| Essexboys -
Film |
CHARLIE CREED-MILES
Billy Reynolds
Charlie Creed-Miles may look young, but the youthful visage
hides over ten years' work as an actor. On television he has
had a hatful of lead roles from that nursery of British talent
Press Gang (which also spawned the careers of Sadie Frost, Julia
Swahala and Dexter Fletcher) through Drop the Dead Donkey, The
Upper Hand and Faith in the Future. He also appeared in the
seminal BBC Screen Two presentation Loved Up. On the big screen
his notable credits have included Peter Medak's Let Him Have
It, Hanif Kureishi's London Kills Me, Ben Ross' Young Poisoner's
Handbook, Danny Cannon's Judge Dredd and Luc Besson's The Fifth
Element. He also took Cannes by storm in 1997 with his stunning
portrayal of Billy in Gary Oldman's seminal Nil by Mouth.
Charlie sees his character as being the everyman that brings
the audience into the new world: "You could call Billy
the innocent, he's a young Essex cab driver who slowly gets
sucked deeper and deeper into the underworld.
"I suppose he's also the conscience, in a film which is
full of so many amoral people. Obviously Billy's not exactly
Snow White, but he still has his sense of right and wrong. He's
a nicer character than most of the others, that's for sure.
Billy is drawn towards the glamour of the gangster life - that's
part of his chemistry and goes a long way to explain how he's
sucked in in the first place.
"It's the first time I've worked with Sean and he's been
incredibly impressive -just completely believable. He's great
to act opposite because, when you have such a strong actor to
play off, you're sucked into the whole belief of the situation.
I think most of the heavy scenes have come out really well -
let's hope anyway.
"I have done more physical work on this film than I think
I've done on anything else to date, even though I wasn't actually
doing the stunts. For the first time I've had bullets exploding
on me - pretending to be shot off my feet and things like that
which are really good fun. I've also had my fair share of crawling
through marshes and reeds. There's been some nice things for
me to do, and I've enjoyed all that side of it. But the closest
thing to a stunt is me driving, and most of that is done on
a low- loading truck!
"It's a stylish movie, but I don't think this is too stylised.
Acting wise, everyone on this is trying to create reality and
a sense of authenticity. Saying that, it's not the same type
of film as Nil by Mouth at all. Whereas I would like to think
that the acting is going to be as strong, it's for a different
cause - much more for the narrative drive whereas Nil by Mouth
was more fly-on-the-wall material. ESSEX BOYS is a very structured
piece, and a very traditional story - it has a beginning, a
middle and an end. It's has it twists and its turns, and for
that reason it's a very different film.
"To be honest this is the kind of film I would definitely
go out of my way to see. The whole gangster genre is there for
the taking, and people love a gangster film - as I do myself.
I've always been a huge fan of Scorsese films in particular.
I think Terry and Jeffs script has really drawn a lot from this
great tradition, especially in the way that the story is told
with the voice-over throughout. If pushed I would say it could
be compared with Goodfellas - especially as Ray Liotta plays
a similar everyman character to myself.
"I usually play characters younger than myself, but in
this case I'm not too sure. The age isn't specified in the script
and, to be honest, it's not something I've thought about. The
character is old enough to drive, but young enough to be impressed
by the glamour of violent crime. I think the anonymity of his
age will help the audience relate to the character.
"Sean has certainly got to grips with the cockney accent.
Some of it has really given us the giggles as he gets hold of
those little gnarly vowels and gives it his all. As the Cockneys
would say, 'he really gives it large you know'! He really goes
for it, which is lovely to see because he's such a very unassuming
guy when you meet him. But when he gets out there and is doing
his thing, he's really focused and giving it everything which
is lovely, and that's what acting is all about.
"I've loved every minute of doing this. There's no point
in doing something and not enjoying it. And obviously I'm not
fun and games '24/7'. When you've got something difficult to
do you have to focus. But after the rough scenes we all go a
bit mad again. I've had a great time on the film.
"I've especially liked working on the locations in Essex.
The marshes were terrific - such a fabulous, moody atmosphere.
And Southend? Well it's always great fun. We've completely combed
Essex and found some really strange and wonderful places. To
be honest I even liked the night shoots. Once you got used to
it, they are quite bizarre, because you get home and the sun's
coming when you're going to bed.
"Terry's directing is great, he has a really strong vision.
When a script is so complete before you've even started work,
you know that you're on to a winner. I believe that all the
elements that go into making a good film are important - everything
from the script, to the acting, to the wardrobe and make-up.
You've got to have excellence across the board to stand a chance
of producing something good at the end. Terry commands a lot
of respect on set. If there is something that has to be talked
about, then you know that he's gonna listen to you and digest
it, which is really nice." |
| Contact : bernard.omahoney@bernardomahoney.com |
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