People: Jan. 30, 2006

FIRST LOOK IF YOU KNEW IDI LIKE HE KNOWS IDI ...

How does one prepare to become one of modern history's most notorious dictators? "I learned the accordion," says FOREST WHITAKER, who plays the former Ugandan despot Idi Amin in the upcoming political drama The Last King of Scotland. The film follows a Scottish doctor who becomes Amin's personal physician. Whitaker also studied Swahili, met Amin's family and some of his former generals and visited the East African nation's palaces and temples. "Most people think of [Amin] as a monster," says the actor. "But he was funny, charming, passionate and flamboyant."...

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