The Goat Life is a story of resilience and of the indomitable human spirit in the face of extreme adversities as the character of Najeeb (Prithviraj Sukumaran) defies death and desert to escape to freedom. Actor-producer Jimmy Jean-Louis plays Ibrahim Khadiri in the movie, who, according to him, is a "godsend kind of character, like an angel, like a Moses who comes from nowhere" to help and guide Najeeb in his arduous journey through the desert to freedom. He describes the film as a "very intense and lonely movie" as the protagonist is fighting extreme adversities―"the climate, the sand storm, the animals, the hunger and thirst". "Every time you think that he is on top of the hill, there is another hill and another hill...," he tells THE WEEK.
Haiti-born Jean-Louis, too, is no stranger to struggles. He came to Paris with his parents as a young boy in the hope of finding a better life, but had to hustle hard before finding success in Hollywood. There were times when he was a homeless squatter as no doors were opening for him. He travelled halfway across the world in search of work―he did musical theatre in Spain, and modelling in Italy, South Africa and England, before moving to the US. He switched from modelling to short movies, documentaries, and indie movies, before getting better gigs in Hollywood.
After a series of uncredited and small roles in movies like Tears of the Sun (2003) and The Bourne Identity (2002), and shows like The Shield (2002-2008) and Arliss (1996-2002), he landed a major role in the superhero series, Heroes, in 2006. Over a career spanning two decades, Jean-Louis has an impressive body of work across languages, including French, Nigerian, Haitian, and English. The actor has won several awards to his credit, including the best actor in a supporting role at the Africa Movie Academy Awards 2023.
The Goat Life marks his entry into Indian cinema. Perhaps, there is a bit of Najeeb in Jean-Louis―and in everyone who dares to rewrite the narratives that circumstances force upon them. That is possibly why Najeeb's story, which the actor calls "inspirational", resonates with him. He says Najeeb and his character, Khadiri, barely speak to each other in the movie as they don't understand each other's languages, but Khadiri empathises with him. "There is so much depth in the movie, and at the centre of it is humanity. The character that I play is someone who comes out of nowhere, helping someone who is in need without expecting anything in return," says Jean-Louis.
Despite having limited knowledge about Indian cinema, he was excited to be on board as The Goat Life was based on a true story, and he believes true stories usually make for good movies. Basic research familiarised him with the works of director Blessy and Prithviraj. He calls the coming together of Blessy, Prithviraj, and Oscar winners A.R. Rahman and Resul Pookutty for the film as "an A-team put together”. "I had no reason to doubt that this was going to be a great project. When you are in the business for long, you can easily identify the key players, and that's why, without a doubt, I said yes to the project," he says.
From facing homelessness in Paris once to "mingling with the most powerful people, the most powerful heads of state", Jean-Louis has had quite a trajectory in life. He recalls meeting Nelson Mandela when he was living in South Africa. “These people (Mandela, Najeeb) with heavy life stories are just amazing,” he says. “Of course, I don't necessarily want to live that deeply and that brutally. But at the same time, when you come out of [such struggles], you become someone with an understanding of life that is completely different from everybody else's, because you know what it is to touch rock bottom. I am always attracted to such strong and heavy stories."
While accepting the role of Khadiri was a "no-brainer", the actor had to learn a new language, Arabic, and make a character that was "almost god-like" as believable as possible. He does have a method for internalising his characters. "When I have to portray a character, I often look at my life to see whether I have met a guy [like that] already or was I that guy at one point in my life,” he says. “Most likely, I was or I know of tWhat person, and that's how I craft my character. The fact that I have travelled a lot opened my mind to different cultures....”
The actor in him is hungry for more roles in Indian cinema. All that matters, he says, is that he understands the character. "Not necessarily the lines, which come last,” he says. “I need to know who the person is, and get a full sense of the person."
Much like Khadiri who came out of nowhere to help Najeeb cross the desert, the actor has been using his resources, fame, and popularity to be of assistance to people in need in Haiti. He says this came naturally to him. "When I was part of Heroes, which was very successful, I got a lot of attention,” he says. “I had access to many people. I was also going back and forth to Haiti, and I could see how people were struggling in the country. That's how almost automatically the thought occurred―what can I do to get the Hollywood community together for Haiti? So I came up with the foundation, 'Hollywood Unites for Haiti'. I got a bunch of people to come and speak about the problems in Haiti, and have done great work, including building schools." While the foundation has been defunct since 2020, his philanthropic activities haven't stopped. "I still work with other groups that are doing amazing work in Haiti," he says.