Richard Leakey on a conservation crusade (just don't mention God)
A scion of the Leakey family – whose fossil discoveries helped reveal how humans evolved – Richard has also been hailed as a saviour of the African elephant. Sarah Lazarus wonders whether Brad Pitt will do justice to this charismatic Kenyan in a forthcoming biopic …
Richard Leakey's story is so extraordinary and so packed with drama - so much, in fact, like the plot of a Hollywood movie - it's no surprise to learn that Angelina Jolie is going to make a film about him.
, which is due for release late next year, has the starriest cast in the galaxy. Jolie has chosen her husband, Brad Pitt, to play Leakey while she will take the role of his wife and Meryl Streep will play his mother.
When I was at university, studying for a master's degree in palaeoanthropology (human evolution), my friends and I worshipped the Leakey family. Between them, Richard, his parents (Louis and Mary) and his wife (Meave) have discovered a significant proportion of the fossils that have revealed how human beings evolved. For a group of atheists, the Leakeys were the closest thing we had to idols.
Richard Leakey is better known, however, as a conservationist and a politician. His life has been a turbulent mix of adventure, triumph, strife and misfortune, all played out against the colourful backdrop of Kenya. In an African nation beset by poverty and crime, Leakey has battled against a political system disfigured by corruption and cronyism.
We meet at the Mandarin Grill & Bar, in the Mandarin Oriental hotel, Central. Leakey is in Hong Kong on a whirlwind trip, to give a series of talks, host the Royal Geographical Society's gala dinner, meet sponsors, promote local tour company A2A Safaris, tell everyone about the movie and raise awareness of the plight of elephants in the world's largest ivory-buying market. With a schedule like that I'm lucky to get time with him.
Leakey has a huge presence and masses of charisma. Pitt will have to act his socks off if he is to convey the charm, force and complexity of the real thing, not to mention the sonorous voice, with its very British accent. Leakey weighs his words with care and delivers them with authority. He's famously good at fundraising and it's easy to see why people find him persuasive.
