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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p>\nFilm acting is a fresh challenge for you. Was it a nerve-wracking transition from stage performance?<\/strong><\/p>\nI was pretty cautious about getting into film, because I don\u2019t think I understand it as well as I do theatre. I was a bit shy about it, really. But when I met Andrew [Haigh, director] and read for Weekend, it seemed like an obvious place to start. To me, Andrew was obviously a really safe pair of hands, so I just felt really comfortable and confident to make the transition.
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\nHow did he go about introducing you to the world of screen acting, and easing you into how it differs from stage work?<\/strong><\/p>\nLuckily, I’d already done a bit of TV work and had worked with some great directors for them. They made time to answer my stupid questions. With Andrew it was all about getting me relaxed enough to perform well. People tend to let their guard down around him. <\/p>\n
He\u2019s quite new to film as well isn\u2019t he \u2013 Weekend is only his second screen project. Was he nervous about the film too, especially considering its risqu\u00e9 subject matter?<\/strong><\/p>\nI think he approached it quite tentatively, yes, but he\u2019d never admit it. He always claimed he wasn\u2019t nervous about the project, but I think he must have been, because we all were. He wrote the script thoroughly, and put a lot of thought and energy into how it would be filmed to create the right atmosphere. He made a lot of important decisions, too, like hiring a very small crew so that there was a closeness to everyone on the set. <\/p>\n
What was your offstage relationship with Tom [Cullen, co-star, Weekend] like? Did you attempt to build a friendship with him outside working hours? <\/strong><\/p>\nWhen we first met each other in a meeting, we didn\u2019t really have any time to speak, so we just started reading together. It was obvious from the start that we kind of matched; our acting styles gel. It was just a matter of relaxing with each other and with Andrew. We always felt like we were in safe hands, and thus able to commit more intimate feelings and thoughts to the camera. There was a theory at the beginning that we shouldn\u2019t spend too much time together off-set, because the characters don\u2019t know each other \u2013 but that didn\u2019t really work. We were just stuck in a little flat in Nottingham, so we were forced to spend a lot of time with each other. We didn\u2019t really talk about the film too much when we weren\u2019t shooting \u2013 we just had as much fun as we could.<\/p>\n
You\u2019ve said in the past that you aim to bring as much of yourself into characters as possible, and that you always try and draw parallels between your own personality and theirs’. Is that how you went about developing the character for Weekend?<\/strong><\/p>\nYeah, I think so. It\u2019s like you\u2019ve all got all these dials in your head \u2013 say, for example, you\u2019ve got to turn down your natural shyness and turn up your aggression. So you just learn to tweak the dials – but it all comes from your own complex personality I think, otherwise people can tell. People can sniff a lie a mile off. <\/p>\n
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