Andre 3000 concerned he was ‘too old’ to play Jimi Hendrix

The Outkast man stars as the iconic guitar player in new film 'Jimi: All Is By My Side'

Outkast‘s Andre 3000 – real name André Benjamin – has revealed concerns that he was ‘too old’ to play Jimi Hendrix.

He stars as the guitar player in ‘Jimi: All Is By My Side’, and now, in an interview with Billboard has said: “I didn’t know if I was too old to play the part. But John [Ridley, writer/director] was really persistent, and he kept at it. So I just kind of said, ‘All right, let’s do it.'”

He also said that there are no plans for a new Outkast album, despite the fact that the duo reunited for a huge tour of this summer’s festivals. “There are no plans… It’s not like some people think: ‘They’re about to drop this album!’ We don’t have, like, one song. There’s no trickery or nothing like that.”

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In the interview he spoke about feeling “guilty” over his take on the recent unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. “Honestly, I don’t have a big urge to voice [my feelings],” he commented. “But I do feel kind of guilty sometimes. Like when the whole Ferguson thing went down, we were actually in England, and buddies were telling me about it, like, ‘Aw, man, it’s horrible here.’ But I didn’t feel it; I only heard about it. So I felt like, ‘Am I out of touch?'”

PHOTOS: 12 ludicrously amazing Outkast outfits

Covering a defining year in the life of Hendrix, Jimi: All Is By My Side follows the young musician as he lands in London in 1966. The film, however, will not feature any songs recorded or composed by Hendrix himself, as the late guitarist’s estate refused to give filmmakers the necessary permission. Instead, songs by The Beatles and Muddy Waters, that Hendrix himself covered in the ’60s, will be featured.

Jimi: All Is By My Side producer Danny Bramson had previously revealed that Benjamin played guitar for six hours a day in preparation for the Hendrix role. While Benjamin prepared to perform as Hendrix on-screen, guitarist Waddy Wachtel took on the job of re-recording songs for the film’s soundtrack.

Jimi: All Is By My Side will be released in the UK on October 24.

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