Sterling K Brown has said he finally wanted to make an audience laugh after so many roles making them cry.
The actor, who has won a string of awards for his roles in This Is Us and The People v OJ Simpson, voices a silly but arrogant green pig named Garry in the new animated film The Angry Birds Movie 2.
He told PA: “It’s nice to make people smile, hopefully even laugh a little bit, after everybody tells you you make them cry.
“I like light and dark, I like to be able to play in as many playgrounds as possible, so this was a nice departure to just do something really silly and really fun.”
Brown is father to two sons Andrew and Amare and said he was also keen to make something he could show them without raising eyebrows.
He added: “I have done so many things that aren’t necessarily appropriate for my little ones – they are seven and three.
“Not that I’m ashamed or embarrassed of anything that I’ve done, but it’s nice to bring your children to the theatre to see something that you’ve been a part of that other parents can be like, ‘Yes, that is appropriate’.
“Because sometimes parents will see me bring my kids to movies and be like, ‘Should you be bringing your child to this?’
“I’m like, ‘Leave me alone and don’t judge me! These are my children and I will raise them as I see fit!’ but this one there are no raised eyebrows, everybody is on the same page.”
The role also gave the US star the chance to cultivate an English accent for the first time.
He said: “I’ve been listening to Brits for my whole life, they come over and do these American accents and so I was like, ‘Let me give it a shot at doing my own version of a voice from across the pond!’
“And people ridicule me and I don’t care. I’m going to do it again – it’s awesome.
“We kind of saw Garry as being Q from the Bond flicks. If Q were a pig who was not very good at his job and was incredibly self-confident, I think that is what Garry is at his heart.”
The Angry Birds Movie 2 is out now in UK cinemas.