Dwight Edward Ewell, also known as Mustafa Obafemi[a] (born 1968) is an American actor known for his roles in films such as Chasing Amy, Amateur, Party Girl and The Guru.[1][2]
Dwight Ewell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Dwight Edward Ewell January 17, 1968 |
| Education | State University of New York, Purchase (BFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991-present |
Career edit
Ewell was born in Williamston, North Carolina to teenage parents. His father fought in Vietnam and served six years in the United States military while Dwight's mother took care of Dwight and his younger sister. Unhappy in her marriage, at 21 years old, Dwight's mom took the children up North where she felt that she could begin pursuing her career as a singer. The three moved several times before ending up in the rough Stella Wright Housing Projects on Prince Street, in Newark, New Jersey. Dwight and his sister attended the Louise A. Spencer Elementary School in Newark in the mid-1970s. In later years, Dwight was enrolled in The Gifted and Talented Program in the same school. It was there that his interest in the arts was nurtured. At the age of 9, he began writing plays that the teachers would allow him to direct and the students to perform. At the age of 13, Ewell auditioned for and was accepted into Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey. In 1986, he graduated, and in the fall of that year he attended the State University of New York's Theater Arts and Film Divisions Acting Program for four years.[3]
Ewell has worked extensively in independent and art house films. Ewell is best known for his performance in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy starring Ben Affleck, where he plays the role of "Hooper X", an African American writer of black militant comic books, who is secretly homosexual but employs the public persona of a violent militant who denounces the Star Wars trilogy as racist.[4][5][6]
Ewell has collaborated with director Hal Hartley on short- and feature-length films; including Amateur[7] and Flirt.[8][9][10]
He has also worked with director Daisy von Scherler Mayer twice, in the films Party Girl and The Guru.
Ewell has worked with film producer Christine Vachon twice, on the films Stonewall and Kiss Me, Guido.
Ewell has not appeared in a film since 2011. Following his last film role, he was performing as a stage actor in the Los Angeles area prior to suffering an unspecified injury in 2013.[11] He subsequently worked at commercial movie theaters in Los Angeles, before expressing an intention to resume his film career in 2023. Almost nothing is known about Ewell's private life besides what was released by his publicists in the 1990s. He has no interviews on record, and despite frequently playing gay characters in film, his real-life sexual identity is unknown.
Filmography edit
| Genre | Year | Title | Role | Episodes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short film | 1992 | Cowboy Jesus | Disciple #2 | 8 minutes; New York University student film | |
| Short film | 1992 | Heavy Blow | 23 minutes; Columbia University student film | ||
| Short film | 1993 | Flirt | Dwight | 23 minutes; directed by Hal Hartley | |
| Film | 1994 | Amateur | Boy Squatter | ||
| Short film | 1994 | NYC 3/94 | 9 minutes; directed by Hal Hartley | ||
| Film | 1994 | Someone Else's America | Video-man | ||
| Film | 1995 | Flirt | Dwight | ||
| Film | 1995 | Party Girl | He-He-Hello Trio | ||
| Film | 1995 | Stonewall | Helen Wheels | ||
| Short film | 1997 | Anton, Mailman | Bartendar | ||
| TV series | 1997 | Brooklyn South | Bystander | "Love Hurts" | |
| Film | 1997 | Chasing Amy | Hooper X | ||
| Film | 1997 | Kiss Me, Guido | Usher | ||
| Film | 1997 | Niagara, Niagara | Toy Store Manager | ||
| Commercial | 1998 | Budweiser | (principal performer) | directed by Spike Lee | |
| Film | 1999 | The Debtors | |||
| Film | 1999 | Dogma | Kane, Gang Leader | ||
| Film | 1999 | Hey, Joel | Baby Shiv | ||
| Film | 1999 | Man of the Century | Richard Lancaster | ||
| Film | 1999 | On the Run | Rasta | ||
| Film | 1999 | The Pavilion | Robert Owa | ||
| Film | 1999 | The Waiting Game | Joe | ||
| Film | 2000 | Endsville | Shawn Walker | ||
| Film | 2000 | The Intern | Gustave | ||
| Film | 2000 | Punks | Hill | ||
| Film | 2001 | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Hooper LaMont | ||
| Film | 2002 | The Guru | Peaches | ||
| Film | 2002 | Wheelmen | Terry | ||
| Short film | 2003 | A mi amor mi dulce | Dom Doos Po Phool (DomDoos Poefool) | 23 minutes | |
| Film | 2004 | Pagans | Max Stone | ||
| Short film | 2007 | 2 Fast 2 Furry | Corvette Guy | ||
| Film | 2007 | Fighting Words | Leopold | ||
| TV series | 2009 | 90210 | Mr. Irving / Health Teacher | "Zero Tolerance" "To New Beginnings!" |
|
| TV series | 2009 | Adult Film: A Hollywood Tale | Hal Calloway | ||
| TV series | 2009 | Twentysixmiles | Dill Truman Fontaine | "Pilot" | recurring |
| Film | 2009 | Yes To Victory | Norman | ||
| Film | 2010 | Eagles in the Chicken Coop | Hal Calloway | ||
| TV series | 2010 | Medium | The Florist | "Allison Rolen Got Married" | |
| Film | 2010 | Street Poet | Leopold | ||
| Film | 2011 | Here's the Kicker | Norman |
- ^ In 2023, Ewell opened several social media accounts under the name "Mustafa Obafemi" and expressed a desire to distance himself from his former name, but it is not clear if his SAG or legal name has actually been changed.
References edit
- ^ "Dwight Ewell Biography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-06. (content from AllRovi)
- ^ "Odd Couples". The Advocate. Here. Sep 28, 1999. p. 54.
- ^ "Acting: About the Program". SUNY Purchase. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
- ^ Janet Maslin (April 4, 1997). "Movie Review - Chasing Amy (1997)". New York Times.
- ^ Mark J. Huisman (Apr 1, 1997). "When Opposites Attack". The Advocate.
- ^ Roger Ebert (April 18, 1997). ""Chasing Amy" (movie review)". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Caryn James (September 29, 1994). "Movie Review: Amateur (1994) - FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW; The Nun, the Amnesiac, the Prostitute and the Thugs". New York Times.
- ^ Stephen Holden (October 6, 1995). "Movie Review - Flirt (1995) FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW;Looking for Love in 3 Different Places". New York Times.
- ^ Kevin Thomas (August 23, 1996). "A Rich Look at Romance in Triplicate". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Roger Ebert (November 8, 1996). "Movie Review - Flirt". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Stimac, Elias. "As You Like It". Backstage. Retrieved 14 April 2023.