Yahoo News Exclusive: Paapa Essiedu adresses Genie's unexpected Lazarus Project connection
Paapa Essiedu has responded to The Lazarus Project's unexpected connection to his new Christmas movie, Genie.
The Gangs of London star is set to play a workaholic who summons a genie (played by Melissa McCarthy) to grant his Christmas wishes. The new Richard Curtis festive film is a remake of the 1991 movie, Bernard and the Genie.
Ahead of the film's release later this week, Essiedu spoke exclusively to Digital Spy to explain his affiliation with time travel — after Genie notably incorporates a time-bending subplot in a similar way to the popular Sky sci-fi series.
Related: Richard Curtis wasn't worried Genie would get compared to Love Actually
"It's a bit of a niche. I think I'm getting time travel fatigue, I think I'm getting time travel jetlag. It's more the thing of never knowing when you are — where you are, when you are, what you are," he said.
"Time travel has come to me rather than I've come to time travel. At the end of the day, if you could have a wish to have a superpower, it probably would be that."
The actor went on to explain what the festive comedy gets right about a classic Christmas dinner and what he hopes audiences will get from watching it.
Related: Why Richard Curtis decided to remake his own Christmas movie
"Christmas is chaotic, and you've got so many different people, generations, with different needs who are all jacked up off of either eggnog or ferrero rochers and Celebrations or vodka, so it really reminded me of that chaos that can only really flourish under the conditions of Christmas," Essiedu told us.
"I really hope that audiences are able to watch this movie and smile and laugh and feel warm inside and feel hopeful, for it to provide a counterpoint and a contrast to what is a really difficult context to Christmas this year, particularly globally. [I hope] it provides something that has got the spirit of cheer."
Genie is released on Sky Cinema on December 1, and is available to watch right now in the US on Peacock.
Richard Curtis's Christmas Actually show will also be at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall this December. For tickets, visit www.southbankcentre.co.uk.
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