Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is truly taking over Hollywood in 2020 (but he's super humble about it)

Actor Yahya Adul Mateen II has taken over Hollywood this year with his incredible acting in The Trial of the Chicago 7, his Emmy Award for his work in Watchmen (streaming now on Crave), and he's also been working on some upcoming movies, including Candyman and The Matrix 4. Yahya says he's been "really, really blessed" to work on all of these projects and the word he uses to describe this point in his career is "gratitude."Speaking with etalk, Yahya said that with everything going on in the world, he's remained more conscious of slowing down and being thankful for "all of these gifts and wide variety of projects" he's been able to work on. This year, his standout character was easily Bobby Seale, co-founder of the Black Panther Party, in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7, and the actor said that he was able to step into the world of his character. "There was so much clarity and vision within the writing itself with the talented team from the top to the bottom," Yahya said of his time working on the movie.

 

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Bobby was the only Black defendant among the seven on trial, and judge Julius Hoffman treated him with a heavy bias. He repeatedly denied his requests to represent himself and cross-examine witnesses and even ordered that he be bound and gagged by marshals. Yahya said that there's a lot about Bobby's work that he can relate to."I'm a Black man in America, and although I'm fortunate and blessed to be in a very blessed position based on my profession, I don't always walk around with the privilege that's allotted to me because of my profession or education," the 34-year-old actor said.  "I start off every day as I walk outside as a Black man, so there's a lot about Bobby's work in that film that I related to as well."[video_embed id='2047738']RELATED: ‘The Trial Of The Chicago 7’ might be the first major Oscar contender of the year[/video_embed]After doing his research about Bobby's life, Yahya said that he learned about his character's dignity and how he was always trying to protect his humanity. "That's something that I can relate to. He's demanding that he's seen as a human being and not minding that sometimes my voice or my demeanour makes people uncomfortable along the path that's ensuring that I'm treated as a human," he saidYahya has also worked with our Canadian treasure Keanu Reeves this year on The Matrix 4, and he said that the hardworking actor is "always having fun." Yahya also shared that if there's a perfect example of how to go to work, it would be Keanu because of his strong work ethic. "They say, 'Don't take work home,' and usually, I would say 'Take that with a grain of salt because sometimes you got to take work home.' But Keanu takes some of the work offset with a very joyous attitude," Yahya said, adding that Keanu is a pleasure to be around.TL;DR: Yahya could come out of 2020 with an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Bobby Seale on top of his Emmy, which only furthers our very professional assessment that the actor is Hollywood's new It Man and should now be in every movie ever.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: Baby preciously cuddles cat for nap time[/video_embed]