Stormzy found it difficult to “totally separate” himself from his rapper character while making his new short film Big Man.

In his first lead acting role, the Shut Up hitmaker plays Tenzman, a world-weary rap star who rediscovers his love of music when two kids come into his life by chance.

Stormzy, real name Michael Omari, admitted that it was hard to fully separate himself from Tenzman as they are both rappers.

“It was really tough if I’m honest,” he told BBC Newsbeat. “It felt like I’m playing a rapper but I am a rapper, it’s tough to totally separate.”

The Vossi Bop rapper added, “It was really tough but it was a challenge I was so honoured to be a part of. I like to be challenged, I like to be a bit uncomfortable so I love it.”

Big Man, which is the first release from the star’s production company #MerkyFilm, was shot entirely on an iPhone.

Stormzy has previously acted in the 2016 film Brotherhood and the TV shows Chewing Gum and Noughts + Crosses, and he told the publication that he has dreamed of moving into film for a long time.

He also explained that one of his goals with his #Merky empire is to improve the representation of the Black British experience.

“What we’ve tried to do at Merky, whether it’s music, sports, whatever we do, we just want to stand in our truth, tell our stories, but also not from the same perspective that it’s always been told from,” he shared.

“Even being Black British, it’s such a nuanced experience – you’ve got the Black experience, you’ve got the British experience, and then you’ve got the Black British experience. We want to tell it from our perspective, which is nuanced, it’s brilliant, it’s different, it’s not always the same, it’s not a monolith.”

Big Man, a 20-minute short, is now available to watch on Apple’s YouTube channel.

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