Why Father From Raised By Wolves Looks And Sounds So Familiar
Raised by Wolves is about as sci-fi as sci-fi gets. Earth has been obliterated, forcing mankind to the extrasolar planet Kepler-22b, where humans continue to make a mess of things anyway. Androids which have been designated Father and Mother are tasked with not only raising human children while the planet's colonists are making a ruckus, but must contend with any number of extraterrestrial dangers. Seeing as the show is produced by legendary Alien director Ridley Scott, the phrase "extraterrestrial dangers" takes on a rather no-nonsense meaning. Going beyond even that, Raised by Wolves is streaming on HBO Max, meaning no holds will be barred. After all, HBO is responsible for the likes of Game of Thrones and Westworld — stories that aren't known for holding anyone's hand.
Unlike those shows, though, Raised by Wolves doesn't cast many instantly recognizable actors. Abubakar Salim is one such face, but it's not like he's never been seen or heard before playing Raised by Wolves' android Father. Here's why he looks and sounds so familiar, even if you didn't know his name.
Salim craved freedom in Jamestown
British history is a messy subject for more reasons than one, and the historical drama Jamestown does not try to hide that fact. Running for three seasons, the show focuses on the titular town over a decade after a group of British men made their way across the Atlantic to set up the colony in the New World. Now, the women are arriving, and they're expected to marry the male settlers. Relationships are the least of their problems, however: the ins and outs of tobacco economics, encounters with Native Americans, and political strife, all put strain on the burgeoning colony.
Of course, at that time, the slave trade was alive and well. Abubakar Salim plays Pedro, a man who is brought as chattel to the colony in season two, along with Maria (Abiola Ogunbiyi) — though they treat their new status in entirely different ways. Maria, for one, is dead set on returning home to the Kingdom of Kongo. Pedro, on the other hand, has his eyes on freedom, after seeing indentured servants. Things go about as smoothly as you might expect in that regard, but Pedro never lets go of his pride, and tries to find as much joy as possible in the grim reality he faces. It's a tough balance to strike, but Salim nails it.
You heard Salim's voice in Assassin's Creed: Origins
Aside from seeing him on screen, Salim's voice can be heard across a variety of projects. Most prominent of these is Assassin's Creed: Origins, praised as one of the best games in the series. Salim's performance as Bayek — the game's protagonist, an Egyptian Medjay caught in the middle of a longstanding ideological conflict between two ancient orders — earned him a nomination for Best Performer at the 14th British Academy Games Awards, AKA the video game BAFTAs. Both the performer and character were generally well-received, which is an impressive feat considering how many felt the then-decade old franchise was becoming stale.
Salim landed two other video game roles after that, both quite different from his stint as an ancient Egyptian assassin. In World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth, he played shadow hunter and scout extraordinaire Rokhan, Chieftain of the Darkspear trolls, and their representative on the Horde Council. His later role in The Bradwell Conspiracy wasn't burdened by so many titles: he is simply the Guide of the game.
Outside of the video game realm, Salim has also played several roles in the Thomas the Tank Engine franchise, of all things. He voiced quite a few characters in 2018's Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie.
Wherever Salim pops up next, he's sure to continue delivering excellent performances.