Andre Benjamin, aka Outkast’s Andre 3000, says playing Jimi Hendrix in a biopic about the legendary guitarist saved him.
The movie, rtitled Jimi: All Is By My Side, was written and directed by John Ridley and focuses on Hendrix’s life and career between 1966-67. It’s considered controversial by some close to the guitar icon for containing violent scenes they insist never took place.
But Benjamin tells the New York Times: “Playing Hendrix kind of saved me. I was in a not-so-great space, just in a dark place every day. I needed something to focus on to get me out of my depression and rut.
“Sometimes when you’re alone, you can let yourself go. I knew if I got on a train with a lot of different people, then I couldn’t let them down.”
No Hendrix tracks are used in the film after producers failed to secure the support of his estate. The soundtrack will instead feature Benjamin’s own covers of songs from the period.
Jimi: All Is By My Side is released in UK cinemas on October 24.
