Mekhi Phifer finds more to explore in ‘The Divergent Series: Insurgent’

By Cassandra Szklarski

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO _ As they say in show business, there are no small parts.

It’s an adage especially apropos for the sprawling cast of the “Divergent” sequel “Insurgent.”

An already impressive ensemble cast is bolstered by Oscar nominees Octavia Spencer and Naomi Watts, who are supporting players to the youthful heroes, tackled once again by Shailene Woodley and Theo James.

Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd and Mekhi Phifer return as world-weary adults charged with preserving a strict social structure in the film’s dour dystopian future.

Society is divided into five groups tasked with cultivating specific personality traits: truthfulness in Candor, bravery in Dauntless, intelligence in Erudite, selflessness in Abnegation and peacefulness in Amity.

In describing the relationship he and his established co-stars had with the young leads, Phifer finds his own unique analogy.

“They’re sort of the skeleton and we add some of the meat … you know the muscles and the tissue and skin to it,” Phifer says during a recent promotional stop in Toronto.

“We all kind of take a smaller role but we’re all very impactful.”

Phifer gets a little more screen-time this time around, with his by-the-books Dauntless soldier Max now leading the hunt for renegade divergent Tris (Woodley) and her boyfriend Four (James).

The action picks up three days after the first film ended, with the young lovers on the run and looking for allies among the other factions.

Winslet’s steely-eyed Jeanine, leader of the Erudite elite, is increasingly desperate to locate the duo as a powerful tool emerges that could change things forever.

Phifer says the advantage of working on a sequel is that the action can start immediately, without a plodding exposition to detail a complicated premise.

“Since the world’s already established, people know what that is, so now we can just be off to the races,” says the former “ER” and “8 Mile” star.

And although Max now emerges as Jeanine’s imposing enforcer, he’s more complicated than that, says Phifer.

“We don’t really know what he’s thinking or what is going on but I really feel like he thinks that whatever he’s doing is for the betterment of society,” he says.

“It’s a necessary evil in his mind.”

Phifer says he doesn’t know anything about the next films but says he will be in them.

“I have no idea where Max is,” he adds, noting the big screen adaptations are taking some “artistic license” with the books.

“It’ll be interesting to see what they have me do.”

And with an acting bench this deep, Phifer says there’s lots of opportunity for the film’s broad universe to develop even further.

“I don’t think any of us (were able) to show all of our chops in this yet. So we’ll see where this goes.”

“The Divergent Series: Insurgent” opens Friday.