Lisburn actor talks about new film role

1. I got the chance to see GI Joe and it’s a brilliant, explosive high octane action movie. Was the process of making the film as fun and enjoyable to be a part of as it is to watch?

Oh yes, but it’s a lot of work as you can imagine, especially in a movie like this where you’re shooting an awful lot of stunt work as well. They shoot non-stop for about two or three days per unit, so you’re basically on all the time. You have to do a lot of preparation, [as well as] a lot of work on the day and then see what it’s like when it all comes together. I seen it last night for the first time and it’s great to see all the stuff put together that you haven’t seen and it was fun to see everybody else’s stuff, too.

2. Can you talk a little bit about Firefly, your character in the film?

(Adopts South American accent) Oh yeah, it’s a guy called Firefly, he’s this psychotic farm boy, a pyrotechnic maniac, obsessed with bombs and explosives which was great fun to play. And I got to go toe-to-toe with the Rock so that’s always fun to say, I got my Rock on.

3. We’re used to seeing you as a hero in a lot of your films now, like Porthos in The Three Musketeers and Volstagg in Thor, how was it to play this darker character in GI Joe?

Yeah they were great characters. Well, it’s exciting as an actor to be able to bring all those characters to life, pretty mad costumes and personalities.

4. Obviously GI Joe is a huge franchise in itself, did you do any research into the canon of it or even your character and how he’s been portrayed in the past, in comics for example, or did you approach the role completely on your own terms?

The director and the producer wanted me to bring some of my own ideas to it so they gave me a lot of free reign because they thought Firefly can have this life about him that we worked together on to develop. I think it worked, I was very pleased with it.

5. Thinking about the numerous fight scenes in the film, you yourself have a few brilliant ones, especially with Dwayne Johnson. How were these to film?

Well they’re definitely a lot of work. Firstly you got two big guys slugging it out so you know anything can happen. But it’s all about preparation, I talk to his stunt people, he works with mine, we work together, so it’s a whole process. It’s great to see it all come together at the finish because on the day you’re doing all these different takes trying to make it better and better and better and you never really get an overview of how you’ve done.

6. I know that the director on Jon M. Chu was a big presence on youtube before directing feature films, which is an exciting progression for a lot of young people who want to go into film to see. How was he as a director?

He was fantastic. And I think what he brought, regardless of genre of the film, he did the Bieber movie, he was able to bring out personality and heart of the characters, as opposed to big, showy flash which is so easy to do with these movies. I think that’s what’s great here, as you said it’s so high octane and explosive, but you still care about the characters, he was able to bring the heart of the story out.

7. And likewise, how is it to be part of such an all-star cast like GI Joe?

It’s great fun, everybody’s working so close together, there are no divas, we all put long hours in, everybody gets on so well, but also it’s brilliant to be part of it, to stand beside such great people, it’s brilliant.

8. I know that you left Northern Ireland at a pretty young age, but it’s still exciting and inspiring for young people here in Northern Ireland to see someone from the country up there with the Hollywood heavyweights. How did you break into film, was it always what you wanted to do?

It is always what I wanted to do and yeah I moved when I was quite young, but I still have family out there. I always dreamed about doing it, but I never told anyone I wanted to be an actor, but somehow it just wouldn’t go away. And it’s so nice and great and it’s so much hard work, but I wouldn’t change it, I feel very privileged.

9.Northern Ireland is becoming a more powerful force in film and TV at the minute, especially with big budget imports like the Game of Thrones series and the news that Del Toro’s chosen here to direct the new Dracula remake. Is it an exciting time to be in the film industry and what advice would you give to people trying to break into this field?

It really is an exciting time. All the industries across the world are going through an economic crisis, but it’s a wheat from chaff moment, a lot of the hangers on have fallen away and what we’re left with is people who always wanted to act, direct, write, create. I think that if it’s on your path, then it’s on your path, as long as you don’t allow yourself to be swayed then you should hopefully find yourself in the industry. And it’s not an easy profession, no rhyme, no reason, there’s no career ladder, but I’ve met and worked with some of the most amazing people on the planet. I loved working with Ken Branagh on Thor, that was a career highlight, Jack Ryan was amazing. I aim to be a career actor, a lifelong actor and take it as it comes.

10. Just to finish off, are you currently working on anything or about to embark on a project you can share and details about?

We’re going off to Chicago to shoot for a new movie Divergent, from the people who brought us Twilight and The Hunger Games, it’s in a similar vein, about a futuristic world split into factions and everything goes awry, it’s a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to it very much.