Neil Jordan | GRETA

jordan greta

Neil Jordan leaves a maverick stamp on every movie he makes. After a successful, if turbulent, sojourn into telly and a return to his first love of writing, the award-winning director of Company of Wolves, The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire has returned to the cinema and turned his attention to the psycho-stalker genre with Greta, which stars Isabelle Huppert as a mysterious widow living alone in New York, and Chloë Grace Moretz as the innocent young girl she first befriends, then enchants, then entraps. We dragged ourselves kicking and screaming to the Soho Hotel in London to talk with Jordan about strange obsession, Excalibur and the joy of Spanish dubbing…

It’s been seven years since Byzantium (2012).  Is it the case that as you get older you get choosier with projects?

You want to know the honest to god’s truth? They get much more difficult to make. I was doing The Borgias on TV for quite a while, then I made Byzantium, then I kind of walked off a TV series (the Sky Atlantic hit Riviera, which began in 2017 and Jordan disowned after his initial scripts were re-worked by others) and then I wrote a novel called ‘Carnivalesque’ because I’ve always written novels. All of which takes time, so that’s really what it was.

Did you have Isabelle Huppert in mind early on for the lead role?

No, it’s very simple; I was sent the script, it was by a Hollywood guy called Ray Wright who I had never met. It was very simple, a generic piece. I’d never thought of making a “stalker movie” but there was a simplicity to it that I found really intriguing, you know? Because I find it very difficult to be simple. And the fact it was between two women really intrigued me, so I thought if I can get somebody interesting to play this I’ll make it. Isabelle was interested, I met with her and I kind of re-shaped the part around her, it became a conversation and we ended up making the film. It was just the fact that felt I could build a character around her that would be memorable. She’s an icon of French cinema, she’s one of the most controlled and interesting actors in the world.

How did the part evolve once she was on-board?

The part in the script I was sent was simply a Hungarian widow in her late 60s. The interest, affection and contact between Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) and Greta was more based on pity rather than fascination. So it was lovely to construct this character that had this French veneer and underneath it was something of this other widow character. Isabelle told me her background, that her Grandfather was Hungarian, which I never knew, and she had some acquaintance with the Hungarian language. So together we constructed this character, but she’s a really…I mean her face changes by the minute. That scene where she’s lighting those candles in a church, she looked Garbo-esque. That ‘invasive eye’ is normally played by a man – it could have been Nicholas Cage, it could have been Anthony Perkins, Terrance Stamp…

It makes for a very different take on the genre…

That’s the interesting thing, this is much more terrifying really. The sexual dimension is almost entirely removed and this woman’s logic then becomes absolutely clear: she wants a friend. And she was promised friendship even though she’s set this trap to bring this person into her life. And the fact that this girl rejects her so brutally gives rise to this pathology, it all made absolute sense. Because once you remove that sexual dimension, what kind of lengths can loneliness drive you to?

 

 

 

The only significant male role is played by your long-term collaborator Stephen Rae. How would you characterise your relationship?

Obsessive…needy? No, I think the word might be ‘symbiotic’, although what does that mean? I never quite understand the meaning of that, but there are certain parts that I kind of need Stephen to deliver for me, that only he can play. For example in The End of the Affair as the husband who had to accept that his wife was in love with Ralph Fiennes. Stephen could understand that kind of logic and make it really moving. When I did Interview with the Vampire I created this character Santiago who was straight out of the French comedy of the period. Stephen got the theatricality of that and could deliver it. In The Crying Game, I wrote that role specifically for him.

This movie is very small-scale by your usual standards. Is this the shape of things to come for you?

Oh no, I’m still gonna make massive movies, don’t worry. This is tiny because it needs to be tiny, that was the attraction to me. I was kind of thinking of the unmentionable Roman Polanski a lot as I was making it. Tiny is good if you’re into the realms of dread and characters that are punishing each other. But it’s even harder to get a movie like this made than a $200 million movie. It’s weird, I mean the big actors don’t even want to read the parts for you because they get paid nothing and they know they’ll end up in some godawful studio in Budapest or bloody Bulgaria. It’s getting harder and harder.

You started out in the 70s as a short-story writer, was it a surprise to you that you became a filmmaker?

I was a short story writer, then a novelist, then a filmmaker. What was a surprise to me was that the minute I became a filmmaker that was all I was known as. A big surprise that, but it’s the way the culture seems to work.

Your first step into the movie business was in 1980 on John Boorman’s Excalibur, a film dear to STARBURST’s heart. How did that come about?

That was brilliant, amazing. John was very generous to me. We had written a script together that he had been trying to make all his life called ‘Broken Dreams’. That was the first time I met him, and then he said he was doing Excalibur and he asked me to re-write the last draft of the script with him for which I didn’t get a credit, but I think he enjoyed the conversation and he wanted me around when he was making the film. So I said, well, why don’t I make a documentary on you making the film? He said sure enough and he gave me the money to do it – it was amazing, I’d no idea what filmmaking was about or anything. It was like going to film school.

Like Boorman, you’ve always appeared to be a very independent-minded director, you pretty much do what you want to do. But do you feel free these days?

I feel older…I feel I know more what filmmaking is about. I’m not going to give out about the current state of things. I mean, it’s good that Netflix is there. I wish they were making more Brian De Palma movies actually, and more John Carpenter movies, but it’s good they’re filling in the gap that Hollywood used to fill so happily. DVD sales have basically collapsed, so it’s good they’re doing their series and making a Martin Scorsese movie (this year’s The Irishman). It’s all fine, but I do like seeing things in a cinema and I think there should be a more rapid inter-change between cinema exhibition and streaming. I think that would solve a lot, because if films are getting a big audience in the cinema they should stay in the cinema and if they don’t manage to get a big audience they should go to streaming almost immediately. I wish it was all more fluid.

Have you ever been to see your films in a foreign country? For a film like Greta, which is so centred on a few key performances, good dubbing must be crucial?

I have seen them and it’s very simple: you see the films in Spanish – they appear pornographic; you see them in French – they appear highly intellectual; you see them in Italian – they appear more comedic. It’s just bizarre. But no, I don’t get involved at all in that. I know some director’s do.

Greta is three-hander with a very interesting character dynamic at play. How do you work with your actors?

I’m very selfish, I use rehearsal entirely as a space in which I can re-write the parts, it’s as simple as that. I go ‘let’s go through this scene’ and they read the scene and I go ‘OK…we can go further with that, we can change that’. I’m refining the script.

But you still get those moments of revelation looking through the camera?

On yeah, the entirety of this movie was constructed through the camera. We were on a tiny little stage in Ireland with two little sets, particularly that little ‘Hansel and Gretel’ apartment Greta has. All of the drama, all of the tension, all of the undertones of the whole film, it’s created through the camera and it’s amazing what you can do in a tiny room, that’s what I really loved about making this film.

Is the next project already coming together?

Well I wrote a novel called ‘The Drowned Detective’ and I’ve written a screenplay about that, which is… hell to get going, absolute hell. Getting the money is just extraordinarily difficult. I suppose if I was making movies that cost $2 million…but I can’t do that. I can’t do everything with a hand-held camera, running around the streets, you know? I have to create an image.

Greta is in cinemas from April 18th.

Christine Lynn Herman | THE DEVOURING GRAY

christine herman

Born in New York City but raised in Japan and Hong Kong, Christine Lynn Herman subscribes to the firm philosophy that home is where her books are. The Devouring Gray is her debut YA novel, a slow creep horror that has been impressing everyone who’s read it.

STARBURST: What’s the elevator pitch for The Devouring Gray?

Christine Lynn Herman: Stranger Things meets Riverdale in Four Paths, a small town in upstate New York where four teenagers must uncover dark family secrets to save everyone they love from a monster lurking in the woods.

And how would you pitch that to someone who isn’t into ghost stories?

If you enjoy stories about twisted family legacies in contemporary fiction, you’ll enjoy them even more with some messed-up magic thrown in. The Devouring Gray has both!

How would you describe The Devouring Gray series to an elderly relative?

There’s murder. You’ll like it.

What character is the most fun to write?

Harper’s POVs, and Isaac’s one-liners.

Which character seriously needs to have word with themselves?

The entire Hawthorne family is in serious need of some introspection. Especially Augusta.

How long did it take to write?

I got the idea in December 2014, wrote the first draft in spring 2015, signed with an agent in winter 2017, and sold it that summer – so, about four years of various drafts and revisions before it was finished.

Why the supernatural?

Because magic makes everything more interesting.

What’s with the name Four Paths?

There’s a reason, I promise. You’ll have to read the book to find out.

What has been the most interesting shift in genre writing in recent years?

The rise of a new generation of women who are true power players in adult science fiction and fantasy. Charlie Jane Anders, V. E. Schwab, Nnedi Okorafor, N.K. Jemisin, Samantha Shannon, and so many more writers are doing some really groundbreaking work right now. I’m really happy about it.

What’s next?

Right now I’m revising the sequel to The Devouring Gray, which is quite intense and a lot of fun. It’s slated to come out in spring of 2020.

What tropes do you personally avoid the most?

I’m not a huge fan of insta-love, although I do think it’s totally realistic for two characters to be attracted to one another the first time they meet. I also despise the trope of something bad happening to a woman solely to further the character development of a man. Hard pass on that one.

Describe your dream project?

One day, I really want to write something that reads like Heathers with dark magic. I’m still trying to figure the deeper idea out, though. It’s tough to get right.

If you could take one piece of art/music/movie/book/etc, and ensure it would last until the sun dies out, what would it be?

Probably Avatar: The Last Airbender – it’s an all-ages-appropriate masterclass in storytelling and character development.

If you could give the 16-year-old version of yourself any advice, what would it be? Would you listen?

I would tell her to keep writing and to stop worrying so much about what people think of her. She would listen to the writing part and completely disregard everything else.

The Devouring Gray is out now.

 

Tom Huddleston, Cavan Scott | CITY OF LIFESTONE, ATTACK OF THE NECRON

huddleston scott

Tom Huddleston and Cavan Scott are highly experienced writers who specialise in making popular franchise fiction accessible to younger audiences. These brave gentlemen have written the first Warhammer Adventures books, which bring the detailed and complicated (and quite mature) worlds of Warhammer to the 8-12 aged audience. We caught up with them to find out more…

STARBURST: Tom, what’s the elevator pitch for City of Lifestone?

Tom Huddleston: The story is set in the mortal realms of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, a world of adventure and monsters and battles and general mayhem. It follows a slave-girl called Kiri who flees her captors and sets out to find the fabled city of Lifestone, but when she gets there nothing’s as she thought it would be. It’s about friendship and bravery and magic and giant talking rats.

Cavan, how about the story behind Attack of the Necron?

Cavan Scott: Three kids and an alien ape survive the destruction of their planet only to find themselves hunted by one of the aliens behind the cataclysmic event.

Warhammer 40,000 is a well-established franchise; how did you the tackle of creating a Grim Dark story a younger audience?

CS: It was important that we never talked down to younger readers. This is still a dangerous universe, but obviously we’ve got to be responsible, making sure that the peril and thrills are age-appropriate, never getting too scary, while still maintaining the danger that makes the franchise so popular in the first place.

Age of Sigmar is a complicated fantasy setting. What did you do to navigate it?

TH: I did a whole lot of reading. I didn’t grow up with Warhammer, so I had to absorb a large amount of lore in a very short space of time. Luckily, it’s all really cool, exciting, and memorable!

What one thing did you have to take out in order to make the book work?

TH: Truthfully, not much. We had to move some scenes around, but the book came out pretty much fully formed.

CS: Well, we couldn’t have the gore and excessive violence that Warhammer 40,000 is known for – but there’s still plenty of jeopardy.

What character is the most fun to write?

TH: Probably Kreech, the leader of those devious talking rat-men the Skaven. They have a totally unique manner of speech, which is always enjoyable to write, plus he’s just this wonderfully grasping, shallow, self-important, vicious little fiend. All great qualities in a villain.

CS: I think Fleapit the Jokaero, as who wouldn’t want to write a grumpy cybernetic alien orangutan?

Which character would you like to have a long chat with?

TH: Probably Vertigan, the wise old witch hunter who brings the heroes of the book together. He’d have some amazing stories, about everything he’s seen and done in his years roaming the mortal realms.

How long did it take to write?

TH: Longer than it takes to read.

CS: The book has had a long gestation as we spent a long time working out the character, the overall story arc and the right tone. The book itself probably took a month or so to write and edit.

How have the fans been?

TH: On the whole, terrific. There was some initial uncertainty about the prospect of writing Warhammer stories – which have traditionally been rather violent – for younger readers, but that died away pretty quickly once the books actually came out.  Obviously, myself and Cavan had to tread a fine line between satisfying the hardcore fans and still making the books kid-friendly, but from the responses I’ve seen I’d say we achieved it. The whole idea was to give Warhammer fans something to share with their own young ‘uns, and that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.

CS: At first, quite a few fans seemed to be worried that this would somehow water down the universe as a whole, but hopefully by now their worries have proved to be unfounded. Certainly, the response to the first book has been fantastic, with lots of parents telling us how great it is to have their kids’ reading. The parents seem to have been enjoying the books too.

What has been the most interesting shift in genre writing in recent years?

TH:  I’m sorry, that’s a question for someone else. I buy all my books in charity shops, and am rubbish at following trends.

CS: I think the growth of TV binge-watching and long-form storytelling, from season-long arcs to single-stories told over multiple episodes. That’s influenced everything from comics to books – and even film franchises. Just look at the MCU. Now everyone wants shared universes.

What tropes do you personally avoid the most?

TH: I don’t place a blanket ban on anything. If it works for the story, I’ll use it.

CS: And it was all a dream…

What’s next?

TH:  First up it’s the second Warhammer Adventures: Realm Quest book, Lair of the Skaven, in which our heroes have to infiltrate a warren teeming with savage rat men. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was a major influence.

Then I have a new original novel coming out in October, it’s called FloodWorld and it’s an action-packed adventure story for 10+ readers, set in a world where the oceans have risen, submerging the cities. It’s a bit sci-fi, a bit disaster movie, a bit political thriller, and all super exciting.

CS: The next book in the series leads on directly from Attack of the Necron and sees the kids exploring a derelict spaceship – a derelict spaceship stalked by an alien from their worst nightmares. Claws of the Genestealer comes out in May.

Describe your dream project for us.

TH: I’d love to work on a movie adaptation of one of my own books. I think FloodWorld would make a cracking film, though you’d need several hundred million dollars to do it justice.

CS: Writing Superman for any medium, but especially comics.

You’ve written a lot of franchise work. What’s next?

TH: Well, the Warhammer Adventures: Realm Quest series has only just begun, so I’ll be writing those for the foreseeable. There are some really cool stories coming up – as far as I’m concerned, the books just keep getting better. But I would say that.

CS:  I’ve written a new five-and-a-half-hour Star Wars audio drama which explores the past of Count Dooku, the Sith played by Christopher Lee in the Prequel trilogy. Featuring a full cast, Dooku: Jedi Lost is published by Del Rey on April 30th. Beyond that… well, that would be telling…

If you could give the 16-year-old version of yourself any advice, what would it be? Would you listen?

TH: I’d tell myself to be more confident in my own abilities. But to be honest, I told myself that at the time and I didn’t listen.

CS: Never stop playing. Life is supposed to be fun. And yeah, hopefully they would, once they’ve stopped trying to be painfully cool – and failing horribly!

Attack the Necron and City of Lifestone are out now. Keep an eye on the Warhammer Community website for the latest news of all things Warhammer.

Sam Elliott | THE MAN WHO KILLED HITLER AND THEN THE BIGFOOT

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot

With a career spanning 50 years, Sam Elliott is a hugely familiar face (and voice) to so many of us thanks to offerings such as The Big Lebowski, The Hero, A Star Is Born, Road House, We Were Soldiers, Ghost Rider and a ridiculous amount of other projects. Now, Elliott is headlining the massively impressive The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot as Calvin Barr, a World War II soldier who, yes, did indeed off Adolf and is now on the trail of Bigfoot. But there’s a lot more to this feature than merely a gimmicky title, and we were lucky enough to grab some time with the absolutely charming Sam to discuss his latest movie, his career to date, being pigeonholed, the ever-changing film industry, Lady Gaga withdrawal symptoms, and so much more. And seriously, if there’s ever been a nicer, more genuine and sincere gentleman in the movie business, we’ve yet to make their acquaintance.

STARBURST: The concept of The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot is a movie that’s far more than just an attention-grabbing title, so how was it to tackle such a unique and thoughtful picture?

Sam Elliott: I’ve not done a lot of press for this film because I’m working on this television show, The Ranch, and at the same time for the last three months I’ve been on that train for the awards season. It didn’t give me a lot of time with the people I would’ve loved to have been with, and that’s Robert [D. Krzykowski – director]. When the script came to me, immediately I thought “Wow!” I knew this was a first-time director and I was just kind of wondering where it came from. Robert is about 30 years old. On some levels it’s very simple yet on other levels it is very complex and thoughtful. I was amazed that I got such a script from such a young man, and through the course of it I became very attached to Robert. I have the highest regard for him, not only as a filmmaker but as a human being. He’s one of those guys that have a lot to offer, and I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him, for sure.

In the bonus content included with this release, Robert explains how he had been working on the movie in some form or fashion for 12 years – which is pretty crazy to think about.

It’s insane. And that’s the truth of it; it was a 12-year venture for him. There were a number of drafts along the way. He told me one time that his dad read one of the early drafts – when he felt like he had something he wanted to share, he showed it to his dad – and he said he got a lot of support, a lot of encouragement from his father to push on, to go on with it. Robert lives in Western Massachusetts, he lives this provincial existence – if that word means anything these days – and he’s just a lovely man and it’s a lovely family in this lovely community. Like I said, he’s a wonderful human being; he’s as far away from the Hollywood mentality as you can possibly get. He came up with this piece and I think it’s really going to resonate with film-lovers. It certainly has over here; it’s been well received, well reviewed. Unfortunately, it didn’t end up in the hands of anyone who’s going to get it in theatres, but it works really well and I think in the end Robert’s going to be pleased. And if he’s pleased, I’m gonna be pleased. I had a great run myself this year and I couldn’t be happier with what’s gone on and what’s come my way. I’m very fortunate, I’m very thankful for it, but to see Robert get the recognition that I feel so strongly that he deserves would be a wonderful thing. There’s a huge future coming for him.

With The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot, when did the project first come to your attention?

I think it was not early on at all. The script that I got was basically the script that we shot, so I was a long way down the road. I had not met Robert or even heard of Robert. When the script came and the little short film came along with it, I think it was at that time that I heard the name John Sayles. I thought, “Wow, if John Sayles is backing this guy then there must be something going on here.” Then I later heard Douglas Trumbull, the Academy Award-winning special effects man. I thought, “How is it possible that this young kid has these older guys around him and showing him such support?” It just so happens to be that he’s a talented man. And I keep getting back to it, but Robert’s it’s humanity. He’s really an exceptional man on that level; he’s different, he’s a different kind of fish that swims in this larger pond.

There was a time, because of my work schedule on the Netflix series, that I was not going to do the film. I told Robert, and it was the same thing that happened with me on [The Amazing] Spider-Man. They got down to really the end of negotiations, and I had a conflict. With Robert, it was not over a conflict, it was the commitment to the show. Going to Massachusetts and working on a film, I just couldn’t do that so I wavered on it. I wasn’t going to do it and we kind of let it go. Then Robert sent a letter to my agent – it wasn’t to me, it was to my agent – thanking him for all of the support he’d given Robert. It wasn’t like he was, “I’m so mad at you guys. You have to make this work out. Sam said he’ll do it, now he says he won’t!” It wasn’t anything negative at all, it was just thanking this man for the support and the help that he’d given over the course of the last month and a half. My agent forwarded that letter on to me, and I picked up the phone right there and said, “Robert, I’ll be there. Just let me know when.” It was solely based on that letter. It wasn’t that he was nudging anybody, he was just thanking somebody who he didn’t even know for the support he’d given him. That just made me want to work with him and I wanted to help him achieve his vision.

In terms of the script itself, what was it that most appealed to you about it?

It’s brilliant on so many levels, there’s so much going on there. There’s the surface thing of killing Bigfoot and Hitler. I loved that, I loved the way it was dealt with on film – particularly the Hitler part. It’s such a fantastical tale that’s told in such a real, believable way. Quentin Tarantino had Hitler dying in a movie theatre in a fire [in Inglourious Basterds], so why not have some imposter walk into his office and blow him away in his tracks. Neither’s more preposterous than the other, it’s just great filmmaking. There was something about Calvin Barr. I’ve done contemporary military films throughout my career, and there was something about Calvin Barr that just spoke to me. This man who lost the love of his life, who I think suffers on some deep level from PTSD. There’s this loving relationship with his brother that’s not quite there, and he’s beloved by the community and his dog. There’s a lot going on in this guy’s soul. That’s what really appealed to me.

It’s just honest. It’s honest storytelling. The big stretch is obviously this Bigfoot, but that was dealt with in such a way that you kind of want to buy into it. It kind of reads in the movie like he [Calvin Barr] only killed two people, but I have no doubt that Calvin was quite the warrior during his service time in the military. He didn’t end up getting shipped over there to kill Hitler and get this reputation with the military and the FBI by killing one man. That’s the thing that causes such angst with PTSD. I really think that’s what it is: the killing. We’re the masters of getting boys to kill but we don’t know how to teach them to deal with the killing. I fully believe that.

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot Sam Elliott

Given how so much of the movie is based around the fallout of war and the sacrifices of it, would it be fair to say that the message of this picture is even more relevant these days than it was for the soldiers of World War II?

I think that’s absolutely true. And it’s that potential that really spoke to me; that that’s there, that we can recognise that the world is in such chaos right now. I don’t want to get in to politics but I hate what’s going on in this country right now. And I see it going on across the world – in your country with Brexit – it just seems like everybody’s polarised. Nobody’s talking to each other, everybody’s talking at each other. There’s no listeners in the world, just a bunch of loudmouths. It’s terrible. That’s another thing about this film; it’s this hope-filled tale and there’s just something so sweet about this picture. I think that’s what speaks to people. You see people weeping in this movie along with hooting at it. As preposterous as it is, you see people shedding a tear watching this.

It is certainly a very poignant picture. With the title, though, do you think that The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot might give people the wrong impression as to what to expect from the movie?

Yeah, I certainly do. It certainly isn’t what the title indicates, by any stretch. I don’t think there’s a lot of hate groups who are going to go and see a movie called The Man Who Killed Hitler. I was fully expecting to start getting shit in the mail from some of those groups. In the end, it is a movie. We’re entertaining people. With the title, I have talked to Robert about it. I think the title serves it well. I think it is off-putting to some people because it doesn’t really represent anything in the film other than the killing of the two entities. So, I think it short-sells the movie on that level, but what else would you call it?

On a slightly lighter note, have you yourself ever had any bizarre encounters with urban legends such as Bigfoot?

No, not really. I grew up in the Northwest, in Oregon. I was born and raised in California, and that’s where Bigfoot was supposed to be hanging out. I only saw the bits of film that were supposed to be Bigfoot, but I didn’t put any thought into it. That didn’t mean that I didn’t completely not believe either.

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot Sam Elliott

As someone who’s been involved in the industry since 1969, how do you feel about the change to film over those years? Nowadays, anybody with a camera can make a movie and try to market it.

I think what you just said about anybody can make a film and market it today, it’s the technology that’s changed it all. Clearly, on every level, for everyone, it’s a different world. It’s cheap to do, it doesn’t cost a lot of money to make a film anymore. I remember back when I was starting, it was all about “Action!” and “Cut!” and preservation and not wasting film. Today, with this digital world, the camera runs forever. Also, there’s the insatiable appetite for everything. It’s constant now, people are never satisfied. I don’t think it’s healthy. It’s like going outside and seeing people just with their heads down, looking at their cell phone, walking across a busy street or sitting across from someone at a dinner table. There’s so little real interaction.

Throughout your career, you’ve done pretty much everything. From Westerns, to drama features, to action movies, to comedy, to voice work and animation, to even superhero movies with the Hulk and Ghost Rider features, but is there still that dream project out there that you’re dying to tackle?

I think at some point I’d like to do a musical of some sort. It’s the longest shot one can make, the hardest thing. I had a lot of singing in my background in local ensembles and choirs since I was a young kid. My mom dragged me to sing in a church choir when I was 4-years-old and I always sang in different things as I grew up, in college, in high school, in grade school. So that’s there. Whether that will ever happen, we’ll see. I just want to keep doing some good work. I don’t have any desires to retire or move along just yet. There’s nothing to move along to other than trout fishing.

Was there ever a point in time, especially coming off the back of the Westerns of the ‘60s and ‘70s, where you felt you were becoming pigeonholed at all?

There was. I’m not sure if that’s something I just felt and that it wasn’t really the case. I think it was not long before The Big Lebowski that I felt that way. I remember I was in Texas with John Millius on a thing called Rough Riders. It was a military story but the guy was still riding a horse and was a cowboy of some sorts. I was the cowboy. I remember getting the script [for Lebowski] from the Coen Brothers delivered to me on the set. I couldn’t wait to get back to my room and read it because I thought this could not possibly be a cowboy, it’s going to be some wacky fucking character that they’re the masters of creating and it’s going to be a chance to do something else. Then I went and read this thing and it’s clearly a cowboy, the drugstore cowboy, and then I kind of thought differently of it after that. I looked back over the course of things. That reputation that I had, I think it came from very early on when I was a contract player doing episodic television and playing these minor, minor roles in Westerns. As things progressed and bigger roles came around, I just think on some level that all of the really good stuff came my way because I had that reputation. It took me a while to figure that out. I believe that’s the truth, so I’ve got away from feeling like I was pigeonholed for a moment to just being thankful for everything.

Sam Elliott The Big Lebowski

From speaking to you for 30 minutes here, there’s just a great sense of humility and appreciation to you. Has that always naturally been the case or was there ever a point where you had to stop yourself from getting carried away in the bubble of celebrity and fame?

I don’t think so, I think it’s always been very clear where I came from. I had great parents, I was raised right, and I also grew up in a time when it was a lot of fun to grow up. Everybody was unified instead of polarised like we are today. I don’t mean that it was all ideal or to make this a generality, but it was a better time to grow up. I had good parents that were together until my dad died. My mother lived to be 97 years old and I was with her when she died. I had good parents and a long, long extended family. They were good people. There was a lot of history in my family from the state of Texas, and they were salt of the earth people.

It may be an impossible question, but throughout this 50-year career is there a particular project or two that stand out as your favourites?

I think the work that I’ve done over the last couple of years on some levels stand out. But then if I’m going to talk about anything, then it eliminates other things. I can’t eliminate Mask, I can’t eliminate Road House, I can’t eliminate some of the stuff that’s so far away from where I am today. So I guess the answer is there’s a lot of them that stand out. I think that, on some level, the thing that makes them stand out is the adventure itself, the people you work with. It’s not so much the part or the film in the end, it’s the people you’ve just encountered. Beginning with a movie called The Hero that was written for me a couple of years ago from Marc Bash, that eliminates Grandma. I’m just very, very fortunate is the truth of it. I’ve never had an experience that rivals what I’ve just had with A Star Is Born. The opportunity to work with Bradley [Cooper] and [Lady] Gaga, who I both love deeply, it was just a wonderful experience. I’m still going through the withdrawal of not seeing Lady Gaga once in a while.

Sam Elliott Bradley Cooper Lady Gaga

Of course, you were recently on the Oscars train with A Star Is Born, but for a long time now you’ve be one of so many people’s favourites actors. For you, would you say that you appreciate all of this more now than you may have done earlier in your career?

Oh, I think I appreciate it more after 50 years than I did initially. I wanted to do this since I was a little kid, since I was 8 or 9 years old. That was when I had my first really clear thought. I went to the movie theatre where I grew up in Sacramento and I remember thinking this sure looked like fun and that it was what I wanted to do; I wanted to be a movie actor. It was never about the theatre, it was never about being a legitimate actor on some level, it was always about making films. I kept my nose to the stone and I wanted a career out of it, and I knew I had to be careful about how I expose myself and why I worked. If you work for money, I’m afraid it’s going to be a short career. Money isn’t everything. It was always just about having a career, and I’ve been very, very fortunate.

You’ve been working on The Ranch again recently, but is there anything else in the pipeline that you can tell us about right now?

I don’t know what I’m going to do next. I’m going to take a break and spend some time with my wife. I’ve been working pretty steady for the last 2 years. First it was Bigfoot during my hiatus from The Ranch, then last year it was A Star is Born. I did Bigfoot right on the heels of A Star is Born. Then the year before that it was The Hero, so it’s been a busy, busy time. There’s a few irons in the fire but I’m not overly eager. The right one will show itself at some point.

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot is available now on digital download, with a Blu-ray and DVD release set for May 6th.

Kansas Bowling: Exclusive Behind the Scenes Short

kansas

STARBURST catches up with young director and actor Kansas Bowling and gets and exclusive look behind the scenes of her as-yet-untitled next movie…

In 2016, director Kansas Bowling released B.C. Butcher, a 16mm prehistoric slasher film she had made at the age of 16. Shot almost entirely in her father’s backyard, the movie starred Rodney Bingenheimer, Kato Kaelin, and Kadeem Hardison, and was released by Troma Entertainment. In the years since, Bowling has directed a seemingly endless slew of eye-catching music videos for everyone from garage rockers the Death Valley Girls to the Fontaines.

The now 22-year-old Bowling’s newest film is in the editing stage at this very moment, and it looks to be another excellent throwback. In addition to directing, Bowling appears in the film as a professor, in the style of the Faces of Death films.

“Instead of talking to the audience and showing them gore footage, I’m talking to them like they’re parents, and showing them footage of what their delinquent teenage daughters are doing that they don’t know about,” the director explains to us. “It goes into a bunch of vignettes about troubled, delinquent teenagers.”

Brissa Monique

The film – whose title can’t be revealed while Bowling tries to line up the rights to the song that inspired it – is based on a bunch of girls with whom the director grew up, and looking back knowing how they turned out today.

“It’s like: ‘Oh, that person’s dead, that person’s in rehab, that person’s homeless,’” Bowling explains. She continues on to say that it’s not exploitative, but actually a feminist film: “But not in a tacky way.”

In the intervening years since B.C. Butcher, the director has learned quite a few things. That film was shot over nine straight days, with the same cast and crew every day. For this film, Bowling shot in bits and pieces over a year, and all over the United States – Los Angeles and the surrounding area, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Las Vegas – and beyond, with one vignette set in Mexico City.

“There’s over 100 people in the movie – almost 120, I think,” Bowling says. “Depending on which day or which vignette, we had this DP, Andres Garzas, shooting it, or sometimes I would shoot it. Some scenes, my boyfriend, Don De Vore, shot.”

As if that wasn’t a massive scaling-up of operations in and of itself, there are also little movies within the movie, so, as the director says, it’s a very different style and a very different process than her first feature.  “Every time I do a shoot, I basically learn something new,” Bowling explains of the time she’s spent making music videos, and how that’s benefited her new feature. “I’ve become more confident in what I’m doing and I’ve been able to develop a very specific style, to me. I’ve definitely learned a lot. I’m confident to the point where I could be the entire crew by myself.”

Bowling and her sister, Parker, can both be seen in the trailer for Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but at the moment, the director and actor is mum on the experience: “Right now, all I’m allowed to say is that I’m in it, or else I’ll get in a lot of trouble,” she explains with a nervous laugh.

Ariel King

We have an exclusive behind the scenes preview of Kansas Bowling’s upcoming feature. Shot during the filming, it’s entitled Guerrilla, and was shot and edited by Douglas Burgdorff, and shows both the excitement and monotony of shooting an independent film. It’s for a segment of the film about two hitch-hiking girls that get kidnapped by some rednecks.

The people that can be seen in the video are the actors in the scene Bowling was filming: Lily Noyes, Nina Ljeti, James Landry Hebert, Tyler Bradberry, and Dylan Lusetich. Also in there are the people helping out on set that day: Tori Pope, Director of Photography Andres Garzas, the director’s sister, Parker Love Bowling, as well as her boyfriend, Don De Vore, and Townes, Bowling’s dog.

KANSAS BOWLING: GUERRILLA from Douglas Burgdorff on Vimeo.

You can keep up to date with Kansas on Instagram.

Don De Vore and Sierra Green

Cynda McElvana

Lee Cronin and Seána Kerslake | THE HOLE IN THE GROUND

HOLE GROUND

Check out STARBURST talking to Lee Cronin, the director and Seána Kerslake, the lead actor about the new movie The Hole in the Ground and avoiding the standard horror cliches.

The Hole in the Ground stars Seána Kerslake, James Cosmo, Simone Kirby, Steve Wall, and James Quinn Markey and is released on March 1st.

Synopsis

One night, Sarah’s young son disappears into the woods behind their rural home. When he returns, he looks the same, but his behavior grows increasingly disturbing. Sarah begins to believe that the boy who returned may not be her son at all.

Faithe Herman | SHAZAM!

Faithe

With SHAZAM! about to open in cinemas around the world, we caught up with talented young actress FAITHE HERMAN to learn about her role in the film, her career, and her thoughts on superpowers!  

STARBURST: What are you allowed to tell us about your Shazam! role?

Faithe Herman: My character is Darla Dudley, and she’s the youngest of the foster siblings. Darla is very chatty, loves giving hugs, is kind, and she’s protective over her siblings.

One of your siblings, Billy Batson, is given powers by an ancient wizard in the film. If you could be granted superpowers in real life, what would you choose?

If I could have any superpower? It would definitely be flight. And invisibility!

And how would you use them?

For flight, I would use it to get me to L.A. faster! The drive from San Diego, where I live, to L.A. is very long. I would use invisibility to disappear from bad guys.

Shazam

How did you get into acting?

Through my agency. When my mom signed me with them, it was because she thought it would be fun for me to model or do commercials. My agent started sending me on theatrical auditions and the very first pilot I auditioned for was something called Untitled Dan Fogelman Project, which is now known as This is Us.

Which is great by the way! Although it’s a real tear-jerker…

Everyone has so many feelings from watching that show!

Are there any films, books, or television shows that make you cry?

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and certain episodes of The Passage too.

What do you enjoy most about being on a film or TV set?

I enjoy the different experiences. Every day is a new learning experience for me that I feel beyond grateful for.

Which stars do you most look up to?

I admire Zendya, Yara Shahidi, and Marsai Martin.

If you could star in any film or TV series, what would it be?

A Series of Unfortunate Events. And I think a remake of The Goonies would be really fun too!

We’ve been waiting for another Goonies movie for years, let’s hope it happens! What project is up next for you?

I just wrapped Season 3 of This is Us, so I’m just focusing on ending my last year in elementary school as a fifth grader. But you never know when other opportunities in this business may come along!

With any luck Shazam! 2 will be one of those opportunity to come along soon! If you had the chance to play somebody with superpowers one day, would that be something you’d be up for?

I’d be so excited to be a superhero!

SHAZAM! opens in cinemas around the world on April 5th and you can read our review here. To follow Faithe on social media, seek out her handle @faitheherman

Credits

Photographer: Birdie Thompson @birds_eye_photo

Hair: Matilde Campos @tildebymatilde

Makeup: Anton Khachaturian @antonmakeup with MAC Cosmetics

ANNA BOGUTSKAYA & OLIVIA HOWE | THE FINAL GIRLS

final girls

One of the most exciting developments for female-driven genre content is The Final Girls. Created by Anna Bogutskaya and Olivia Howe as ‘a London-based screening series focused on exploring feminist themes in horror cinema and highlighting the representation and work of women in horror, both in front of and behind the camera’, the brand launched its latest series of shorts highlighting female talent, titled ‘We Are The Weirdos’ at Soho House in February 2019. There will be a UK-tour of the collection at key venues around the country, including the London Prince Charles Cinema. STARBURST had the pleasure of speaking with the founders after the launch.

STARBURST: Tell us about how you created The Final Girls brand.

THE FINAL GIRLS: We were both working together and bonded over a shared – and secret – love for horror films. The Final Girls emerged very organically over a WhatsApp conversation! In a matter of minutes we had the name, the date of the first event and the first film we wanted to screen. Since then, we’ve stuck to our original vision of exploring the intersections of horror film and feminism, but have also been increasingly more interested in creating a platform that can actively support and promote female talent in genre cinema.

Obviously we must talk about the genre itself and the films that have impressed you the most over the years. Are you more in tune with classic horrors like Halloween and The Exorcist, or do you feel the modern horror film has more to offer the audience who view it today?

Contemporary genre cinema is an incredibly exciting space – filmmakers are pushing boundaries, both in terms of form and content, and it feels like it’s a moment when the industry is also taking note of the creative value and impact of genre. Personally, we don’t have a favourite decade, we love diving deep into the bowels of horror film history and discovering new oddities, although of course we’ve got modern cinema favourites, like A Nightmare on Elm Street or Rosemary’s Baby.

Short films are always a good showcase for new talent. Of the directors who have been lucky to feature in your presentations, who is currently doing well in terms of features and other success?

Out of last year’s crop of We Are the Weirdos, Prano Bailey-Bond and Amelia Moses are currently developing their first feature films and, although we couldn’t feature her short last year, Kate Herron has just directed several episodes of Sex Education for Netflix and is working on her debut feature as well.

You tend to focus on feminist themes in horror and cult based content. Given the changes that women are seeking in the industry to become more aware and visible, are you going to look at other genres in the future and perhaps create a separate brand that highlights other directing talents?

Not at the moment, we want to focus exclusively on genre cinema – but there are so many opportunities that are exploring around creating a bigger platform that will, ultimately, be productive and helpful for women in the genre industry. And, potentially, actually producing original genre content.

Do you work with a lot of distributors as well when selecting your programme?

Yes, we work closely with film distributors on select new releases and re-releases, always within the realm of genre cinema. In 2017, we worked on the release of The Love Witch, and just last year we hosted a private screening of Assassination Nation, so we’re looking to do a lot more of those type of collaborations in the future.

What have been your favourite short films since the Final Girls inauguration?

We can’t really pick a favourite amongst so many great shorts! But some standouts include Prano Bailey-Bond’s Nasty and Shortcut (We are the Weirdos 2017), Kate Herron’s Smear and Gabriela Staniszewska’s I Should Have Run (We are the Weirdos 2017). This year, we were really floored by Kate Dolan’s Catcalls, which is included in this year’s Weirdos programme.

In addition to London, you also focus on the regions in the UK as well. How does the reaction to content in London vary around the country?

We’ve absolutely loved travelling around the UK and meeting some of our audiences in person. We still remember the first screening of We Are the Weirdos in Edinburgh, with audiences dressed up for it and absolutely pumped to see some great shorts.

Finally, can you see yourself producing content as a Final Girls Film Production strand and work with some of the talent you showcase?

Absolutely! That’s one of our goals!

Go to www.thefinalgirls.co.uk for more information on screenings, etc.

Gavin Grant Smith | THE BASTARD LEGION WAR CRIMINALS

gavin bastard

Gavin Grant Smith is a Scottish science fiction writer best known for the sci-fi novel Veteran. His latest work is the critically acclaimed Bastard Legion series, which is cracking military sci-fi. We caught up to find out more about his latest novel, The Bastard Legion War Criminals.

STARBUST: What’s the elevator pitch for The Bastard Legion War Criminals?

Gavin Grant Smith: Aliens meets The Dirty Dozen. Or: a mercenary legion, consisting of some of the worst criminals in human space, is blamed for a series of atrocities – most of which they didn’t commit – whilst fighting a vicious colonial war on an alien jungle planet. But if they didn’t commit the atrocities who, or what, did?

And how would you pitch that to someone who has only ever seen Star Trek?

If the Federation were to hire the Bastard Legion, the Borg would just go home. These are the people you send to frighten the Klingons.

What character is the most fun to write?

Miska, the protagonist, is a lot of fun to write because she’s a horrible person, but she’s very upbeat about it, and that’s very refreshing (for me, at least). I also like the Mafia consigliere ‘Uncle’ Vido Cofino because I write him as a genuinely nice guy, and I suspect he probably is. Also Massimo ‘the Fisherman’ Prola, Vido’s right hand man, who’s not so nice. With those two characters, I get to embrace my love of the likes of The Sopranos and Goodfellas, which becomes all the more interesting when you get past their archetypal exterior and find out what they’re really about. The big fun about the series is writing about a group of people who have an excellent reason to dislike one another coming to very begrudgingly like each other. It’s best not to get too attached to any characters, however, as the body count is so high Sean Bean fears being drafted.

Which character seriously needs to have word with themselves?

Well, Miska doesn’t really get morality… but she seems reasonably content. Torricone, one of the convicts, tries to be her conscience and I suspect he can be a little sanctimonious about it. The serial killer known as the Ultra, leader of the Nightmare Squad, a kind of post-human weapon of mass destruction only used in emergencies, is a bit too cool for school but he seems popular. I’m not sure that they’re ‘have a word with themselves’ kinds of people. There’s a lot of psycho/sociopath juggling amongst the Bastard Legion.

Why did you go for military sci-fi?

I’m not sure I have a really good answer for this. I’m interested in military history, particularly the history of Special Forces, but I also saw Aliens when I was 12, decided that Star Wars wasn’t for me, and I haven’t really looked back since (also Rogue Trooper!)  I’m a bit wary of mil-SF as a subgenre but there’s no denying that’s what the Bastard Legion books are, though there’s a big crime element as well. I guess I see myself as writing SF action adventure stories.

Why did you use the name ‘Bastard Legion’?

Because punk rock – that’s why! Err… I genuinely can’t remember. I was thinking about all the names of pulp – I love pulp in all its myriad forms – bad boy military units: The Dirty Dozen, Inglorious Bastards, The Expendables, Bad Company, etc. and Bastards just seemed to fit. Legion came because I wanted a big pool of potential victims err… I mean characters choose from and this feeds into a central mystery running through the series. It’s caused some problems, it made some people in my publishers a bit nervous, doubtless it didn’t help foreign sales, and I can’t advertise it on that guardian of public morality: Facebook.

The Internet tells us that you won the Campbell for Veteran. How has that shaped your writing career so far?

Sadly I didn’t win the Campbell award, I was nominated for it but Ian McDonald won it, which is worrying because I’ve been holding a grudge against Hannu Rajaniemi for winning it for years now. Also I saw Ian in the pub last week could’ve railed bitterly against him if I’d realised! It’s made no discernable difference to my career and I have to admit that when I was told about it I had no idea what a Campbell award was or its significance. Now my only award ambition is to get the award that George R. R. Martin allegedly gives out for not winning a Hugo!

What has been the most interesting shift in sci-fi writing in recent years?

It feels, and I’ll probably be told that I’m hugely out of touch for saying this but we’ve moved a little beyond trends in science fiction. My sweet spot is the sort of post/transhuman space opera and that seems to be going great guns at the moment. I think the most interesting thing that’s happening, however, is that we’re starting to hear from a much more diverse spectrum of writers. I know there’s people out there who feel it’s a cynical box ticking exercise but I think it’s making a huge difference. We’re getting perspectives that we’ve never seen before, which is in turn making us older hands reassess our comfortable position and so every one is just making a bit more of an effort across the board. What I don’t understand is the resistance to this, particularly in a genre like SF. I mean it’s not as if all of Heinlein’s books have been burned.

What tropes do you personally avoid the most?

I love tropes! I’m irritated that so many of them are now considered old hat. I’m the guy who’s annoyed that he can’t get away with writing a book where a dwarf, elf and wizard all go on an adventure together. The ones I do avoid are the ones I know I sort of should because people express dislike for them. There are also some properly toxic tropes out there tied to representations of race, gender, and sexuality – those can do a burton. Other than that I avoid the chosen one trope because I’m deeply suspicious of messianic figures (as good guys anyway), and think people should save themselves rather than wait for a hero to do it for them. Thing is people say they don’t like the chosen one/messianic trope but it’s pretty much every superhero film. At least Harry Potter was bred as a weapon!

If you could give the 16-year-old version of yourself any advice, what would it be? Would you listen?

Be less of a dick, try harder in college, write more, mullets aren’t cool, go easier on your family. Also, here, take this manuscript and send it to this address before the Internet takes off! And no, he wouldn’t listen. He was an idiot.

THE BASTARD LEGION WAR CRIMINALS is available now.

Jay Reso | KNIGHT FIGHT

Often referred to as one of the best all-round professional wrestlers of his generation, Jay “Christian” Reso is now hosting a new TV show that’s every bit as brutal as being RKO’d through a table by Randy Orton. Premiering on HISTORY in the UK later this month, Knight Fight is an unrelenting battle between armoured knights fighting for pride, honour, the title of Fight Knight Champion, and a possible $20,000. We caught up with Jay to discuss this brutal-but-brilliant show, the comparisons between pro wrestling and medieval MMA, his ever-expanding career away from the squared circle, and a whole lot more.

STARBURST: For those unfamiliar with Knight Fight, how would you summarise the show?

Jay Reso: It’s a hard-hitting, action-packed, physical combat sport. At this point it’s a relatively underground sport, and HISTORY has given these knights the platform to show the world what they can do. They go around and compete in festivals all over the United States, all over the world. In some circles it’s known as medieval MMA or even Knight Fight Club. I’m not sure if they have Medieval Times over there in the UK, but over here there’s this themed restaurant called Medieval Times. I did think, “Do people think it’s going to be two people jousting, trying to knock each other off a horse?” No, these guys are going at it; they’re swinging, they have full size blunted weapons. It’s the weapons and armour you’d see from historical times, and they leave it all out there, man. It’s really something to see.

Not being familiar with all of this before you signed on for the show, did you expect it to be so brutal?

No, I didn’t. When I got the call that I was going to be involved with it, I was actually vacationing in London. I was over there for a month this past summer and they sent me a bunch of footage. I’d heard of it, kinda seen clips of it, but when I really watched the footage they sent me I was just blown away at what it was that these guys do. Of course, when I got on set and watched it all unfold in front of me, I grew a whole new appreciation for the physicality that the show brings. If you like action sports, if you like hard-hitting combat sports – not unlike you would see in MMA or in boxing or in a contact sport like American football – you’re gonna love this show. For these guys, this being a relatively underground sport, to get on this stage is their WrestleMania; this is their big moment to show the world what they do. You know they’re going to leave everything out there, and there’s a cash prize at the end. They win $10,000, then there’s the chance to come back in the finale and win another $10,000 if they win it all. So there’s a lot on the line.

Have you had the urge or chance to suit up and try this out for yourself yet?

No. I’m 45, my getting beat up days are behind me. I’ve done enough falling off ladders through tables. I’ve done enough of that. I’ll leave it to these guys to do it. I looked at some of the weapons they have and checked those out, and the armour, but I didn’t want to disrespect anybody. The armour these competitors compete in is their own armour. It’s very personal to them, it fits almost like a glove. They go into battle with their armour. We throw them a little bit of a curveball after the grand melee, we throw them into a team melee and take them back to the armoury to present them with new armour from an iconic period in history. That throws them off a little bit because they’re used to their own armour, and that’s another mental thing that they have to overcome as well as the physical; they get thrown this curveball that they have to suit up in this new armour. We provide each team with their own armour and they have to figure it out in 90 minutes. Sometimes they’re using a weapon they’re not used to, or the armour doesn’t fit quite like they’re used to, and they have to go out there and win it. Then the winning team gets split up and have to duel. We go back to the armoury again but then it’s up to them; they can go back to their own armour or they can use pieces of the armour we’ve presented to them during the team situation. So it’s a really cool concept.

It seems as if this world is a very close-knit community in the sense that so many of these guys have competed against each other before or are training partners. As a former wrestler, is that something that you could relate to? For instance, you came up in the business with people like Edge and Rhyno, where you were buddies and trained together but you were all ultimately competing to get noticed.

Very much so, and even relatable in the sense that, to me, when I was coming up in independent wrestling before I made it, I was wrestling for little or no money. I was just wrestling to get my name out there and I would’ve done it for free because I loved it that much. And these guys remind me of that. They’re pretty much doing this for no money, they’re going out to festivals, they’re going out to different competitions. They’re competing because they purely love what it is they do. Yeah, they’re going out there and trying to do whatever it takes to win – it’s like a switch flips in your mind and the competitor takes over – but after, the camaraderie these guys have for each other is unbelievable. They’re out there trying to take each other’s heads off, trying to hurt each other, then they pick each other up, dust each other off, give a hug. Win or lose, all the competitors are very, very gracious, and I was really impressed with that.

Having seen the first two episodes, an early personal favourite was Trash Panda. Without going too heavy on spoilers, is there anyone in the series that was your particular favourite or you had the most fun watching?

The guy that won the first show, Brian Juranty. He epitomised to me what a knight is. He even looked like a knight with his beard and his haircut, the way he carried himself, and he was so fluid out there when he was competing. His awareness was impeccable. You kind of have to learn when you’re out there watching it, but there’s a real technique to what these guys do out there; they’re not just throwing bombs or trying to knock people out, you have to defend and be aware of where you are at all times. These guys are carrying an extra 80 lbs of weight on their body with the armour on. And the helmets, the peripheral vision of those isn’t great. You have to have your head on a swivel, you have to have a real awareness and try not to turn your back. To me, he just tied everything together really, really well and I was really impressed with him.

Right now, you have E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness, The Edge and Christian Show That Totally Reeks of Awesomeness on the WWE Network, you’ve previously done Haven, you recently did SuperGrid with Lowell Dean – who had nothing but praise for you. As a former wrestler, though, have you found that sometimes people may incorrectly typecast you or have a certain stereotype in mind when you’ve gone for new roles?

I think the stigma and the stereotype of that has been knocked down a little bit because of guys like The Rock and Dave Bautista doing so well with what they’re doing. For me, I was never the biggest guy. I was never a guy who was 6’6” or 6’7” that could get roles as Bouncer #1 or Bouncer #2. For me, the thing I have going for me is that in street clothes I look relatively like a normal person. I just wanted to challenge myself when I retired from in-ring competition. It was almost like, “Okay, I’m still a relatively young guy. I don’t want to sit around and do nothing, what’s the next challenge?” It’s almost like when I started to wrestle. The challenge then was to gain experience and knowledge, to work with people that were better than me so that I could to try and get better. I portrayed the character of Christian, and I still am to this day. With wrestling, the great thing is that everything is live. You’re pretty much trained right away that there’s no back-up. When you’re doing different things and learning lines, that is already ingrained in you that there’s no second take here, you’ve got to nail it. When I went in for SuperGrid, my first day on set I had four full pages of dialogue that was all me. I remember Lowell – who’s amazing by the way, an amazing director, an amazing person who made me so comfortable from the moment I stepped on set – he said, “Well we’ll get as much of this as we can.” I turned around and said, “No, no, we’ll get all of this.” He said, “I like that attitude,” and then we got it all. He came up to me afterwards, he was all, “When you said that, I was thinking ‘we’ll see…’” He appreciated that I was prepared. More than anything, I think what surprises people about wrestlers is that they’re always prepared. That’s what I try to be; I just try to be a professional. I want to learn as much as I can and to get better.

On the wrestling front, you’ve been officially retired for a few years now, although there was a rumour a few weeks ago that you were to be a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match. Is there any truth to that or is just online chatter?

You hear it every year, right? I’m not going to be back in the ring at all. I was in Phoenix, I was at the Royal Rumble, but I was shooting some content for the WWE Network. I don’t know if somebody saw me there and it leaked out that I was there. I never heard the rumours so I’m not sure, but you know how it goes. Somebody sees you and automatically you’re entering the Royal Rumble.

To just touch on The Edge and Christian Show, as someone who grew up watching wrestling in the ‘80s it’s all kinds of fun to see Sean Mooney pop up or to try and guess the names of classic Survivor Series teams. For you and Edge, how cool is it to revisit so many of the things that you grew up with?

It’s really, really cool. You realise there’s this whole library of content on the WWE Network. Even if the people watching it might not have grown up in our era or not really know what it is they saw, they can always go back through the WWE Network and watch it. Even having some of the legends come on the show and do cameos and things like that, that was huge for me and Edge. A show like this had never been done before, a variety show with a wrestling theme, so we just had a ton of fun with it. We tried to have everybody that came on for cameos just have as much fun as we were having, and I think that came through in the final product.

Is there any word on a possible third season for The Edge & Christian Show at this stage, and what other projects have you got in the pipeline that you can tell us about?

I had a really, really busy 2018, which I was really grateful for and really happy about. Right now we’re about to wrap up the second season of The Edge and Christian Show, and then we’ll see. I haven’t heard anything about a third season yet, but I know it’s been really well received; people seem to really enjoy it. That’s what it’s all about for us, about putting out something that people like. I had a really fun time writing and producing that. It was another new challenge and that was great. Right now, my focus is all on Knight Fight – premiering in the UK on February 19th. We talked before about different challenges, and hosting something outside of the wrestling walls was something I was really interested in. When this opportunity came up, I jumped at it. I couldn’t be more proud of the competitors and I can’t wait for everybody in the UK to see it.

You obviously have to cover certain bases, but how much freedom did you have on Knight Fight? For instance, the whole “Fight!” shout and fist action you do before each battle.

Everybody was really great. The other judges, John Clements and Andre Sinou, they were great and obviously helped me a lot. They’re experts in weapons and this sort of combat. Getting to work with them, I was like a sponge just soaking it all in. All the banter you see between us, that was completely just us talking and trying to explain what it is that we just saw the competitors do. And the “Fight!” thing, it was written in there that we would start things. Instead of a bell ringing or something, there had to be something to signal the start of the fight. They didn’t have it written in there as “Fight!”, but the thing just happened. I was just trying to make it a little more emphatic, a little more like, “Hey, we’re going to battle here. Let’s go!”

UK audiences can check out Knight Fight on HISTORY from February 19th.