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Thorne: Cast: Aidan Gillen
(Photos on the website - check all links - some galleries are at the bottom of the pages.)
http://sky1.sky.com/thorne-cast-aidan-gillen
Aidan Gillen has played some very iconic roles in his career, including the role of Stuart Jones in the groundbreaking series Queer as Folk and the part of Tommy Carcetti, the mayor of Baltimore, on "The Wire."
We spoke to him about what drew him to such a complicated role.
How did you get involved?
I actually came on board quite late in the day, a couple of weeks before we started. But it was actor-originated in that David optioned the books and had a say in how it was going to be made, who was going to shoot and direct it and who was going to be in it. Sky's projects have been actor-led and the broadcaster has been prepared to back that. I think it's only a good thing.
What drew you to the role?
The character and the other actors. I was very drawn to working with David Morrissey and Eddie Marsan, but I wouldn't be doing it if the script and character weren't interesting.
And how did you work with David?
We did a bit of rehearsing but over the years I've developed a default setting so you can get into a scene with someone I've spent an hour with and I can act like I've know them for 20 years. I'm not massively into over-rehearsing, you can - at least with me - hit the moment in a rehearsal and that might have been it. You'll probably be able to replicate it, but it's nice not to overdo it.
David, Eddie and I are like-minded people and we work in the same kind of way so it does raise your game. The directors, Ben and Stephen, gave us a bit of leeway to play around, which is a good thing. We're always pushing, refining, getting more to the core.
With something very plot-driven like this there's always a point you have to get across in every scene. And for it not to be just about that and there to be character as well… it's been exciting to get that balance right.
It is within a genre and that's not something you're traditionally associated with...
Well, a lot of my role is not set around the lab so my role is more being Thorne's friend, someone he can talk to - or I can talk to him. The pathology side is important but it's a character and human script and part.
The storytelling has to be quite lean, but hopefully it is atmospheric enough and the characters breathe. At heart it's about friendship, so I hope that comes across as the core element.
When the gears click into place during filming that's when it's really something. This cast is full of people who are all bringing so much more. I felt quite free in all the scenes, but the scene after the confrontation between Thorne and myself in episode three - there was really something there. It's hard to know how it will come across but that was one of the strongest scenes I've played for ages.
How much research did you do?
Quite a bit – just to get the logistics, so I can get it looking right. This guy is a pathologist – he works crime scenes and sees grisly stuff. I'm not freaked out by stuff like that and I am probably clinically minded. I'm not saying that in a cold way but I understand that a dead body is not a scary thing, it's a matter of fact.
I probably spent as much time talking about his tattoos as anything else. You don't want to get to a cliched look. The tatts and the colours are important to him. They're unusual – at least some of them – and they should be because in that first story you should wonder about Hendricks. Every time we see him something else is revealed.
What was filming like?
Having done stuff before where you really are shooting in somebody's kitchen, this was a Hollywood production to me. One scene we had to fight the tide by the Thames Barrier – it looks great but the tide goes in and out so you have to shift around a bit. It doesn't feel super-pressured although there's a lot to shoot in a limited time.
I've worked on tighter schedules. Nowadays everyone wants to shoot everything fast. I think there's a certain benefit to doing things at a lick, with one or two takes, possibly three if you really have to. But not eight takes. It's nice to think you have to get it right first time. Keeps it fresh if you're prepared and know what you're doing and know your character.
Thorne: Characters: Phil Hendricks
http://sky1.sky.com/thorne-characters-phil-hendricks
Aidan Gillen plays medical examiner Phil Hendricks in Sky1 HD's new series Thorne.
We spoke to him about his character's relationship with Thorne and how this show compare's to "The Wire."
Hendricks has a pivotal role in both stories...
Particularly in the first one the Hendricks character – who he is and how people might be wary of him or suspicious of him – is integral to the plot. Apart from that, what's interesting for me is the relationship between him and Thorne and the fact that they can talk to each other – maybe the only person each of them can speak to is the other. They understand each other and have this strong, tight friendship. They look out for each other, but it's a friendship which is also quite tricky.
In the second story it's very important that they come to a watershed moment. I haven't read the books, but I know physically I'm quite different to my character – I can't get that into my head though, comparing myself to the books and picking out the things that seem right or wrong. The scripts are different and most people who see it won't have read the books.
Why do you think Hendricks and Thorne are friends?
A lot of good friendships give you space to be angry with people you really like. A lot of really good friendships can be really rocky. I think that's a good thing. You don't get too comfortable. You can get angry with them and it's all for the better. I don't think these two guys would be hanging out with each other if it was all happy days.
They work together, but not all the time. Hendricks isn't a cop, he doesn't work for the cops, but they are involved in each other's work lives. They have to push each other and push against each other for ideas and to shunt things into place.
He's an interesting contrast between the ice-cold professional lab guy you usually get representing a pathologist...
Yes, I would identify those chaotic, messy characteristics and go after them whether [I'm playing] a doctor or politician. I wouldn't be as attracted to someone who was a bit more straight-up and was just about delivering information and evidence.
Kind of like Tommy Carcetti in The Wire. How do these two shows compare?
The main similarity is that we're trying to do what we're doing in the best way we can. The Wire was many storylines told over 60 episodes but wasn't strongly plot-driven. This is six episodes and it's strongly plot-driven in a murder mystery kind of way. As an actor you respond to them both in a similar way - they both have cops, but it's like different types of music that both have guitars. This is more mainstream and instantly satisfying.
There's something immensely realistic about the dialogue in this, in the way you cut in and talk over each other rather than deliver set pieces...
I've been thinking about how reality TV has moved into drama's space and initially I couldn't see any benefits. More recently I could see a benefit in the way it influences writing and acting. I generally try to go after that anyway. I try not to be too actorly. I'm all for realism.
Hugs
xof
(Photos on the website - check all links - some galleries are at the bottom of the pages.)
http://sky1.sky.com/thorne-cast-aidan-gillen
Aidan Gillen has played some very iconic roles in his career, including the role of Stuart Jones in the groundbreaking series Queer as Folk and the part of Tommy Carcetti, the mayor of Baltimore, on "The Wire."
We spoke to him about what drew him to such a complicated role.
How did you get involved?
I actually came on board quite late in the day, a couple of weeks before we started. But it was actor-originated in that David optioned the books and had a say in how it was going to be made, who was going to shoot and direct it and who was going to be in it. Sky's projects have been actor-led and the broadcaster has been prepared to back that. I think it's only a good thing.
What drew you to the role?
The character and the other actors. I was very drawn to working with David Morrissey and Eddie Marsan, but I wouldn't be doing it if the script and character weren't interesting.
And how did you work with David?
We did a bit of rehearsing but over the years I've developed a default setting so you can get into a scene with someone I've spent an hour with and I can act like I've know them for 20 years. I'm not massively into over-rehearsing, you can - at least with me - hit the moment in a rehearsal and that might have been it. You'll probably be able to replicate it, but it's nice not to overdo it.
David, Eddie and I are like-minded people and we work in the same kind of way so it does raise your game. The directors, Ben and Stephen, gave us a bit of leeway to play around, which is a good thing. We're always pushing, refining, getting more to the core.
With something very plot-driven like this there's always a point you have to get across in every scene. And for it not to be just about that and there to be character as well… it's been exciting to get that balance right.
It is within a genre and that's not something you're traditionally associated with...
Well, a lot of my role is not set around the lab so my role is more being Thorne's friend, someone he can talk to - or I can talk to him. The pathology side is important but it's a character and human script and part.
The storytelling has to be quite lean, but hopefully it is atmospheric enough and the characters breathe. At heart it's about friendship, so I hope that comes across as the core element.
When the gears click into place during filming that's when it's really something. This cast is full of people who are all bringing so much more. I felt quite free in all the scenes, but the scene after the confrontation between Thorne and myself in episode three - there was really something there. It's hard to know how it will come across but that was one of the strongest scenes I've played for ages.
How much research did you do?
Quite a bit – just to get the logistics, so I can get it looking right. This guy is a pathologist – he works crime scenes and sees grisly stuff. I'm not freaked out by stuff like that and I am probably clinically minded. I'm not saying that in a cold way but I understand that a dead body is not a scary thing, it's a matter of fact.
I probably spent as much time talking about his tattoos as anything else. You don't want to get to a cliched look. The tatts and the colours are important to him. They're unusual – at least some of them – and they should be because in that first story you should wonder about Hendricks. Every time we see him something else is revealed.
What was filming like?
Having done stuff before where you really are shooting in somebody's kitchen, this was a Hollywood production to me. One scene we had to fight the tide by the Thames Barrier – it looks great but the tide goes in and out so you have to shift around a bit. It doesn't feel super-pressured although there's a lot to shoot in a limited time.
I've worked on tighter schedules. Nowadays everyone wants to shoot everything fast. I think there's a certain benefit to doing things at a lick, with one or two takes, possibly three if you really have to. But not eight takes. It's nice to think you have to get it right first time. Keeps it fresh if you're prepared and know what you're doing and know your character.
Thorne: Characters: Phil Hendricks
http://sky1.sky.com/thorne-characters-phil-hendricks
Aidan Gillen plays medical examiner Phil Hendricks in Sky1 HD's new series Thorne.
We spoke to him about his character's relationship with Thorne and how this show compare's to "The Wire."
Hendricks has a pivotal role in both stories...
Particularly in the first one the Hendricks character – who he is and how people might be wary of him or suspicious of him – is integral to the plot. Apart from that, what's interesting for me is the relationship between him and Thorne and the fact that they can talk to each other – maybe the only person each of them can speak to is the other. They understand each other and have this strong, tight friendship. They look out for each other, but it's a friendship which is also quite tricky.
In the second story it's very important that they come to a watershed moment. I haven't read the books, but I know physically I'm quite different to my character – I can't get that into my head though, comparing myself to the books and picking out the things that seem right or wrong. The scripts are different and most people who see it won't have read the books.
Why do you think Hendricks and Thorne are friends?
A lot of good friendships give you space to be angry with people you really like. A lot of really good friendships can be really rocky. I think that's a good thing. You don't get too comfortable. You can get angry with them and it's all for the better. I don't think these two guys would be hanging out with each other if it was all happy days.
They work together, but not all the time. Hendricks isn't a cop, he doesn't work for the cops, but they are involved in each other's work lives. They have to push each other and push against each other for ideas and to shunt things into place.
He's an interesting contrast between the ice-cold professional lab guy you usually get representing a pathologist...
Yes, I would identify those chaotic, messy characteristics and go after them whether [I'm playing] a doctor or politician. I wouldn't be as attracted to someone who was a bit more straight-up and was just about delivering information and evidence.
Kind of like Tommy Carcetti in The Wire. How do these two shows compare?
The main similarity is that we're trying to do what we're doing in the best way we can. The Wire was many storylines told over 60 episodes but wasn't strongly plot-driven. This is six episodes and it's strongly plot-driven in a murder mystery kind of way. As an actor you respond to them both in a similar way - they both have cops, but it's like different types of music that both have guitars. This is more mainstream and instantly satisfying.
There's something immensely realistic about the dialogue in this, in the way you cut in and talk over each other rather than deliver set pieces...
I've been thinking about how reality TV has moved into drama's space and initially I couldn't see any benefits. More recently I could see a benefit in the way it influences writing and acting. I generally try to go after that anyway. I try not to be too actorly. I'm all for realism.
Hugs
xof
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