Posted Under: Bluestone 42, Interviews, Roles, Television, The Brontes
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at 1:54 pm | Comments Off on Matt Lewis Talks Bluestone 42 and The Brontes |
Eric Scull of MuggleNet had the chance to chat with Matt on Monday about the new series of Bluestone 42 which premiered last night (watch now on BBC iPlayer.) I quickly transcribed most of the interview, which you can listen to in full here, leaving out a few things we’ve already heard. If someone would like to transcribe the questions I skipped, please send them in.
Eric: What is new this year versus previous years in Bluestone?
Matt: For those that watched the ending to series 2, we pretty much pick up right where we left off. […describes end of series 2…] We find out how the team have come out of that, whether they’ve come out completely unscathed or there’s been some trouble. I guess what’s new is, it’s hard to describe without giving anything away. We have got some new stuff. I don’t want to give much away but it’s a real roller coaster and there will be some really jaw-dropping moments that people are not going to be expecting. I don’t just mean this episode, I’m talking about the whole series.
ES: I was reading an article from The Guardian from last Spring, a bomb disposal expert said that the dark humor was really spot on. I guess that’s general consensus that the show has received from war vets and people that have been in those situations.
ML: Yea, thankfully. When you’re making a show like this, when you’re making a drama you want to make it as accurate as possible. But when you’re making a comedy, we have a real responsibility there that we research it meticulously and make sure it’s as accurate as it could possibly be. There’s a fine line between laughing at what these people do and laughing with them and we want to make sure we’re laughing with them and all of the jokes and all the humor is theirs. And we want to make sure that any squaddies that are at home watching it can totally relate and it will remind them of the fun times and camaraderie that they had. So yea, we want to make the show for the soldiers, the men and women in the arms forces, as much as the people sat at home watching, and really luckily. Well, I say lucky, but it’s down to Richard and James, our writers, who work tirelessly to make sure it’s accurate and it’s been really well received. We’ve been fortunate enough to be invited along to a lot of armed forces events whether it’s help the heroes charities, injured soldiers and what not. And the reception has been really great, and for us it’s been absolutely fantastic. I’m really glad that the hero of the armed forces are enjoying it.
[Additionally he was asked how he would describe the show to someone who’s watching for the first time. Matt also described how his character got the nickname Towerblock.]
ES: I imagine there was extensive military training for the role. Did you go through any sort of boot camp?
ML: Well, not so much of a boot camp, but we definitely had a lot of lectures. We had a lot of advisors on set. We’ve got former captain Liam Fitzgerald Finch and a current captain, who actually take that lonely walk to diffuse bombs. When I first got the job last year, Liam took me through everything which was fascinating. You can just sit down and ask them any question, they’re there to make sure we get it right. We want to get the show right, we don’t want people saying ‘no that’s not right’ so we ask these guys as many questions as possible. We really couldn’t make the show without Liam and Ally.
ES: Now the show films in South Africa, what’s that like?
ML: It’s amazing, we’re in Stellenbosch, which is a lovely wine region about 40 minutes out of Cape Town. And it’s just rolling hills and mountains and all you do when you’re not working is eat red meat and drink red wine. And so it is, you know it’s tough, but someone’s got to do it. So I’ll take one for the team and keep going down there and do that. I didn’t want to come home, I was there for 2 months and I did not want to come home. I mean apart from the fact that you’re working with an incredible bunch of people, cast and crew, the environment couldn’t be any better either.
ES: There’s lots of antics and jokes on camera, how about off camera? Are there pranks on set or are there jokes you play on each other?
ML: You know bits and bobs happen. We’ve got a pretty tight schedule and with the fights and explosions and stuff we’ve got to get through there’s not really a whole lot of time for dawdling around and messing around but obviously being a comedy the directors and producers are quite keen to let us have a little bit of leeway and a little bit of fun and there’s a few things we get up to. But really, with Africa, where we are, there’s more to do with all the amazing things around us. Every weekend we were doing something whether we were climbing a mountain or swimming with Great White Sharks, there’s always amazing experiences to be had and with a bunch of people where everyone is keen to do something together. With a lot of wine thrown into the mix.
ES: You’ve recently moved to London, how’s that going? How are you liking living in London now?
ML: It’s been great, and again it’s part and parcel of the people that I’ve met on the show. My life has always been in Leeds and I’ve been very happy with that, but being out in Africa wit this particular gang has just been so much fun. I’ve found so many kindred spirits. We’ve got Scott Hoatson who plays Rocket, and there’s Laura Aikman who joined this series this year, she comes in episode 2. We really clicked and hit it off and we’ve got a tight close-knit gang and so it was getting a bit tedious coming down on the train all the time to hang around with these guys. I thought, ‘you know what? sod it, I’m just going to move.’ and so I moved into the same area, I live just down the road from Scott and Jamie who play Mac and Rocket, the two Scotties. So it’s pretty fun, it’s nice we get to see each other quite a bit.
[Then Matt quickly discusses how much of an old man he is when it comes to music. He’s more into Rock and Roll and Sixties than Pop. (Same here, Matt!) He also mentions he loves Oasis and Noel Gallagher.]
ES: There’s this project you’ve been attached to for some time, The Brontes, do you have any knowledge as to how that’s going or if it will begin production soon?
ML: I really don’t. It was a thing that I read the script and was intrigued by it and was keen. But I’m not really sure, I’m kind of busy this year. I’ve got a couple things coming up, which I’m really excited about. I’ve got another film coming up this year, so I don’t really know if I’m going to have any time at the minute to be honest, but it’s sort of gone away at the minute. I’m not too sure about it. You probably know as much as me.
But there’s some other really good stuff coming up, I can guarantee that! Unfortunately. I’ve just spoke to Megan about it and there’s nothing that can be said at the moment. But some stuff coming!
Posted Under: Bluestone 42, Conventions, Death in Paradise, Events, Interviews, The Brontes
Saturday, January 24, 2015 at 3:31 pm | Comments Off on Matthew Lewis Talks Future Projects and Career Hopes |
La Gazette du Sorcier was part of a small group chat with Matthew while he was at the Harry Potter convention in Paris this past weekend. A rough translation of the questions he was asked may be read below. If anyone can give us a more accurate one that would be great! Also, don’t forget to send in any of your photos!
If you could be any character, real or fictional, who would you choose?
He opens his eyes wide before exclaiming “Wow, that‘s a very good question! Difficult as … “ He begins by explaining that he has never played a real villain, so he would like to play a truly diabolical character. A friend is obsessed with the role of Hitler, he is keen to incarnate, but he does not try it too. He then said he did a lot of sports, he is very interested in rugby and one of his friends is professional rugby player Jimmy Peacock, who has a career and a very interesting story, so that he would love to play this role if the opportunity arose. It also really love the book The Mind Game, and if it was suitable, he would love to have a role in it. He repeated that it was a very good question, and that I should ask the other actors if I have the chance.You shot in films and television; What changes in the way of playing and running?
He loves to turn in the playoffs, and that’s why he loves Bluestone 42, because as filming is much more spread out in time unlike a movie, with the different seasons, it really has time to construct, explore the character to evolve, just as in the theater, while for a movie, everything goes much faster.Did you shoot a new film expected soon?
Matt is still attached to the biopic The Brontes, but does not know where the project stands. He has just returned from South Africa where he shot the third season of Bluestone 42, and promises that the first episode will be explosive. He also had a part in the series Death in Paradise, and will appear in a few episodes of the upcoming season. He added that the shooting took place in Guadeloupe, and that he found it strange the idea of it being in France and the fact that the address lists “Guadeloupe, France” because it has nothing to do with France that we imagine when we are abroad. He also had an interview for a film on the eve of the convention, but can’t talk about it yet.You mentioned the theater, is it something you would want to do?
He will move to London next month, and is hoping that once there, he will have the opportunity to act at the West End, there are a lot of beautiful projects there constantly and the theater is a very special experience proximity with the public. He had refused a theater project last year because of the shooting of Bluestone 42, so he hopes that this year may make this project close to his heart.Would he like to participate in a film project in the Harry Potter universe, like the Fantastic Beasts?
If there was a project with the character of Neville, where the character truly bring something to the story, where he is not there just for the nod, he would probably like to join, but he loves that it is currently, so it’s not something he particularly expects.What was the funniest moment on the set of Harry Potter?
He begins by saying that from the moment Rupert Grint was around, he could be sure they were fun, but one of the biggest laughter occurred on the set of Prisoner of Azkaban, in the discussion between Snape and Dumbledore all students gathered in the great room for the night after the intrusion of Sirius Black. Everything had to be very quiet, but a whoopee cushion had been hidden in Daniel Radcliffe’s sleeping bag, which of course caused the hilarity, and they spent the rest of the day laughing, unable to return to their seriousness.Are there certain reasons why you would deny a role?
He laughs he does not think he could accept to kill someone, after all depends on how it is paid! But seriously, he does not think there is anything that the rebuterait, if the script is really good, if that requirement is justified, it would not be his problem; He hated having to deny roles because of his filming the Death in Paradise series, but that’s part of the requirements of the trade.
Posted Under: Events, Exclusive, Harry Potter, Interviews, The Brontes, Videos
Thursday, June 19, 2014 at 8:15 am | Comments Off on Video Exclusive: Matthew Lewis at Diagon Alley Media Preview |
We quickly caught up with Matthew at last night’s Diagon Alley Preview red carpet and asked him about The Brontes, a new film he is attached to. Watch the video below and stay tuned for the rest of our coverage, we will have a ton of photos of Matt from throughout the press event coming soon. For now, Universal also sent over an official photo of the Potter cast at the end of the red carpet, view it in the gallery.
Posted Under: Film, The Brontes
Monday, March 31, 2014 at 3:03 pm | 1 Comment |
It has been announced today that Matthew Lewis has been cast in a new film, The Brontes, which, according to their Twitter description, is “the first big-budget, English language, feature-length biopic film of the Bronte siblings.” Their Facebook also has a date of April 2016 attached to the film, but release dates are always subject to change.
Matt has been cast as Branwell Bronte, the only male sibling in the story. IMDB has a short description of the story, which is as follows:
After moving to Haworth in 1820 and following the premature death of their mother, the young Bronte siblings Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne begin to lose themselves in writing fiction as their father, the local vicar, struggles to keep the family together. When the sisters’ novels, published under male pseudonyms, become world-famous they must learn to balance their fame and their new-found wealth with their anonymity.
Wikipedia has a short page with information on Branwell if you want to brush up on your history. He was a painter, a writer and a poet, the only son of the Brontë family.
The film’s director and writer, David Anthony Thomas, had this to say of the casting: I’m really excited to be working with Matthew Lewis on The Brontes. Matthew’s been my first choice to play Branwell Bronte since we first started working on the production and I’m delighted that he’s agreed to play the role.
We will of course keep you updated as more information is revealed!