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Alexander with Rachel Brownstein |
Your new movie Talk
of the Dead - in a few words, what is it about, and what can you
tell us about your character in it?
It's a comedy horror zombie film with a conspiracy slant. I play Hunt
Foster, a news presenter, from the Hunt and Christina Show. He's
dedicated to always giving his audience the truth.
What did you draw upon to bring your character to life, and how much
Alexander Fernando can we find in Hunt Foster?
I heavily drew upon many newscasters. Watching how they presented
the news and especially studying their tone regarding each story they
introduced.
I found him fun to play and there were a few similarities between us;
such as his humour like his poking fun at the sponsors. And the fact
that he always wanted to be truthful to his audience. Hunt is a
consummate professional even in the extraordinary situation he finds
himself in. I would have personally gone into survival mode and
forgotten about the television show.
How did you get involved with the project in the
first place?
The title of the film first drew me in. It wasn’t until I was asked to
do a self-tape audition did I realise that Eirian Cohen (co-producer) [Eirian
Cohen interview - click here] was involved
with the project. I had met her previously when I attended acting
classes at an acting academy she co-owned.
Do talk about Talk
of the Dead's director Eddie Bammeke [Eddie
Bammeke interview - click here], and what was your collaboration
like?
Eddie was so enthusiastic and a real live wire. He has boundless energy
on set. It was the first time I had ever worked with him. He’s a
very giving director; a real people person, he knew what he wanted but was
also a good listener in allowing us actors to be able to give our input for
the scene.
With Talk
of the Dead being a horror comedy, is horror a genre at all dear
to you, and to what extent could you identify with the movie's brand of
comedy?
Oddly enough, Mike, the answer is not really. But that doesn’t mean
that I don’t appreciate a good horror film. I’ve grown up enjoying
the Hammer horror films and the
Halloween movies. I’m also a big fan
of George A Romero’s zombie films and especially his Dawn of the
Dead.
Some of the commentary and humour reminded me just a little bit of this film.
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Alexander with Rachel Brownstein, Lynn Lowry |
On Talk
of the Dead you worked with horror icon Lynn Lowry - so what was acting opposite
her like?
Having only seen her on screen, I felt a little intimidated by her. But
that was before I met her. She was in fact very easy to work with.
It was an incredible opportunity to work and share scenes with her. It
was really great seeing her at work.
A few words about the shoot as such, and the
on-set atmosphere?
I only spent a day filming with them. I can say they shot very fast.
It was a fun set and yet very focused in doing the best job possible. I
felt all the film crew were friendly and made you feel very much part of the
family, and that obviously includes you Mike [Michael
Haberfelner interview - click here]. And yet we still managed to
wrap early.
Any future projects you'd like to share?
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Alexander with Eddie Bammeke |
I played a
comedian in a commercial for the Hull City of Culture for 2017. Its
currently being shown on YouTube and Vimeo. Other than that I had a
walk-on part for a television show called Snatch, which was originally a
film. I play a flying squad officer.
What got you into acting in the first place, and what can you tell
us about your education on the subject? I’ve always had a
fascination with film and always wanted to act from a child. But I
didn’t think I would be able to remember my lines; so I gave up on that
dream. Until I found myself unemployed in 2015 and it was my sister
who suggested why don’t I attend acting classes with her. We ended
up going to Eirian's acting academy and later Act4TV for almost a year. What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Talk
of the Dead? My only experience was doing a
corporate film for BT (British Telecom) a couple of months before.
I was playing a dad. I had to record my voice and the only actual
scene I was in was of me crossing a London street to greet “my wife and
kids” while she was parking.
How would you describe yourself as an actor, and some of your
techniques to bring your characters to life?
I would say that I’m a dedicated actor. I strive to give an
honest and believable performance above everything else. I love
researching and fleshing out a character. The more I know about my
characters the better I feel about embodying them. People in general
are quite complex and so I try to portray that. I also love studying
acting by reading books and watching great actors at work.
Actors (and indeed actresses) who inspire you?
Many actors inspire me for many different reasons. But I’ll
list only a few such as James Cagney, Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino,
Denzel Washington, Ben Kingsley, Michael Caine, Idris Elba, Charles
Bronson, Frank Sinatra, Charlton Heston, Sidney Poitier, Samuel L Jackson
and Robert Downey jr.
Your favourite movies?
Basically I love many movies such as Ben Hur, Star Wars (the original
trilogy prior to the Special Edition releases), The
Shining, Pal Joey, I
Married a Witch, Grease, Saturday Night Fever, Bond movies,
Rocky films,
Death Wish, Fiddler on the Roof, Carlito’s Way, Planet of the Apes
(original five movies), The Omega Man, Frankenstein (with Boris Karloff),
Targets, Heat, Bullitt,
Magnum Force, The Warriors, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye,
White Heat, The Ten Commandments, Casino, Once
Around, Cheeni Kum, City of God, Iron
Man, Superman (Christopher Reeve films), American Graffiti and
A
New Leaf.
... and of course, films you really deplore?
I deplore toilet humour films - you know, the whole gross-out comedy
genre. And I’m not too keen on movies that depict graphic sex or
violence.
Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
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I don’t currently have my own website though I am on Facebook:
Alexander Fernando
Anything else you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to
ask?
I just like to wish you all the best with the feature film There’s
No Such Thing As Zombies, which Talk
of the Dead is a part of. I also want to congratulate Talk
of the Dead being nominated at the iHorror film festival.
Thanks for having me Mike and good luck with all your other projects.
Thanks for the interview!
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