Russell
Tovey
George - The Werewolf
How
did this job come about and what attracted you to being a werewolf?
My agent called
me and said she had a script about a vampire, a werewolf and a ghost.
My first impressions were that it sounded a bit weird.
I read it and thought
it was absolutely brilliant – the characters just happen to be
a werewolf, ghost and vampire – it's an affliction or condition
like living with aids, leprosy or agoraphobia.
To play anything
other than a human is always good for an actor as it's a challenge.
I liked it that he was struggling to live with the fact that he's got
this curse.
Who
is George and how did he become a werewolf?
George is around
26 years old; he is an academic; he's really bright with an IQ of 156.
He was studying for his finals at university and was going to marry
his fiancé.
Everything was going
well for him until he went on a recce to Mexico to find a wedding venue.
Whilst he was there, he was attacked by a werewolf. When he came back,
the transformations started to happen and he had no idea what was happening
to him, so he had to get away. He slept rough on the streets and became
suicidal.
George was in a
bar one night, about to be attacked by a group of vampires, when Mitchell
stepped in and saved him. Ever since, George has been in debt to him.
Mitchell took George
under his wing, got him a job in the hospital that he worked in and
they became good friends.
George was struggling
so much with his condition – the pain of transforming was unbearable.
He was lonely and depressed and kept waking up naked in the middle of
nowhere after a transformation. He wants so much to be "normal".
A protective bond
forms between them and they look out for each other. In an attempt to
be normal they decide to get a flat together.
Unfortunately, when
they move in, they meet Annie (the ghost) and discover that she lives
there and has no intention of moving on. Mitchell decides to let her
stay and they become like the supernatural three.
George
doesn't seem to hit it off with Annie straight away – why do you
think this is?
George just wants
to be normal, so he's a bit wary of her. For 12 or so days of the year,
he's a werewolf, so for the rest of the time, he just wants to live
like a regular person.
George and Mitchell
are trying to get some normality into their lives by getting a flat
together and, when they get there, the house has got a ghost! When they
arrived, she tried to haunt them out, so George was angry that she felt
she had the right to scare them out of their own home!
He soon realises
that they need her and she becomes a friend. After all, he needs all
the friends he can get. He's a social animal – if you'll excuse
the pun, so to have a relationship with someone who understands the
curse he has to live with is a bonus. He can relax and stop worrying
about his big secret.
You
seem to spend half the programme naked – how did you feel about
being starkers in front of the crew?
I think
as long as it's not nudity for no reason, I'm okay with it. I trusted
the crew and as long as they weren't taking the piss out of me, I was
comfortable being naked in front of them.
It's an important
part of the character – George wakes up naked in the woods because
he loses his clothes in the transformation, so I think it'd be more
inappropriate for him to wake up in his pants! I hope his hospital job
pays well though; he must spend half his life buying new clothes.
There was a scene
where I was naked by a bridge and all these tourists were walking past
– I was covered in dirt and blood, so I hope they realised I was
filming and not just some sort of pervert!
A little
old lady came up to me on set and said: "You're the one who's been
running around Bristol naked aren't you? I've heard all about you."
I'm well known in Bristol now you know!
How
did you find the make-up process? Did you spend a lot of time being
made up for the werewolf scenes?
I spent a lot of
time getting my body cast – my face, head and my body! It was
quite claustrophobic to start with, but I got used to it. I was worried
about getting a breakout from all the solution. They could re-use my
body cast for Madame Tussauds couldn't they? Do you think they'd be
interested?
Are
you a fan of werewolf films?
I loved
Teen Wolf and American Werewolf In Paris – I
like stuff like that! I'm not a massive fan of heavy Hammer horror films
– I like The Gremlins, that's about as hardcore horror
as I get.
Did
you spend a lot of time watching films and reading about werewolves
to get into character?
I found
lots of stuff on the internet. I wanted to see things for the transformation
process, but that's it really. The storyline is more about how George
lived with being a werewolf and it's not like I can research being a
werewolf. No-one seems to have written My Life As A Werewolf
before!
What
else have you got coming up?
I'm starring
in a theatre production called The Sea, which is written by
Edward Bond. It's on at the Haymarket Theatre until April 19. I'm also
starring as a rent boy in Ashes To Ashes alongside Phil Glenister
for BBC One. I have a small part in Gavin And Stacey (BBC Three)
as well – but that was a favour for a mate (James Cordon, the
writer).
Being
Human
What is Being Human?
Guy Flanagan
interview - Mitchell the vampire
Andrea Riseborough
- Annie the ghost
Adrian Lester - Herrick
Phoo Action
Phoo Action features
