What made you get into acting?
As a child I was always fascinated by these ‘beings’ that lived inside our TV set! I was
convinced I would see them leave from the back of the TV after a show was over, if I waited
long enough!
Born with such a wild imagination, the decision was not a conscious one, but a route destined
to happen. Often I would roll around the living room floor wrestling with pillows
(crocodiles) having just seen an episode of Tarzan.
Not much changed into adulthood, where I would recite dialogue from films I’d seen, with an
attempt at replicating the characters. Eventually, I realized that the energy I had was best
channeled into acting, hence, it chose me, as much as I chose it, as a career.
What is the strangest role you have been offered?
Its very rare I find anything ‘strange’.
Once I was asked to be in a commercial, and was paid £38,000.00 for two hours work and when the
advert was aired, all you saw was the side of my nose, that for me was strange!!
How do you prepare for a role?
Often when you land a role, you have background information at your disposal, from the script,
the director, the character breakdowns etc.
Depending on whether the character is fictitious or not, will determine the nature of the
research one does. If the character in not fictitious, I would gather as much information
as possible to build a profile that is as close to the real life personality of that person.
I find it easier when a role is fictitious, as this allows for more freedom to experiment
with different layers to the character, until I find one that best fits to what the writer
intended.
Who is your role model? It could be anyone from the past or present.
Marlon Brando was my first ‘role model’. I have also always been influenced by the work of
De Niro, Pacino, Penn, Travolta and recently Christian Bale.
You have some amazing films coming out soon, but what has been the most diverse role so far?
I’m excited for audiences to see two films coming out soon in which they will see me in a
different light. First is BREAKDOWN, in which I play a tortured victim. It stars Craig
Fairbrass, James Cosmo and is directed by Jonnie Malachi and produced by Luke Fairbrass.
The second film is MY HERO, here I play a cockney florist, Simon Flowers, who is a drug lord
operating out of Margate. Directed by Robert Osman and produced by Katarina Gellin,
audiences are in for a real treat.
Plastic that's out now, is one brilliant film. If you had unlimited funds what would you do
with it and why?
In terms of film, I would continue developing and producing interesting and stimulating stories
for audiences to enjoy, appreciate and remember through time. In terms of life, I would set up
a charity organisation to help others less fortunate.
You do really get all the gritty roles to play in films, but are there any roles that you long
to play? Like a Romantic comedy, or are you digging deep with the bad guy stuff for now?
I love playing the villain. Having made a career out of it, I still want to pay service to
playing such roles. However, it is also high time to show my diversity as an actor,
hence, a romantic comedy,horror, drama, are all avenues for me to explore. And I am
currently setting these wheels in motion.
If you could play any role that is really out of your comfort zone what would it be?
Not sure any role is within my ‘comfort zone’, as all require a substantial amount of work.
However, what would be fun to play, is a similar role to that of Dustin Hoffman’s role in
Tootsie.
If you could direct any film past or present what would it be and why?
It would be thrilling to do a remake of Boogie Nights. It had me in fits of laughter, so it
would be fabulous to attempt to make it just as funny.
Are their any roles you have played that you felt you changed as a person while filming
or can you walk away and not get too involved with the character?
After 20 years of psychosis, with each dark and terrifying character I’ve portrayed, you have
to learn to walk away unaffected. It’s that or strangling the cat when I get home.
To keep sane you have to have full control over reality and fantasy. I did have problems at
the start of my career, but had to deal with them pronto.
Who would you love to star with next and why?
I’d love to be able to work with Juliet Lewis. She captured my interest ever since I saw her in
Kalifornia and Natural Born Killers. She’s a sensational actress and her music ain’t bad either!
Tell us something about yourself that we don't know.
I love horror films and was excited to win an Award at the prestigious
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival for Truth or Dare, which I produced along with
Jessica Cameron and Jonathan S Higgins.I also like to dip crisps into diet coke.
Are you into this whole selfie things and even if you are not who would be the one person in
history you would love to have a picture with?
Absolutely detest the whole selfie thing! If I were to have a selfie picture with anyone, it
would be with Elvis.
Tag Archives: Acting
Charlize Theron Admits To Lying On Her CV
Actors are known for being a little bit economical when it comes to the truth on their CV. We can all ride horses and snowboard, oh, and speak French. It turns out that not even famous actors are immune. Even Charlize Theron has admitted she has told the odd lie on her CV.
Charlize says she didn’t lie about being able to ride a horse (and I am proud to say I can too). Which is just as well as she had to ride in new comedy western A Million Ways To Die In The West.
You can hear Theron’s interview with the BBC’s Genevieve Hassan here.
Mark Ruffalo ‘I Auditioned 800 Times Without Booking A Role’
For t
hose outside the acting industry it probably looks easy, but what isn’t easy is finding work. This is proven by Mark Ruffalo’s interview in Interview magazine. Here is a highlight:
“In 2000, playwright-cum filmmaker-Kenneth Lonergan’s quirky little sibling drama You Can Count on Me broke out of the festival circuit and went on to be nominated for two Academy Awards (for screenplay and for actress Laura Linney’s star turn). Its success was powered, in part, by the electric performance of a virtually unknown 32-year-old leading man. By the time he booked the part, Mark Ruffalo had already given up on acting at least once, in the mid-’90s, heading home to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to work for his commercial-painter father. But he came back, again and again—auditioning, he once said, 800 times without booking a single role.”
Wow. That is impressive perseverance. Ruffalo also had to deal with his brother being murdered and having a benign brain tumor removed.
Mark Ruffalo is an amazing actor and I am just happy he kept at it. Read the amazing interview, he is interviewed by Julia Roberts and on a shameless self-promotion note: If you are an actor then check out my book How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon.
Vogue Says Women Are Allowed To Have Breasts This Season
Women of the world rejoice! Vogue says we are allowed to have breasts! Yes, you got it, breasts are in this season. What we are supposed to do next season is anyones guess but lets not be ungrateful. A man can have a penis all year but breasts are, y’know, inconvenient. Just ask Fashion Designer Marios Schwab who told Tatler “I’m not a big fan of breasts. They’re a challenging constructional point.” Well, Mario, how about not designing for women then, because you know who don’t have breasts? Men.
Vogue says in this article titled Return of The Bosom: “So if boobs are not yet an out-and-out fashion trend, they are becoming a frequent exception to the rule.” Should someone make fashion know that women’s breasts aren’t detachable? Maybe a post-it note or something? This piece clearly shows that Kate Upton is a feminist icon. Yes, you can model and be a female role model. She was deemed “too obvious” for fashion. Now some fashionistas grind their teeth every time she is featured on the cover of Vogue, as she is this month.
Vogue goes on to say: ‘Men love boobs – that’s a well-documented story we needn’t explore here. But for women, as is true for fashion, the relationship is more complicated. In short, breasts are difficult to dress. During couture week, Jourdan Dunn exclaimed on Twitter, “Ahahahahahahha I just got cancelled from Dior because of my boobs!” But, she reasoned, “I’m normally told I’m cancelled because I’m ‘coloured’ so being cancelled because of my boobs is a minor : )”‘
Wow. Breasts may be difficult to dress, but only because designers are so bad at accommodating them. I mean, what’s next? Hips, arms, thighs? If you can’t make women’s clothes with breasts in mind, you are clearly an untalented idiot. Something Sarah Millican wrote an amazing essay on after being trolled after the BAFTA awards.
In my other life as an actor, my breasts have lead to the most amusing moments in my career. I didn’t develop breasts until I was in my twenties but when they came they didn’t hold back: my size now is 32DD. Which makes costume designers hate you. When I was a UK size 4/6 (I am now a size 8), wardrobe loved me, but when I developed breasts I would stand in the middle of the room while various costume people asked each other, ‘What are we supposed to do with those?’ The answer was usually gaffa tape them down. I am so thankful I am a strong person and that was done to me rather than someone else. I can look at it with amusement, other, emotionally fragile or vulnerable, women could possibly have developed an eating disorder. I have spent a lot of time being dressed up like a boy for parts. I have no idea why. Just hire a fricking boy if that’s what you want.
In fact I am rather sick of fashion expecting women to make their bodies fit the dress, rather than the other way around. Even the thinnest woman has curves, only boys are drawn in a truly straight line. We are not ornaments or hangers. In what other aspect of our lives do we pay money for something that isn’t made to suit us and our lifestyles? Instead we are expected to diet our entire lives just for the joy of wearing clothes designed by people who obviously hate the female form, and don’t even lie about it. Yet, still we punish ourselves.
Of course not all designers are like this. Valentino clearly loves women. As does Roberto Cavalli. Dolce & Gabbana say in the same Vogue article: “We always try to create clothes that enhance a woman’s curves. We like to think that a Dolce & Gabbana girl wants to be very feminine, sensual, strong and fierce of her body.” So let’s take a stance in the only way that really gets things done: with our money. Any designer who hates women’s bodies should not have a penny of a women’s money.
Whilst researching this piece I came across this article Hadley Freeman wrote on this subject. Check it out here and this website, a body gallery of how women really look, was interesting too.
What do you think?
What I Learned From Failure
On the set of debut feature film, Prose & Cons, which had a lot of set backs but is now being edited. Filmmakers Catherine Balavage and Steve McAleavy.
People talk about success a lot and it got me thinking: all of the things that have made me a better person, that have made me grow and become more successful, I learned from failure. I know what you’re thinking; what am I talking about? What can you possibly learn from failure? Well the truth is: everything.
Here are some of the things I now have because of failing: a successful online magazine, which I started after years of failing to work as a freelancer for the big magazines and newspapers, a fiance, who I will marry soon after failed dates and a failed relationship, a successful acting career after many failed auditions and rejection, a life in London after moving down once before and having to return home after running out of money the first time, finishing a book after five years of procrastination and false starts. I could go on, but what is clear, is that everything I have in my life I didn’t get the first time, or the second: I got it because of what I learned from failure and some good ol’ perseverance.
Here is what I learned from failure and how I applied it to my life.
Perseverance
I have had times when I failed so badly that I have spent entire days working from my bed. I have moped, I have even cried. But I always won in the end, or found something better, because I refused to give up. After leaving drama school I would commute between my parents home near Glasgow and London. It was exhausting and expensive so I decided to move. I went down to London on the night bus, I had no place to live, no job and I knew no one. I managed to find a studio flat in Highgate (£595 per month rent nine years ago) and get some ad hoc temp and promo work. However, I couldn’t find enough work to pay the rent and bills. My parents even had to come and take me back to Scotland as I had stuff in the flat and no money at all (thanks mum and dad!). I regrouped, found a job in Scotland that I could transfer to London and moved into a much cheaper house share. This time it stuck: I have never looked back and have made a life in London despite the fact that I knew no one in London and had no contacts either time.
Humility
When I was younger I wanted to be a writer or an actor. I have managed to be both now but when I first started trying to write I tried to get a job everywhere. I called up every newspaper near where my parents lived in Scotland, as well as Glasgow and Edinburgh. ‘Not only are we not hiring’, they said, ‘We’re letting people go.’ It was disheartening. I sent hundreds, probably even a thousand, CVs, letters, emails, calls….I failed miserably. I could not find a writing job in Scotland and although I could not see it at the time, it was a blessing. It also removed any resemblance of ego. Humility is a very important quality in life. You are not special, you are only one person amongst billions of others. A casting director also said this to a group of actors years later: ‘You are not special’. It’s true, and it helps to know it. The world does not owe you a living
Strength
A similar thing happened when I started acting. I left drama school and sent out hundreds of headshots and resumes to every casting director in the UK. I mostly got no reply, but after doing this a number of times, I started to get one or two. Getting an actor career off the ground is very expensive and I was faced with constant rejection. It took my years to even start getting good auditions and then even more years to start getting good parts. But I learned how strong I am, and that I just won’t give up. And that is all you need in life: strength and perseverance. This was especially true when I made my first feature length film as a writer/co-director/lead actor, but it is finished now and being edited.
What Works And What Doesn’t
With failure you learn what doesn’t, and what does work. You also learn about your strengths and weaknesses and can put all of that knowledge into action. I learned that cold calling people would only get me so far and learned to network. It made a huge difference.
Limits, And How To Pass Through Them.
The thing about limits is that you can push through them when you need to. I have done things I never thought I would be able to. Like performing on the West End, performing Shakespeare in the park, organising a launch party for this magazine pretty much all by myself and then managing to fix it when the venue pulled out at the last minute. The day before I had to email or call hundreds of people telling them about the change in venue and then was up late into the night making up hundreds of goodie bags. It was a tough and stressful time but the launch party was amazing, over three hundred people turned up and had a great time.
Of course, everyone has their limits but knowing when to give yourself a break and look after yourself is indispensable. Burning out helps no one. Then after recuperation comes the bounce back. You have to know when to give it a little bit more to achieve something amazing, and when to take some time out.
I hope you enjoyed this post. I would love to know your thoughts and what you have learned from failure. Please comment below or email frostmagazine@gmail.com
50 Kisses at BAFTA for Guinness World Records
I recently attended the 50 Kisses screening event at BAFTA. It was also to celebrate 50 Kisses getting into Guinness Book of Records as the film with the most co-writers. The writers of 50 Kisses gathered at BAFTA to celebrate the news that they had collectively entered the Guinness Book Of Records for the most co-writers on a feature film. The video, from 50 Kisses and director Chris Jones, is below. Congratulations all. It was a great event and we also caught up with British actor Jon Campling and film distributor David Wilkinson.
Ricky Gervais: Women Are Treated Like Props In Film & TV
Ricky Gervais has hit out at the way women are treated in the entertainment industry in an interview with the Radio Times.
He said that he loves to write complex female characters “because usually they’re props, particularly in comedy”.
“Even in Hollywood, they’re usually air heads or if they’re ambitious they’re straight away cold and need to be taught a lesson, They need to show that getting a man is more important than getting a career. Or they’re just props for men to do funny things.”
Gervais then talked about his childhood,
“People think that men rule the world but they don’t, really, That was never my experience growing up and certainly not at Broad Hill (the elderly care home in Derek). Men, when they’re together, revert to the playground.”
Derek returns for a second series on Channel 4 later this month.
Danny Dyer “I’m Held Back Because I’m Working Class”
Danny Dyer has spoken out about the classism in the acting industry in an interview with Woman, stating that being working class, and playing working class characters, has held him back.
The Eastenders actor said “You’ve got actors like Benedict Cumberbatch – a great actor, but he’s a posh boy playing posh boys. He does it well, and he doesn’t get mocked for that.
“I play working class people, and I get mocked for it. I’m stereotyped, he’s not. I’ve done plays at the National Theatre, come off stage and gone into the bar and I ain’t got nothing in common with those people.”
He went on: “When it comes to playing the game, I’m rubbish. The middle-class actors are better prepped at working the system, because they’ve got more in common with the decision makers.”
What do you think? Do you agree?