New Worlds Joe Dempsie Q&A
Skins and Game of Thrones star Joe Dempsie joined his co-stars for a Q&A about new historical drama mini-series New Worlds. Joe plays Ned Hawkins a young man living in the aftermath of the English Civil War, caught up in brutal struggles in both England and the untamed new territory of Massachusetts.
Q. New Worlds has a lot of different themes and subtexts, what does your character specifically represent and bring to the series?
To be honest one of the things that really drew me to the script initially was the fact that Ned as a character throughout the course of the series goes on the longest journey, for lack of a less drama school term. He becomes the moral compass of the piece. You saw in episode one there the seeds of doubt starting to be planted in his mind. He’s very much being groomed to take over his father’s company as the biggest landowner in Massachusetts’s. As most men do at that age he thinks his father’s infallible and absolutely doing the work of god. That starts to chance as the series progresses he begins to question whether the enclosure of Indian land is the right thing to do and he gets involved in the revolutionary cause in England as well. He’s active, he gets about. He’s constantly being taught new things and people are constantly being taught the reality of things. In episode one it’s Goff in America and then in episode two it’s Abe in England. It’s a real education for Ned
Q. It’s an action packed series what was that like?
I managed to hit myself on the head with my own gun, which takes some doing. I couldn’t do it again if I tried. Doing the action stuff is always a real test of your metal in a way. It’s always fun for about half hours then you’re just looking forward to sitting in a well lit room again saying words to another actor. So much of the moral ambiguity of the series is in the conversations, so for me in a way I found the dialogue a lot more interesting.
The pistols are quite long and heavy. So if you’re trying to hold someone up your hands end up shaking after a while. When I went for my training I was told that there might be like a second delay when you pull a trigger before the gun actually fires because of the charges and how they work. So I asked if in theory that means if someone shot at you back then you actually had time to move out the way. I was told yes, but it would have been ungentlemanly to move out of the way.
Q. How did you feel about your hairstyle?
I was quite happy when I was told I was going to be wearing a wig because that meant I get to keep my real hair how I like it. I’d spent the year constantly getting my head shaved for parts. I looked like a bit of a nutter. Then on the first day of actual filming it was really manic and they were trying to glue my own hair out of the way of this wig. The makeup designer just turned to me and asked “How attached are you to your hair?” I knew what she was acting so I said just do it. So within about five minutes I was bald again. I either had too much hair or not enough.
Q. Do you think people will see parallels between the evens in the show and what is happening in the world today?
Things never actually seem to change for a long enough period of time. The interesting thing when we were filming this was that it was about the same time of the uprising in Egypt and that was an interesting parallel to draw. It highlighted the difference between the Britain that we see now and the Britain you see in New Worlds. You saw what was going on in Egypt and what we filmed in New World and you wondered whether that sort of thing would be possible in Britain now. Whenever any historical drama series tries to address some sort of social issue it’s amazing how there’s always some parallel to draw with what’s going on today. In modern screenplay’s it’s very rare that you play men of conviction that have beliefs and then go and do something about it! The closest thing we have these days to someone like Abe Goff is Russell Brand. All you can do is go n news night really you can’t shoot people.
Q. The show is great fun to watch was it as much fun to make given some of the serious subject matter?
I’ve never been on a shoot that’s experienced that experienced quite so many obstacles and difficulties. But the crew and the people put together for it just clicked. It made it seem like it wasn’t hard work at all even though I’m sure the producers would tell you it was.
Q. Do you think the show will make a younger audience want to engage in politics more?
You’d always like to think so. It looks beautiful and It’s a great story, the characters are very interesting characters anyway. For me though the political message is always going to be the most important in the show. So yeah you really hope that young people are going to engage with it.
Q. Do you think the show is going to have a strong appeal for an American audience as well?
I think it’s something Americas might well find interesting. It might also be a distant enough part of their history that they might not find it as hard to engage with as something like 12 Years A Slave which has been quite hard for some parts of American society to confront. But I suppose I’m not that aware of how that period of History has been taught, you’d assume that everyone knows the basic details at least.
Q. Has the project made you personally more politically aware or motivated?
I’ve always been quite interested in politics, but for me New Worlds was more about history. I actually had to study Oliver Cromwell for my history A Level, so for me it was like going back to school. That’s what grabbed my attention most, although is quite natural really for actors to like History because it’s essentially just storytelling.
Q. Did you have fun with your costume?
We had a really warm summer at the time we were filming and I thought it was going to be great. But then I had four weeks standing in a field in the West Country wearing shirt which is essentially a big old bed sheet wrapped around, then a waistcoat a jacket, a cloak and a big ginger wig! I started getting really hot!
Be sure to check out our other posts for the rest of the Q&A and what the rest of the talented young cast had to say.
New Worlds Freya Mavor Q&A
Skins and Sunshine of Leith starlet Freya Mavor is slipping into something more 17th century for her role in New Worlds, the much anticipated follow up to Channel 4 mini-series The Devil’s Whore. Alongside Joe Dempsie, Alice Englert and Jamie Dornan Freya took part in a Q&A following a special preview screening of the first episode. Her’s what she had to say:
Q. New Worlds has a lot of different themes and subtexts, what does your character specifically represent and bring to the series?
I would say Beth definitely takes a while to grasp the seriousness and the reality of the political situation. In the beginning she’s been living in a very sheltered environment where her mother has actively chosen to live away from politics and the royal court as way of protecting Beth from the evils of the world. But through this encounter with the rugged Abe Goff she has this awakening. Her eyes and her heart are opened to a whole new world. It’s cheesy but true. I think for her it’s about discovering herself as a woman, falling in love and finding her sense of justice. I’m going to stop there…
Q. How did you research this period of history?
Martine and Peter were very helpful in suggesting things when I asked. Martine suggested a great book called Cavalier by Lucy Worsley. Which is all about the 17th century, following the Cavendish family, it gives a great insight into the intricacies of that era. Everything from childbirth to the way you hold your cutlery. When doing something like this that’s the kind of detail that helps creates a reality.
Q. Do you think people will see parallels between the evens in the show and what is happening in the world today?
I think it was a more brutal time back then, people fought tooth and claw, it was a lot more animalistic in the way everything operated. I definitely think any show that explores social concepts still reaffirms a divide that exists today. I feel like there’s never going to be a politically comfortable situation. I mean just being Scottish and talking about the referendum … I’m not going into the referendum actually. But I think the show’s also about fighting for things that aren’t necessarily going to be an immediate result. It’s fighting for a cause and freedoms that generations later will take the benefit of.
Q. Do you think the show will make a younger audience want to engage in politics more?
One thing that’s definite about this series is that it’s not some sort of cosy tea and crumpets on a Sunday night watching people in tight corsets run around. It’s got a really strong and important message to I that I think does come through. The fact that it looks so beautiful, with a great cast and beautiful writing makes you pay attention.
Q. How easy is for you and Jamie to integrate a love story in amongst all the political themes and action?
I think as the series progresses you’ll see that things don’t necessarily go to plan; they don’t even go well at all for our characters. That was partly due to the fact that they’re in this love drunk stage. They’re both being active and rebellious in this haze of romance which puts them both in danger.
Q. Has the project made you personally more politically aware or motivated?
Getting a historical project incites you to read up about that period of history and research it. I didn’t know half the stuff before doing this. It was a real eye opener. For me it was a very beautiful but intense and full on experience. I ‘m looking forward to seeing the rest of the series!
Be sure to check out our other posts for the rest of the Q&A and what the rest of the talented young cast had to say.
Creator Martine Brant Talks New Worlds
In mini-series The Devil’s Whore, Martine Brant and Peter Flannery charted the bloody progress of the English Civil War, in the much anticipated sequel New Worlds they pick up that account 20 years after the end of the war with violent tensions brewing in both England and dangerous new territories of Massachusetts. Red Carpet News were treated to a very special screening of the first episode of the new series followed by a Q&A with the cast and crew. Here’s what creator Martine Brant had to say about the new series.
Q. What made you want to continue to capture this period of history?
The reason we were drawn to this period is because the restoration was thought of in popular imagination as Prince Charles as this merry monarch with all his mistresses who failed to produce an legitimate heir, which of course caused him all these problems by the time you get to 1680. But of course these are the children of parents who had fought during the civil war for a better world. A world without king’s and courts, a world more equal and just where the poor would not be oppressed and dispossessed. They had it for ten years they thought. Then it was all lost and the monarchy was restored. Of course in fact the republican experiment hadn’t worked.
From 1860 onwards everyone was pleased to welcome back Charles II. He promised to heal the wounds and no prosecution. But in order to keep control of the government the regime turned into one of the most repressive that this country has ever known. Not a lot of people know that. But there were still people there who wanted to realize the legacy of those brave men and women who had given their lives during the civil war. What we were trying to show is that the young can do this and they need to engage in their world. Politics which is about the way you live your life is indivisible from the way you love in your own life. You can’t separate it out, but it is within your power to shape your world if you engage with it. There are all kinds of resonances in modern times for that. It’s about young people making the world a better place for themselves and for others
Q. Are there any particular real life figures who inspired the series?
Colonel Sydney who features in the series was actually really an avowed republican and fought in the civil war before suffering a traitor’s death. At his trial a manuscript from his study was presented as a second witness of his crimes. It had never been published but obviously he wrote it with the hope it would propagate these forbidden ideas eventually. The notion was that if a tyrant makes a bad law then you have every right to rise up and pull him down. He was condemned to death but he became an hero and his ideas carried over to Massachusetts. His phrase “Let this hand be an enemy to tyrants, by the sword seeks peace with liberty” is the inspiration for the motto for the state of Massachusetts although not many Bostonians know that.
Q. Do you think there are any particular parallels with the modern world, particular the Puritan community in Boston?
The English settlers, the puritans, who went to Massachusetts in the 1630’s and founded Boston, left England because they were separate. They wouldn’t conform to the established religion. They wanted a reformed church where there were much stronger strictures. It was very Taliban like in the way women had to behave. It was very prescriptive. It went on through until Nathanial Hawthorn was writing The Scarlet Letter. Women were very much the target much more so than the men.
Check out the rest of the Q&A to see what stars Jamie Dornan, Freya Mavo, Alice Englert and Joe Dempsie had to say about the exciting channel four mini-series.
Ghostbusters 3 Still Going Ahead
Many fans assumed that the recent sad news of the death of Ghostbusters star and c0-creator Harold Ramis meant an inevitable end to plans for a third Ghostbusters film. The project had already faltered due to the reluctance of Bill Murray to reprise his role and script issues, so it seemed a safe assumption that the loss of Ramis would make a new film even less likely.
However it’s now being reported by The Hollywood Reporter that Sony in fact plans to push ahead with the franchise reboot and will merely re-write the existing script to remove a planned cameo for Ramis.
Ivan Reitman remains on board to direct the sequel with a script courtesy of Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. Dan Aykroyd has long been a vocal advocate of reviving the series for a new film which would serve as a baton passing, introducing a new generation of Ghostbusters.
Jeff Goldblum Confirms Independence Day Sequel Talks
Jeff Goldblum has confirmed in a recent interview that he’s been in talks to reprise his role as a world saving computer scientist in Roland Emmerich’s long planned Independence Day sequel. While admitting that he’s yet to see any evidence of an actual script the actor definitely seems receptive to the idea.
“Yeah, they’ve talked to me about it and I’ve talked to them about it and they’re excited and I’m anxious and eager to see — I haven’t read anything — what they cook up. You know, I think they’re trying to put it together.”
Despite the filmmaker’s self-professed enthusiasm for the project it’s yet unclear whether or not a sequel to the 1996 Alien invasion blockbuster will ever actually become a reality or whether fellow stars of the original like Bill Pullman and Will Smith have yet been approached.