Mike Dickman says he hopes a much-anticipated Gandhi biopic will lead to an open conversation about Britain’s past when it hits our screens.
Billed as India's answer to The Crown, the eight-part first season will tell the story of the famous figure's early life and the experiences that inspired him to lead his nation's fight for independence.
It's a journey that took Gandhi — played by Pratik Gandhi (no relation) — from India to Britain, where he trained as a lawyer in 1890s London, and on to South Africa, where he earned a reputation as a noted civil rights activist.
Dickman, who plays a South African character hostile to Gandhi when the future leader arrives in the country, says he hopes the series can be a meaningful entry in the discussion about Britain's past.
"During filming, I began to think about how certain factions of global society never learned from history," he said when we spoke to him. "We seem to be in this cycle where we repeat the same mistakes, whatever sphere that is.
"I think stories like this can help us say 'Look this is how it was in the 1890s, we haven't necessarily made that much progress, or we certainly haven't made as much progress as we need to!' So from that perspective, I think it's really valuable.”
Dickman, who’s had roles in Hollywood movies Barbie and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, plays Captain Harry Sparks, a member of the Natal Rifles, who leads a racist mob that attacks Gandhi when he docked at Durban.
It's an incident that took place in real life and the British actor says recreating it for the series was an intense process.
“Pratik Gandhi is a wonderful actor and he brings so much to the role,” he explains. “Although I did find myself going up to him before each take of that particular scene and saying ‘Look, I'm really sorry. This isn't me!’ Harry Sparks was a real historical figure and he’s certainly not a goody in the story!”
Dickman explains that he was overjoyed to get the role and put on an Afrikaans accent during his audition tape to secure the role. “I think they were surprised when I turned out to be British when I arrived on set!” he explains.
Yet the nature of the project, which is scheduled to run for three seasons after debuting in early 2025, also means it’s one he’ll always be proud to have been involved in…
"There have been several iterations of the Gandhi story over the years," he says."But this series takes the opportunity to look at his tale in long form, which should be fascinating. Hansal Mehta is a brilliant director and he's looking at Gandhi the man and the impact everything he set out to achieve had on him and his personal relationships."
“Many people know about the things he achieved, but I don’t think there's ever been a detailed exploration of what that meant for him as an individual. Whenever someone achieves something great, it comes with great sacrifice."
After working in finance for many years, Mike switched careers to become an actor and was thrilled to get a role in the big-budget biopic. He'd been involved in film production for a few years before the pandemic, yet decided to forge a career as an actor during the 2020 lockdown.
“Like everyone I was watching so much TV at that time," he explains. "I'd done theatre at university and I started to think I could be in front of the camera again. I had a bit of impostor syndrome at first, because I hadn't been through the normal channels. I hadn't been to drama school, what right did I have to jump into it!”
However, conversations with friends in the industry and his partner, former model and businesswoman, Heather Mills, inspired him to finally take the plunge.
He's not looked back since and after the pandemic he secured a role in big-budget action movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, playing a member of the public who bumps into Harrison Ford.
“It was the morning of my first day on set and the director told me Harrison Ford was going to run through the crowd and he wanted me to block him with my shoulder," he explains. “Harrison Ford is pretty hardcore, but he was 79 or 80 at the time, so I was a bit nervous about body-checking the star of the film. I thought my acting career might be over before it had begun!”
"So I went up to him to introduce myself and said 'sorry, but the director wants me to shoulder you!' He looked at me intensely, put his arm around my shoulder and said, 'Well I’m not going to be taking it easy on you either!'"
Gandhi is due to premiere in early 2025
