Gerald Langiri’s new film Fundi-mentals hits the cinemas this coming Thursday. Gerald plays the starring role of Joseph, an owner of a repair shop in Kinoo town. Gerald believes he is the best fundi in the area while that is not the case. When a multinational company wants to outdo them, Joseph and his assistant Moses (Charlie Karumi) resort to make extra money by offering sex to their women clients. This role saw Gerald nominated for Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) for the Best Actor in Comedy. The only Kenyan to bag a nomination for the prestigious award this year, he is facing five other actors in the category.

“I had my hopes high and crossed my fingers that I would be nominated. The nomination is intimidating but at the same time it is something I am proud about. This is the African version of the Oscars, and it is a big honour to be recognised by it,” Gerald expresses.

Fundi-mentals is a second production under the Historia Films after their 2013 ‘House of Lungula’. Both movies have sexed-up scenes laced with the characters dressed in revealing attires, and in compromising situations, and using X-rated language. Gerald explains that his role as an actor is to play a role without holding any judgments against it. He has been attracting more comedy films by the day. “Comedies are both easy and hard to make. We are nurturing people who want to be entertained and be made to laugh. We already have many problems in Kenya, therefore, we need an escape. But even as we create comedy films, we should not make sub-standard comedies,” he says.

The film stars renowned actors like Lizz Njagah, Florence Nduta, Naomi Ng’ang’a, Veronica Waceke, Ojiambo Ainea, Ruth Maingi, Milkah Ndegwa, and radio personality Kalekye Mumo. House of Lungula too, had the who’s who of the film industry. “All-star cast sells a movie. What people fail to understand is that film is business. A film producer cannot invest his or her time and money on a production, and get little returns. An all-star cast pulls the crowd to go and watch a movie,” he reasons.

Even with the all-star cast, Gerald admits that local cinema is yet to make good money out of the art due to piracy and lack of a cinema-going culture among Kenyans. This is what saw the closing down of many theatres across the country. He adds that the amount of money they make through the theatre screening of the films is not enough to sustain the film industry. Yet they rely heavily on theatres to make returns, other than Buni.tv and Udala.com that provide a platform where people can subscribe and watch the films. The other option is to package the films in the DVD format, however, piracy does not allow. He calls upon Kenyans to support the efforts they put in their films.

“We were first exposed to Hollywood before the Kenyan movies. It is a good and a bad thing. The good thing is that we want to make high quality and expensive movies like those in Hollywood. It is a bad thing because our budget does not allow it, and we have to work within what we can but without compromising the standards,” he says.

Gerald marks five years since he began professional acting. A lot has changed since then. His Internet Movie Database (IMDb) information is full, detailing his journey of his now five-year stint. The award-winning actor has shown his acting prowess in Stay, Mali, State House, Rispa, Papa Shirandula, Mashtaka, You Can’t Hack This, Orphan, House of Lungula, Santalal and now Fundi-mentals.

He has been a casting director for the feature film, Veve, Going Bongo and a number of series and commercials. He also has a blog, www.actors.co.ke, which shares information about the industry to the public.

So does he plan to create his own productions? “I have been thinking about it. I wanted to create my brand first before venturing into producing and directing. I don’t know when that would be but it is something that I have thought of doing soon,” he reveals. Fundi-mentals is set for premier on February 12, at IMAX Theatres, February 13, at Prestige Plaza, It will also be showing on February 14, at Two Hours of Sunset at Ngong’ Racecourse, Nairobi.

By Anjellah Owino

Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000150818/gerald-langiri-on-risqu-role-piracy-and-future-projects

Biggest misconception people have about you?

People, for some strange reason assume that I am

a serious person, others that I have maringo or attitude. Maybe I have a serious face or something, but I am an easy going guy. The only thing is I do not entertain anything and everything!

Best mistake you ever made?

When I quit my IT job back in 2012 to get into acting. I knew that if I wanted to succeed in the industry, it had to be all or nothing.

Best love of your life?

That would have to be food. I particularly love pilau. I grew up in Mombasa and so I can spot a fake pilau from the real one.

Highest moment of your career?

This year when I won a Kalasha Awards for Best Supporting Actor for my role in the TV series Stay.

Best way to relax?

I love to stay indoors and watch movies or series. Also, once in a while I go out with friends. But back in the day, I was quite the party animal. I would go out all the time and drink a lot. It got to a point where I saw myself going down the wrong path and I guess you could say that I grew up.

The one thing that will surprise most people about you?

I do not drink. Someone in my family was an alcoholic and I promised myself that I would never go that route. So, when I saw myself going down that path in my younger years, I decided to stop drinking. I have been sober for four or five years.

Your biggest addiction?

I am addicted to colour red. My wardrobe is full of different red outfits. The décor theme in my home is red. I cannot help it!

Best day of your life so far?

When I surprised my fiancé, Lynn Jumba with a ring and asked her to marry me during the official launch of the film House of Lungula at The Junction last year in October. The movie had just ended and had received a standing ovation, and I got up and walked to the podium and asked Lynn Jumba in front of everyone to marry me. She said yes (laughs).

Your most annoying habit?

I am a perfectionist in everything I do, even in keeping time. And it gets on my nerves when you correct someone and they continue to do the same thing over and over.

Your best physical feature?

I am told that I am handsome.

Source: http://mediamaxnetwork.co.ke/peopledaily/125382/day-gerald-langiri-actorblogger/

Today we introduce you to the 29-year-old Award winning Actor and blogger   Gerald Langiri.We get to find out  how his acting career started.His future plans and what he thinks of the film industry here in Kenya.We also get to see how he is causing major waves in the film industry here in Africa, how he is promoting the Kenyan film industry and educating the world on what is happening in the film industry through his blog www.actors.co.ke  .

Gerald has won many  awards such as  best supporting actor in a TV drama for his role as Nico in the series Stay at Kalasha Awards 2014

,Best film blogger at the African Film development awards 2014

His website www.actors.co.ke won best niche market blog at the African blogger awards 2014

His short Film  The Bigger Man won 2nd runners-up in the U-Film-It competition 2012

When did you start acting?

I started acting when I was a child doing nursery school solo performances during PTA meetings. I continued doing this throughout my primary and secondary school years. Professionally though, I started acting in 2011 when I decided to make acting my career.

How did you discover that you wanted to start acting professionally?

Well, I didn’t discover it parsay, it was something I’ve always wanted to do. However,  I did not know how to pursue it further after high school so I opted to go to campus, do my degree, get employed in a 9 to 5 job before an acting opportunity presented itself. Luckily one did and I did not think twice about grabbing it.

What made you take it full-time?

Passion. Nothing in life should ever be done without it. That means taking the risk to do it. If it is something you genuinely love doing, you will take the risk,don’t do it blindly though. I took time to do my research on the acting industry and what it entails and what is expected of me as an actor to pursue it as a career before I jumped into it.

Does it pay?

Yes. I have been surviving as an actor for the past 4 years. I have been broke in some instances but having good money management skills can really help an actor.However, the entertainment industry works in such a way that the more well-known and reliable you are, the more money you’ll get to see and that takes time to build that brand.

What does a typical day in your life look like?Are you always on set?

Well, it all depends on what project I am working on. Yes, there are days I am on set everyday. Other projects can have me once or twice a week. When there isn’t any project I am working on, I am usually at home reading more about acting, updating my blog www.actors.co.ke , researching, making phone calls, attending events or just sitting at home bored watching a bunch of movies,which I also consider working because I am studying other actors.

What are the worst and best movie sets you have worked on?

I don’t know about the worst but I can easily point out the best and that was when I was working on the project Stay produced by Corder productions where I was playing the character Nico which won me the Kalasha Award 2014 for best supporting actor in a TV series. The next best thing was working on the project House of Lungula, that was crazy mad fun but yes, I have been on sets where you want to get out as soon as you get it. Unprofessionalism, lack of communication, being treated badly etc

What problems have, you encountered over the years?

Nothing I haven’t been able to overcome,but I guess the biggest problem we and many other actors have in this industry is the little opportunities that are available. The opportunities are few and far in between and therefore, if you are an actor like me who solely depends on acting for his livelihood, you are going to definitely have those moments when you ask yourself why and is it all worth it? But we soldier on.

Do you have pre rituals when or during acting period?

Yes, lots of sleep and listening to music.

For actors disagreement with directors is common especially if you aren’t on the same page. How do ensure you are always on the same page with directors? 

You listen and trust the director. You are allowed to raise your opinion and state your case , if you are lucky enough to have an accommodating director who is ready and willing to listen to you, you are a happy actor who feels appreciated. There are “dictator” directors who want things done their way without getting any input,but when in such situations, I remind myself , I am an actor, I am here to act and just trust my director.

Future plans with your acting career?

 That is a hard one since I can’t see into the future and I do not know what the future holds for me either.But I’m optimistic, bigger things are coming my way. I believe I haven’t touched the tip of what my acting career has in store for me.

How would you describe the Kenyan movie industry?

Haphazard. It’s like the proverbial “good things come in small packages” kinda scenario. I can argue how we actually don’t have an industry yet because an industry is built when there is content our audiences can choose from. While we are slowly heading there and taxes and finances are holding us back, producing 2 to 3 commercial movies a year can a hardly qualify us as an industry. It is different when it comes to the TV industry though. We have plenty of TV series and that is a sign of good things to come.

Low budget film has been a huge issue for the our movie scene but you see it as a good opportunity to get more movies onto the market. Why is that? 

Because we can’t sit and wait for millions of shillings to come before we build our industry. So we do what we can with the little resources we currently have in our hands, produce films (commodity), build the industry (market), create the interest( Customers) and progress from there. Once sponsors see something happening in the industry, they will take a keen interest. Low budget doesn’t necessarily mean bad movies though. House of Lungula can be termed a low-budget movie but its impact in the industry so far has been tremendous.

 What do you have in store for 2014 onwards?

I’m currently working on a series called Santalal where I play a county commissioner. I star along Nigerian star Desmond Elliot, Kenyan stars like Lydia Gitachu, Faith Munini, Blessing Lungaho, Vera Atsango, Innocent Njuguna among others.

There is also the movie Fundimentals to look out for from the producers of House Of Lungula.Another crazy comedy.

What would you want to be if you weren’t an actor?

 An actor.

Which artists have had the biggest influence on your acting career? 

My mentors include and are not limited to Lizz Njagah, Ken Ambani, Raymond Ofula…if it wasn’t for the words of wisdom they instilled upon me when joining the industry, I’d probably be among the actors constantly complaining of this and that about the industry.

What would you say to those who are still negative towards Kenyan Movies?

Embrace them. We are trying. It is sad because I keep saying that Kenya was exposed to Hollywood way before being exposed to Kenyan movies. The expectations of our audience is therefore way up there and maybe we cannot quite meet them especially with budget constraints but what our audiences don’t realize is that their support and constructively talking about and criticizing our movies and making them go viral is the beginning of getting sponsors interested in our movies. So this mentality of anything foreign is better should stop.

You acted on a very daring movie House of Lungula. Should this movie  change the way anyone perceives the Kenyan industry now?

If the movie should change any perception, it should be the fact that we can have a variety of stories in our industry opposed to the usual, love, AIDS, trauma, drama stories we have been having. There is room for comedy and most importantly there is room to take risks when it comes to filmmaking. We can’t play it safe anymore. Let’s be bold and do stuff worth talking about.

Apart From acting what are your other hobbies?

I love to travel. I love to eat. I love to watch movies. I love to play pool. I love to play chess. I love to socialize.

What inspired your life as a blogger,how did you start. actor.co.ke?

 Well, it was during my 1stacting project in the industry when I was on set with some actors I had grown up watching on tv. I wanted to find out more about them and went on google to search and was shocked no info about Kenyan actors was available the way it is readily available for Hollywood actors. No information about the acting and film industry and since I  was stuck after high school not knowing what to do to get into acting and where to get audition information and know about film related events, I decided, with the IT knowledge I have from my years in campus learning computing and internet systems, to create a simple but helpful tool like a website.  A website which has now won best niche market blog at the African blogger awards 2014. Also winning the best film blogger at the African film development awards 2014 and nominated twice at the Kenya blogger awards.

How long have you been a blogger?

4 years.

What would you say is the power of Blogging?

Dispensing information. Information that would normally not be found in your dailies or books. Especially in Kenya, we do not have acting books in the market (if there are any, I don’t know about them) so a blog like actors.co.ke fills that gap.

How is the state of blogging in Kenya? How can we improve?

Well, I would love to see more informative blogs rather than the ones we mostly have posting information on socialites etc. But looking at those blogs and the numbers they attract,  I can say that there is space for everyone. Kenya is very accommodating honestly. We are in good place when it comes to the blogging arena. I find most of my information on blogs rather than on TV or newspapers so a big salute to all the bloggers out there.

Gerald Langiri is a Kenyan Actor, Presenter, and Casting Director.  He has a degree in Computing and internet Systems from the University of Huddersfield.

He started acting when he was 6 years old in nursery school all the way to high school , when it was time to pick a career and study in the university his mother felt acting was a hobby and so he took his degree in something else, finished and started working but lacked satisfaction and a sense of fulfilment, sometime in 2011 a friend told him of an audition for a new show she felt he fits a role in perfectly and he attended the audition…

He quit his job and the rest is history, he never looked back and has since featured in a lot of movies, series and short films like
: House of Lungula, Mashtaka, VEVE, Mali, Orphan, You can’t Hack This, Maisha, Rosa, In the Forest, STAY, Rispa, Statehouse-Zuku Africa, Internet Dating, Three more Days, My Brother the Vampire, Roberta and the deep White Moon, The Bigger Man, Just to mention but a few…
He constantly trains himself to be a better actor by always attending acting classes and workshop, In 2012 took an acting class on Hollywood acting with an Hollywood actor and coach David Morin, another one with same topic with another hollywood actor and coach Neil Schell, he attended a training in 2012 with One Fine Day Film Workshop.

He has done well for himself considering he has only been around for 3 years, his passion and drive for the arts makes him work harder and harder to make a name for himself and standout at what he does, he founded a website www.actors.co.ke where he promotes Kenyan Actors where he also gives information about the acting industry and it was nominated as the best topical blog at the blog awards 2013, In 2013, He Hosted and produced a comedy Talk Show titled In ‘The Forest’ where he invites celebrities and ask them the dandiest questions, The Bigger Man was a short film directed and produced by him won 2nd runner up in the U-Film-It  competition in 2012, he is the secretary of the Kenya Oscars Committee that vets Kenyan movies before being submitted to the Oscars, he is a Member of the organising committee for Kalasha Film and Television Awards 2012.

As a Casting Director he has equally done very well for himself, with a long list of jobs he has casted for like: Feature Film: VEVE, Going Bongo and House of Lungula, Television Series: Two Sides  and Mali,  Short Film: SOKO and The Bigger Man, Adverts: Barclays Premier League Ad( You are Football), PSI, Beba Pay, Agra and PSI

He says he stands out at what he does because he is highly observant and detailed oriented professional actor and casting director, very passionate about the arts, he goes the extra mile to make sure as an actor he is believable.
He speaks English and Swahili. He loves to travel, watch movies, listen to music, make friends, socialise and give back to the less privileged by visiting children’s homes.

Gerald has managed to establish himself as one of the top actors being sought after in Kenya and he is ready to take on other Africa countries and gradually spread his wings all over the world.

Source: http://judithaudu.blogspot.com/2014/02/meet-gerald-langirifully-prepared-and.html