Q: It seems like
this has been fun to work on?
DS: Yeah, it has. We have a really good crew and good vibe
generally. It’s been fun.
Q: Can you tell me about the role you play and describe your
character?
DS: I play Charlie Wood. He’s a writer who is awaiting
news on whether his book has been published. He’s been
working on it for it for many years and has basically brought
no income to his family because he has been writing this book
for so long. He’s married, he’s got a young daughter
and he’s a guy who is trying to do the right thing and
trying to provide more for his family. He somehow gets embroiled
in this really bad scheme to extort money from someone, and
things go terribly, terribly wrong for Charlie and for everyone
involved. It’s when bad things happen to good people.
Q: Your character goes through quite a rollercoaster of a journey?
DS: Yeah, Charlie is definitely the moral backbone of the story.
I think most people will see it through his eyes, because most
people have never been thrown into these circumstances, with
all these murders, accidents and deaths. Also, most people
do not resort to the level that Charlie, Josie and Gus resort
to, in terms of trying to get this money and then try to get
away with it. In many ways Charlie is the straight man, but
this is also the biggest adventure he’s ever had. While
a lot of what happens is pretty scary and new ground for him,
it’s also probably the most exciting thing that’s
ever happened to him. It’s all totally new ground for
Charlie. For the first time in his life, he’s lying to
his wife and that’s just, it’s just really out
of character for him. But, he’s at a point in his life
where he is desperate enough for change and unfortunately it’s
bad timing for him because the element of change is Gus and
it’s just a disaster.
Q: It’s quite a dark script. How
does it feel to you?
DS: I’ve done different kinds of comedy before but my
favourite is dark comedy. When I read the script I just loved
the tone so much. It was a similar kind of tone to one of my
favourite movies, War of the Roses. I just really responded
to it. I found the humour to be pretty grim but also just a
lot of fun. I liked the physical comedy in it too and that
to me is fun to try to do. I thought it would just be a blast.
Q: Let’s talk about your relationship
with the rest of the cast.
DS: It’s been a truly fun experience working with Alice
and Simon. You never know you are going to get along with people
before you sign up to do something, but luckily the three of
us have just had a blast together and really made each other
laugh – as much if not more off camera as we do on camera.
I think there’s a good chemistry between Simon and I,
between Simon and Alice and then Alice and I. We’re this
kind of weird gang but it sort of makes sense for some reason.
When Simon and I are together it definitely feels like salt
and pepper, something like two very different people that somehow
seem right together.
Q: How have you found their accents?
DS: They’re great. They are both playing Americans extremely
well. Their accents are fantastic. We have a terrific coach
Judith Windsor, whose just great, great fun.
Q: Throughout the film, their situation seems to goes from
bad to worse
DS: It’s true, just when you think things couldn’t
get worse they do in this movie. There’s a wonderful
element of constantly shifting levels of trust, and no-one
quite believes anyone else, and you want to and then no you
can’t. That’s really part of the fun. You just
never know who to believe and what to believe. It keeps you
on your toes and that’s what’s great about it.
Q: Tell me about working with Natascha McElhone
DS: Natasha is fantastic. The camera loves her and her work
is terrific, she’s also a real team player. She had a
kind of nightmare travel situation, because she had to keep
travelling back and forth to our locations because she has
kids. Despite that she showed up, did her stuff and was a dream
to work with. I had to kiss her in one scene and I begged Jean-Baptiste
to write another couple of scenes but it didn’t happen!
It was fun and she was great.
Q: How about Mimi Rogers?
DS: It all sounds quite bizarre but Mimi’s been a trooper
having an axe in her head since 7.00 am! We’re going
on fourteen hours now and that’s a long time to sit there
with an axe in your head. She’s been great fun.
Q: The locations add to the surreal feel of the film. What
has your experience been of these various places?
DS: It’s been really cold. We have a fantastic crew and
for the most part they’ve all been wonderful no matter
where we are, whether it’s Wales, the Isle of Man or
Vancouver. But, the truth is the cold weather has made for
some brutal night shoots. Some of those exterior night shots
were really long and really cold, and in-between the takes
you’d run to wardrobe to be wrapped in blankets and wrapped
in our jackets and everything because after a while you just
can’t feel you face, and you don’t know if your
smiling or crying. But hopefully, all that matters is what
comes out on film and hopefully on film it will look great.
Q: What’s Jean-Baptiste brought
to the film?
DS: Jean-Baptiste’s been terrific. I am really drawn
to passionate director’s with vision. Whether I necessarily
agree with something or not in a moment, its doesn’t
matter. If I believe in the director because of his passion
and his vision I’ll try anything. I’ll go to the
end of the earth to try to help him or her realize that vision.
His energy, his sense of humour and his nature are really special.
There’s something really sweet and really fun about the
whole tone of the work here and that comes from the top – that
comes from the producers and from Jean-Baptiste. It’s
because of him I think everything has been going so smoothly
and everyone’s been having a great time and that his
actor’s trust him.
Q: There must be something about Simon that you hate, and you
want to tell the whole world about it?
DS: Has he put you up to that?!!
Q: Something about cigars?
DS: We’ve had a lot of running gags with each other but
I can honestly say, there’s nothing about him I hate – he’s
just been a sweetheart and really great guy to work with. He
does smell of cigars though.
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