THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, Now Playing in Houston
Above: In Matthew Brown's THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, Ramanujan (Dev Patel) looks well at home sitting at his Cambridge University desk and working, likely, on one of the approximately 3900 results he compiled before his untimely death at age 32. Image courtesy of Richard Blanshard. An IFC Films release.
THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY, starring internationally adored and acclaimed actor Dev Patel (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 2008) and Tony and Academy Award-winner Jeremy Irons, is now playing in Houston. The IFC Films’ release tells the true story of genius mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan FRS* (Dev Patel).
Though born into a family of modest means in colonial India, Ramanujan had an incredible capacity and almost frightening passion for mathematics. The autodidact also had an equally impressive amount of drive and perseverance.
It is 1913 and Ramanujan is a 25-year-old shipping clerk and college dropout. From his small village in South India, Ramanujan writes three University of Cambridge academics with samples of his theorems. British Professor G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons), a genius in his own right, immediately recognizes Ramanujan's genius and quickly invites the young mathematician to study at Cambridge University's Trinity College. So began one of the most fruitful partnerships in the field of mathematics.
The two were an unlikely pair for their time, says Patel. Ramanujan, who considered himself a member of the spiritually superior Brahmin cast, "was very religious and thought mathematics was like painting without colors; he believed every equation was an expression of God. Hardy, on the other hand, was an atheist and believed in the practical way of doing proofs to explain theorems." Despite their differences, however, the two mathematicians went on to revolutionize their field. As it turns out, they fit each other like a glove.
Patel was made for the role of Ramanujan. The accomplished actor, known for his acclaimed performance in the Academy Award-winning film SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, was THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY director and screenwriter Matthew Brown's first choice. Still, the actor looks very different from Ramanujan who he describes as "portly" and "a very nervous human being." This has not stopped Patel from inhabiting his role. As his co-star Irons says of portraying a real-life historical figure, "What you try to do as an actor is in the first few minutes of the film make people forget what the real person looked like and make them think the person is you." To do this, Patel focused on Brown's script, adapted from Robert Kanigel's biography of Ramanujan, "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan." "I knew his background," says the actor. "But it was really about going on the journey within the script and fully committing to what was on the page."
Patel says he found everything he needed in Brown's script. Irons also sings Brown's praises. "I loved his passion, his openness and his willingness to listen to other people," says Irons. Brown was firm but flexible, says Irons. "He was very clear about what he wanted and the rhythm he wanted; he gave very good notes." However, "he tended to leave you alone if you were going at it alright, and then would pop in with the occasional suggestion, which would really enliven you and give you a slightly different take on something."
Like his character, Patel combined expert guidance with innate capacity. Like any actor, he depended on his director but, he says, playing Ramanujan was very instinctual. Perhaps this is because there is another similarity between actor and character. As an Indian scholar, Ramanujan faced prejudice at Cambridge. As an Indian actor in Hollywood, Patel knows about prejudice too. In a recent interview with Esquire Magazine he says he has received "requests for me to play everything from an Indian spice merchant to a terrorist!" But Patel is committed to carving out a unique place for himself in Hollywood, which is why he chose THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY.
Hopefully, Patel will be as successful in his goal as Ramanujan, who independently compiled nearly 3900 results over the course of his career. The actor sees THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY as a step in the right direction. "I wanted to do the role because it is rare for an actor who looks like I do to come across something that is so meaty," Patel says. "And I knew the film would attract stellar artists who I'd get to act opposite." That opposite, of course, is theater and screen legend Irons.
On the heels of his performance as Alfred in superhero blockbuster BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE (2006), Irons plays English mathematician G.H. Hardy, who recognizes Ramanujan's genius and rushes to become Ramanujan's mentor and eventual colleague and collaborator at Cambridge University.
You may know Irons from his work with director David Cronenberg (THE FLY, 1986). In Cronenberg's eerie psychological thriller DEAD RINGERS (1988), about disturbed codependent twin brothers destined for a Cain and Abel end, remarkably, the actor portrays both Cain and Abel.
If not, you should know Irons for his notorious acting skills. The actor received the Academy Award for his performance in REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (1990) and his Tony Award for his performance in Tom Stoppard's THE REAL THING (1982).
Irons is no stranger to period films. Irons starred alongside Meryl Streep in THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN (1981), playing traditionalist Victorian Charles Henry Smithson. Also, as THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN is based on a novel, Irons is no stranger to adaptations either. Irons earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor for his performance in theHarold Pinter penned romance drama.
To prepare for the role of G.H. Hardy, Irons studied photos of Hardy and read the Cambridge professor's famous essay "The Mathematician's Apology." For Irons, Hardy's words were much more affecting than the images. "[It] takes you inside his passion for mathematics," says the actor. "It made me realize that something that is entirely passionless to me does contain passion, wonder and mystery and art."
Article originally published on BroadwayWorld.com
IFC Films' THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY is now showing in Houston at Landmark River Oaks Theatre. Film stars Dev Patel, Jeremy Irons, Devika Bhise, Stephen Fry, and Toby Jones. Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and smoking. 108 minutes.
