chukwudi Iwuji Stars as ‘High Evolutionary’ in "Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 3." 

The Nigerian-born actor was hand-selected by Director, James Gunn to play the ominous Marvel villain, while he was on set filming the series ‘Peacemaker.’

"It’s a dream come true that I didn’t even think I had. I saw the first movie in Times Square in 2014. So to be part of this world, and to get a chance to play a villain, which have always been my favorite – the ones I remember most from movies. I’m a fan of villains. My favorite actors just excelled in playing villains, whether its Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman, or Peter O'Toole… Denzel when he gets dark. You love the flexibility of the boundaries – you can stretch things a bit more."

Iwuji’s love for film started when he was a kid, growing up in Nigeria. He would watch and memorize classic movies on VHS like E.T., Star Wars, and more.

"I would play all of the roles myself, and I would remember stuff after seeing it once or twice. You mentioned Star Wars – I stared for hours at the cup across the room, believing that if I focused enough… it would happen."

Iwuji is playing one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

"I see him (High Evolutionary) as a narcissistic sociopath, who is also a mad genius. There’s something very Shakespearean about him because the idea of tragedy… someone with the potential for great good, with a tragic flaw. His flaw is to believe that he has the solution to humanity. Someone with this incredible intellect turns it into something quite vicious."

In the future, Iwuji plans to bring quality production to Nigeria, opening a world for movies and TV shows to be filmed, where he fell in love with film. 

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is in theaters now.