'Chevalier' Star Kelvin Harrison Jr. Teases Scar Role in 'Lion King' Prequel: 'Still Spicy' (Exclusive)

"I'm so obsessed with Jeremy Irons' interpretation of that character," says Harrison Jr. of taking on the iconic villain role

Kelvin Harrison Jr. is prepared to voice Scar in the upcoming Lion King prequel.

The actor, 28, who can currently be seen playing 18th-century French composer Joseph Bologne (often referred to as the "Black Mozart") in the new biopic Chevalier, will next show off his singing voice as Scar in Disney's much-anticipated Mufasa: The Lion King, expected for release next year.

"He's still spicy," he teases of his take on the iconic villain, voiced by Jeremy Irons in the 1994 classic original. "Typical Scar, just saying sly comments all the time."

Moonlight filmmaker Barry Jenkins was announced as the director of the film in 2020. In a statement to Deadline at the time, said, "Helping my sister raise two young boys during the '90s, I grew up with these characters."

Related:'The Lion King' Prequel Director Barry Jenkins Says Film Will Have 'Really Wonderful Musical Numbers'

He added, "Having the opportunity to work with Disney on expanding this magnificent tale of friendship, love and legacy while furthering my work chronicling the lives and souls of folk within the African diaspora is a dream come true."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Harrison Jr.s knows he has big shoes to fill in taking over from Irons, telling PEOPLE, "It's so tough because I'm so obsessed with Jeremy Irons' interpretation of that character."

"Obviously the movie's a prequel, so we're kind of getting to see, who is Scar before we knew Scar?" he teases of the project. "And that's been interesting trying to incorporate what we know of him while allowing there to be an arc. I'll say that."

The actor shares that he had auditioned for both Mufasa and Scar before landing the villainous role. (The Underground Railroad actor Aaron Pierre is voicing the title character.)

"I put more effort into the Scar because I wanted Scar more," Harrison Jr. admits. "So I did the voice record and I was walking around my apartment on all fours like a lion, just really doubling down. And then I found out I got it and I was really just like ... I couldn't believe it."

Chevalier is now playing in theaters.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.