The Finnish Marshal’s film, made with Yle’s tax money, shook ten years ago when a black actor was chosen to play Mannerheim in the main part of the film.
Telley Savallas Otiero is dead. HANDOUT / FINNISH MARSALK / ERKKO LYYTINEN
Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheimia starred in Kenya Telley Savallas Otieno died on 5 February in the town of Malind, north of Mombasa. He was only 43 years old at the time of his death.
According to The Standard in Kenya, a popular actor in his home country had been involved in a motorcycle accident a week earlier and had been hospitalized as a result.
“We only heard about it when my brother was transferred to the intensive care unit, where he died a few days later,” says Sister, nine years younger than Otien. Aoko Otieno.
In addition to her little sister, Telley Otieno was missed by three other sisters.
Excited about the TV show
According to Aoko Otieno, her brother moved from Nairobi to Malind a few years ago.
The role of Otiero sparked much debate a decade ago. HANDOUT / FINNISH MARSALKA PRODUCTION
“Telley was excited about the upcoming TV show,” says Aoko Otieno.
Telley Otieno studied acting in both Nairobi and Milan. He enjoyed himself better on the theater stage than in front of the TV camera.
The main star of the Mannerheim film also got a taste of how things are handled in a big Hollywood production. Otieno participated in one scene Angelina Jolien starring in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. She was one of the young dancers of the Masai tribe.
The choice of Otiero as Mannerheim upset conservative Finns. They did not understand why a black actor was chosen for the role of Marshal of Finland.
Also a former commander of the Defense Forces Gustav Hägglund wondered why a lame man plays upright Mannerheim. Otieno had injured his leg in a motorcycle accident.
Gate ban on Europe
Otieno was a sympathetic person. He could have pursued a career in Europe as well, but he had been banned from entering the Schengen area by the Italian immigration authorities after divorcing his Italian wife. Otieno was unable to attend the Finnish premiere of his film.
In his home country, the actor, who won the Kalasha Prize in the film industry, lived in the Buruburu district of eastern Nairobi. According to Otieno, the residential area is one of the most dangerous residential areas in Nairobi. There, the tourist does not get better with the hawks themselves.
Otieno, who played at a local soap opera at the time, was such a well-known person that many of the newcomers greeted him on the street.
Instead, in shooting situations, people ran away from the camera or landed, even though it was just a matter of so-called panning. When panning, the camcorder is slowly rotated from left to right or vice versa to create a widescreen effect. It does not specify an individual.
– You’re white. People are afraid of cameras because they think you’re trading them, Otieno said with a serious face.
Room at home
After the filming, Otieno proudly said that his 100-euro apartment is more expensive than usual because the price includes electricity, water and security.
The apartment, or a windowless room a few square meters in Finnish, was located on the fourth floor of a building without a lift. In the middle of the dark room was a mattress for sleeping and clothes were hanging next to the wall. There was no TV in the room, but there were a few books on the floor. One of them told of Mannerheim.
On a balcony like Luhtitalo, Otieno put a cannabis blaze on fire and told him more about his life and career until, it was time to say goodbye.
The reporter has interviewed Otieno earlier in his career.