To celebrate the release of the newest Interactive film to hit the video game market, The Complex, we here at STARBURST had the privilege of sitting down with one of its stars, legendary Scottish actress Kate Dickie to talk about the interactive nature of the film, how it compares to her other work in film and working with a talented cast and crew.
STARBURST: Congratulations on the film/game. It’s a great thriller that had me on the edge of my seat questioning my personal moral compass with plenty of replayability.
KATE DICKIE: Thank you so much! That means the world to me. I loved everything to do with this project and I still keep in close contact with everyone as they were all such a joy to work with.
It’s safe to say that this is unlike anything you’ve done before. I know as an actress you are asked to do multiple takes during a shoot but how was it preparing for a role where your character would have multiple characteristics that have to change when the players go down multiple routes?
Absolutely, one hundred per cent. We were given not only a script but also a flowchart that showed all these different strands and it was like nothing I’d ever done before. Everyone involved from my castmates to the crew to Paul the Director, everyone was an absolute lifesaver in helping me understand the different paths that players could take which in turn helped me decide how to approach each scene and the way I should react to the other characters depending on events that had happened previously.
Can you tell us about your character Nathalie and what it was like playing her?
She was such an interesting character for me to play. At the time I said to [director] Paul, that a lot of the characters I’ve played in the past have been through real struggles but I’ve never played a big boss or CEO character or someone who’s kind of making decisions that may or may not be morally right so it was a really different part for me to play. It was so interesting to have lots of different endings for the story and my character as an actor – it allows you as a person to see how your choices play out and the knock-on effect of the smallest choices. It certainly made me think quite a lot, that’s for sure [laughs]. Onset working with Michelle, Al, Rachel and everyone were just wonderful because you are playing out really high stakes and you don’t know who’s hiding what – there are so many layers. Paul really helped me accurately portray being a boss, you know, the way I was supposed to stand and present myself, so that was really important and helpful.
How was it working with Paul Raschid and the rest of your fellow cast members?
Paul and our script supervisors were superb – I clung to them on set, for sure. There were times that I was like “what the hell is happening, what ending is this affecting!?” – there were cries of woes from me [laughs]. There were so many times that I needed help [laughs]. Paul knew everything inside and out so I could ask him anything and he was such a massive help and a pleasure to work with. The continuity of the script – I have no idea how Paul achieved that, but I said to him that if he can do this, then he can do anything. I want to also champion all the crew – they were incredible, it was a real team effort for sure.
What was it about the story that drew you to the project?
Truthfully, everything about it drew me to the project. I loved the interactive part and when I heard about the character I desperately wanted to be involved. I loved Paul’s previous film White Chamber – so there were a lot of reasons why I wanted to be involved. I just loved the whole thing from start to finish.
Are you a gamer at all? Have you played any FMV games before? If so, what are some of your favourites?
I’ve recently turned 49 so I’m not really into gaming – my daughter plays games, but my experience is maybe car racing [laughs] so I don’t really understand that world I’m afraid [laughs]. I’m just glad that, as an actor, people can still see this “game” as a film that they can directly impact and none of those story beats are lost due to the game nature of it.
