‘Jigsaw’ Star Reveals He Clinched the Role Thanks to His Mom

Given that his father is Mario Van Peebles and grandfather is Melvin Van Peebles, you might these patriarchs had a hand in helping Mandela Van Peebles get his foot in the door for acting opportunities. The actor recently revealed to ComicBook.com, however, that it was a simple reminder from his mother about his dual citizenship that helped the actor claim his role in Jigsaw.

“One of the cool parts about how [Jigsaw] happened, it just seemed like it was supposed to happen,” the actor confessed. “I was on the phone with my manager, and I had just moved over to his management company. I was on the phone with my mom while I got an incoming call from him. I’m said, ‘Mom, I gotta go. You know, my manager’s calling me. The new manager.’ She said, ‘Oh, okay. Well, I know a lot of stuff shoots in Canada, so just make sure he knows you’re a Canadian citizen.’ ‘Cause my mom’s from Montreal, so I have dual citizenship. And I was like, ‘Okay, you know, maybe he doesn’t know that yet.’”

“I tell him, ‘Oh, real quick, before I forget, my mom wanted me to tell you I’m a Canadian citizen,’” Van Peebles pointed out. “And his whole tone and everything changed. He said, ‘What? No way. I was just having this conversation with my partner.’ Who is executive producer on Saw. He does a bunch of stuff.”

“He just basically told me, ‘Just drop everything you’re doing. Go home and just wait for my call,’” he shared. “And five minutes later, he called me back saying, ‘Check your email. You have the sides for the next Saw movie. We need them tonight, basically.’”

“The thing is, with the last name, people equate so much of what I’ve accomplished so far to my grandfather and my father, and have thoughts of nepotism and whatnot,” Van Peebles clarified. “And for this one to be the biggest one I’ve worked on yet, me being Mandela Van Peebles, and it actually had nothing to do with my dad, but my mom.”

Clearly it was the actor’s skills on camera that ultimately scored him the gig, but his anecdote reminds everyone to make sure they listen to their parents and it could help you score a role in a huge horror franchise.

Jigsaw hits theaters Friday, October 27.