 Hosts was unleashed onto VOD on Sky Store, iTunes and Amazon last Monday and Ginger Nuts of Horror is honoured to bring you this round robin interview with the stars of one of the horror highlights of 2020. Please give a warm welcome to Neal Ward, Nadia Lamin, Frank Jakeman, Samantha Loxley, Jennifer K Preston, and Buddy Skelton Hello everyone, firstly congratulations on the success of Hosts, it's a fantastic film. How has the reaction from your friends and family been? Neal Ward (NW) Friends and family have always been incredibly supportive of all my work! Without their support id probably of jacked this career in along time ago! It’s a struggle 90% of the time with 10% of the time actually being fun! Which is usually the filming of a production! The rest of the time and stree can seriopusly get in the bin! Buddy Skelton (BS) Everyone absolutely loved it even my Nan ! Whos not a horror fan at all, she was definitely scared and jumpy through the whole movie Jennifer Preston (JP) So much love and support from family and friends. As it was already released in the US last Oct and I’m half american.lotsof them have already watched it – they thought it was incredible – and shocking! Frank Jakeman (FP) Everyone’s really thrilled and cannot believe that we achieved such high production values with such a small budget. Samantha Loxly (SL) Thanks so much for the congrats, glad you guys enjoyed it! It’s still a novelty for me to hear from anyone who’s watched the film and I don’t think that’s gonna fade anytime soon - it really does mean such a lot. Reactions so far from friends & fam have been unanimous in that each has said they’re glad to have known me before viewing (aka, they realise i’m not actually THAT evil in real life!) Also the majority have mentioned their appreciation for how the audience members have a chance to familiarise them- selves with the characters before any mayhem starts, you know, get to know them and their personal dynamics - which is great to hear, since having such a connection makes the whole story which then unfolds something every viewer can feel more included in. And are you fed up with saying "no not that movie"? NW I don’t know what your talking about what other film? Theres only one film with an S a T a H and an O in it! Theres only one other Host and that’s the incredible ‘The Host’ by Bong Joon Ho!!! BS No as I think it’s a great film title and our Hosts really stands out. JP Actually it hasn’t been too bad. They’re such different movies and a lot of people are starting to know there are two different ones. FJ No, those guys made a great movie and I’m really pleased for them, and it’s a success! SL In all honesty, no - but great question! That made me chuck- le. This whole ‘Hosts / Host’ subject crops up quite a lot. Of course it’s a bit unfortunate for our films to have such similar titles, but each is so different from the other that be- sides their name and genre I don’t really think they can be compared. I watched Host during lockdown last year and thought it was really well done. So much praise has to be given to their cast & crew for creating something within such a new-found medium (aka zoom call) and making it into a truly gripping film. Nadia Lamin (NL) Haha, not really actually it's just one of them things isn't it. I watched a round table interview with a bunch of famous comedians, and one of the questions was, why do you stand up? And I got me thinking, why do you act? And what do you think you would be doing if you weren't acting? NW I'm not good at anything else! If I wasn’t acting I'd probably be dead! (said in an Alan Patridge voice) BS I'd be a school!! I really love the acting process from learning my lines to creating and developing my character allowing me to be people that I'm really not to munching popcorn with my family whilst we then watch it! JP I think for a lot of actors, acting is just something they HAVE to do – we are storytellers and we need a creative outlet. Once you experience being on set or on stage there’s no going back! FJ It’s something I always wanted to do. Every time I saw a great film, it made me want to ‘have a go’! SL Growing up I remember watching a play and thinking, I can really relate to one of the character’s angst. I remember watching a film, seeing this one tiny moment and thought the same thing. I remember watching an animated film with a really sad story, and listening to the voices I felt as if they had said something I didn’t have the ability to actually ex- press myself. Over time I realised that others felt the same kind of connec- tion but it hit home for them in different ways. The redemptive power of theatre, as they say - making a connection with characters I’d never met truly made me want to be a part of the industry. For me, acting is about how you get words on a page to be- come a 3D person who is as equally complex, troubled, joy- ful and infinitely intricate as you. If I didn’t go into acting, I’d have been a vet - equines, specifically. My whole family are doctors or medical profes- sionals. I have huge respect and gratitude for the NHS, but ‘people’ medicine was never for me. I did a fair bit of work experience at veterinary practices throughout 6th form and I can tell you, gelding a yearling isn’t quite as gory Hosts turned out to be. And that’s saying something! NL I guess it's because I love to be creative. I am passionate about the art of performance and I guess I also love being inspired by inspiring people and stories. I get to learn about so many different things along the way too. It's something that I know I need to keep on doing and feel lucky to have the ability to do so. I can't really see myself doing anything other than something creative really- maybe wildlife photography? But that's a maybe.  How did you all get involved in the film? NW Rich and Adam were looking for the best actor in the world to be in their film! Naturally they came to me!!!!…… as they couldn’t afford Daniel day Lewis. BS My good friend Neal Ward who I have worked with before (he wasn’t very nice to me then either!) recommended me for the role of Ben. JP I did a lot of theatre when I was younger but was always keen to get into film, just didn’t know how. It’s a very different way of acting. In theatre you project a lot of emotion outwards and ‘show’ everything to the audience, but with film you want to draw the audience in everything is expressed in the eyes. Much more interesting to watch. I studied film acting when I lived in Prague and was cast in some big studio projects there, including Britannia season 1Sky Amazon TV series. Then when we came back to the UK I was cast as the lead on Amazon Prime movie “Susan” and won 4 best actress awards for it. FJ I knew Richard Oakes and had already done a couple of films with Neal Ward. SL I was actually a last minute casting for Hosts - another ac- tress had been confirmed for the role but a day or two be- fore shooting was due to begin she had to pull out. Luckily for me, Neal Ward (who plays Jack) had suggested me to Adam and Rich and thus, with a little over 24hrs notice, I got a call asking if I’d take the role, and that’s how it happened. It was the best last-minute ‘in at the deep end’ decision I’ve ever made. NL So I 've worked with the directors before, co-writing their first feature film script DIRGE, and later down the line, when HOSTS was born, I was very lucky to have been offered the role of Lauren in HOSTS. We're all very close and have been creating together for a while and I hope to continue to do so in the not-so-distant future. The directors Adam Leader and Richard Oakes come across as being great to work with, and they have a level of passion for the genre that is a joy to see, how were they to work with? NW it was like working with the chuckle brothers!!! Non stop laughter and wouldn’t stop until they achieved what they set out to do! BS Both were fantastic and gave me great direction and advice on set. JP They are exactly as they come across – brilliantly creative and the nicest human beings – absolute pleasure to work with them. Hope to again very soon. FJ They were so easy to work with – there was a ‘family’ feel on set from Day 1. We spent most of our time laughing and joking about, which makes for a really relaxed atmosphere on set SL Adam and Rich are great fun as directors, they split the role seamlessly between the camera-side and the acting-side. They work well together in relaying what they want from the scene in a way which makes sense, in both technical terms and the more emotional/characterful sides of the script. Having the two of them on set really worked - having the op- tion to speak with either of them about any queries was hugely beneficial. NL Total breeze, I had worked on a short film with Richard (that's where we met) and I loved his creativity and cinematography, after that, I met Adam and had the pleasure in writing a film with him. They're so passionate and encouraging, you feed of their energy and it would be a dream come true to be able to work with them again! Samantha and Neal, you were friends before the filming started, did your friendship help with your portrayal as the two psychopaths of the film? NW I'd only actually met sam a couple of times before filming. She's a friend of one of my best friends April Kelly (awesome actress and incredible producer at Mini Productions) so we'd only really hung out at parties and knitting evenings! Sam's really easy to get on with anyway so it was quite easy just to bounce off each other and play with the scenes! Unhinged is my forte so a psychopathic entity is second nature. SL Oh massively. After a certain point early on, there isn’t really any dialogue between our characters - communication from that point on is via gesture or, seemingly, not at all. There seems to be an unspoken understanding when it comes to their intentions and each of them carries out their part with- out the need of discussion. It would be incredibly hard to have such an unspoken, icy rapport as they have without somewhat knowing your part- ner in crime (as it were). Also, when the cameras are off, its always nice to have a debrief with a friend who has just had to be as evil as you! How much input and direction did Adam and Richard give for how your characters came across on screen, were they open to your ideas for this? NW Yeah they were open to ideas for sure! The boys had some specifics but they usually let me have free reign once the principle idea is there! Like the lick of Nadia's face was improvised! I just really felt like licking her face! The blood looked tasty! BS Definitely it helped me a lot to be able to make Ben my own JP Adam and Richard are very collaborative Directors to work with. They had some great ideas of how to bring these characters to life but they were really open to our ideas too. FJ Most of the direction came from Adam. He was so sure of what he wanted and his ‘vision’, that you felt in safe hands. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t directed before. SL In the early scenes there is a lot of specificity in terms of de- tails they really needed in order for the story to make sense, and I think that’s where a lot of the intricate direction took place. Further into the shoot, it felt as though they liked what I was doing with Lucy’s character and apart from a few things here and there, they were very open to accepting what I brought to the scenes. NL They're always open to ideas and hearing what you have to say. We have a lot of trust in one another and that's the foundation you need to make a film work. We talked about the characters before the shoot but time was not on our side and with a small budgets we were improvising as we went along, however the key with improv is that you need to know what you want, and the boys did. Hosts was made on a shoestring budget, not that you would guess from watching it, how does working on a low budget film affect the actors? NW We don’t eat for week of the month after filming! It's only really the money that affects me. I still approach any script with the same dedication, its just the difference between going to Mauritius or Pontins! Put it this way I ve not been to Mauritius yet! But I'm a platinum member of the crocodile club! BS To me it makes no difference with whatever they are paying me or the size of the set I still give it my all always and the love and passion from the rest of the cast and crew is usually strong as we all want to be there whatever the budget! JP I really think that the degree of professionalism on this set was so high, it actually felt like working on a big budget set. The guys worked hard in the planning stage so every minute was used well. The only differences were really the amount of time we had to film everything – it was very intense and pressured timeline. But the team worked so well together we made it work! FJ Big budget films can feel cold and intimidating. Low budget independent films always have that comfy family, ‘we’re all in this together’ feel. I love low budget indies – there’s also more of a sense of achievement. SL For me it seems that so long as everyone is properly in- formed from the beginning about the pay rate, schedule and accommodation (if applicable) then it doesn’t cause any is- sues. In terms of working on a low budget films, there is some se- curity in knowing there is actually a budget - a lot of actors have worked in the theatre at some stage and there you have the uncertainty of any budget at all. NL I guess it doesn't give you a lot of time. Normally with low budgets comes compact schedules, but you only felt it on days with heavy/intense scenes (so every scene I was pretty much involved with hahah) However that being said, you also get to be more creative and utilise your skills more. The film was shot mainly at night, how did you cope with living as a night owl? NW I'm a night owl anyways! Im always online on playstation socializing! PSN: allstarward87 hit me up! Lockdowns lonely! BS I loved it! It took a bit of adjusting but being around the right people made it fun and we all rallied and helped wake each other up when the tiredness hit. JP Night shoots are pretty exhausting but we had amazing catering so lots of bacon butties. And the adrenalin keeps you going. FJ The first few nights were OK, but the second week was a killer – we were like zombies by the end! SL In general I went insane and played Uno and Dobble. I highly recommend Uno and Dobble. External night shoots are always going to be cold, so that wasn’t exactly a surprise, although it was absolute brass monkeys out there. NL Oh god I am the worst when it comes to staying up late and the boys know this, and often take the mick! But I got through it, I think you just run off of the adrenaline! The film gets a bit extreme in places, did any of you have any issues with what you were asked to do? NW Me personally, no….. I've don’t a lot worse for Rich and Adam on other concept trailers! BS Being that this was my 1st horror film I didn’t know what to expect but the SFX girls Kate and Kailey were fantastic they let me get involved with making the blood and Mums brains! So it didn’t seem extreme at all once we started filming JP Horror films are so much fun to make – Kate the MUA was incredible with her gore – she really transformed the film. As far as showing something extreme, its still make believe and I only have an issue with what I’m asked to do if it isn’t an essential part of the story we are telling – this was all part of the crazy ride this family went through and the shocking violence was essential to the plot in my opinion. FJ No, not at all. SL I guess they seem extreme on the other side of the lens, but I didn’t feel at any stage that anything was too demanding. The loft scene is quite harsh but I think most of us agreed that the angst was largely due to the resident spiders. NL It did get quite extreme, and Lauren went to hell and back, I would be lying if I didn't say it was exhausting but I was never asked to anything I wasn't comfortable or confident with. They really looked after us. One of my two favourite scenes was the dinner scene, without giving too much away, what are your thoughts on that scene? Were you all aware of what was about to happen? NW I don’t like to talk about it I leave the scene before the good parts! hahaha BS Oh yes and I couldn’t wait, the scene to me was perfectly written and acted by all and I got to have brains sploshed all over me JP Its such an incredible scene – the moments building up to it really make it all the more shocking – As Cassie, the mum, I feel my role in the film was to lull our audience into a place of calm before the big shock to make it all the more of a roller coaster ride! FJ We all knew about this scene because it was in the script, but it was still a tough one to pull off. SL Yes. Yes I was. That scene was SUCH fun for me. It’s not very often you get to play a character so seething and malicious, but here I did. As horrible as it sounds I en- joyed it massively. At this point Lucy’s character has all the power, she’s hold- ing all the cards as it were, and she waits and watches the others with a calm and collected sense of excitement. Loved it. (Also I ate all the roast potatoes in between takes so that’s a bonus) NL Oh we knew! But I think it beat any expectation in our minds. I will never forget watching back the rushes on that scene and just gasping. That was probably one of my favourite scenes to film, because you got to play the prelude through to the aftermath and the 360 summersault to finish. How many takes did it take to shoot that scene? And is there any cut footage of the moments after it, I'd love to see your reactions to hammer time? BS I think there was only two as there were only two mum bodies JP We basically had one chance to get that bit right because of the special effects and time constraints. We shot the rest of the scene from a few different angles – but the really gory part could only be done ONCE!! FJ We did the dialogue up to the ‘incident’ a couple of times, but I think we could only do the dialogue after the ‘incident’ once because we couldn’t re-dress the set! SL I couldn’t say how many takes it was, but I can say that they managed to find the world’s heaviest hammer (besides Mjolnir) and hand it to me, the clumsiest and least-muscled member of the gang. Got the job done though didn’t I?! (I may be exaggerating about the hammer . . . ) NL It took all day, and the reactions we have are in the film! Samantha, what was going through your head when you went all DIY? JP Well I do know she was worried the hammer might fly out of her hand and do some serious damage! SL In all honesty, at first it took all my brainpower to maneuver a pair of pliers, two wisdom teeth and half a cup of blood in my mouth, whilst simultaneously trying to look menacingly chilled and in control. I found it quite tricky to get across the joy Lucy feels during this scene, but then I remembered the character Patrick Hoegstetter from Stephen King’s IT. I guess that kinda spurred me on. Nasty as that is. Overall, it was really quite fun in the end. How did Buddy react to that scene? NW Perfectly. He was the most professional out of all the cast and crew! JP He is such a professional – amazing actor and great to work with. He played his role amazingly and I’m pretty sure loved every minute! FJ Buddy was great – he knew it was all make-believe, and handled it like a pro. SL Buddy is such a pro! He handled the whole scene amazingly - we’d had a chance to get to know each other a bit by the time we shot this (mostly over card games in the green room) and it was great working with him. It didn’t seem like I scared him tooooo much by the end! NL He was a gem, I sat beside him and he just went with it, we all had a lot of fun to be honest for such a horrific scene, we laughed ALOT off camera. My other favourite scene was the attic scene, and that's another scene that seemed ripe for the cast corpsing like crazy. How do you manage to keep a straight face, when one of you is drolling all over another cast member? NW We were all so tired for that scene its all a blur! SL It was quite a strange scenario, but thinking back to that scene there really wasn’t an awful lot of corpsing as I re- member. The lot of us always had a laugh on set once the cameras were off anyway so I guess the only corpsing might have been my nervous apologetic laughter towards Nadia, due to feeling embarrassed I’d just gobbed all over her head! When I watched that scene I thought, no way in hell can anyone have that much salvia, were there any special effects in that scene? NW I mean if it wasn’t her saliva then who's was it????? And if it was she needs to see a doctor asap! JP Ha Ha YES SL There really was quite a lot wasn’t there?! Kate Griffiths, our wonderful makeup artist, made up a batch of fake spit which she diligently filled me up with before each take, so I was genuinely dribbling over Nadia in that scene - although it wasn’t actually my own dribble. Definitely an experience to remember. NL I don't think there was a lot of corpsing actually, The attic for me was the hardest scene to do, it was incredibly emotional and quite a small space for lots of people (also ridiculously hot). We all just took to it like champs and worked through bit by bit. It's not easy holding that level of emotion for a long time and I think the directors wanted to be respectful to all of us, and try get through it without any distractions. In Horror films, unlike almost every other genre, it's the villain or monster that gets all of the attention when anyone talks about it; for example, everyone talks about Pinhead. Still, nobody talks about Kirsty, why do you think that is? NW I think for exactly that reason…some people are sick of herEos always winning…sometime life is shit! So the villIans deserve a bit of credibility! Plus playing a villain is so much more fun!!! FJ The villain is always more interesting. We all remember Darth Vader but have to think a little harder to bring Luke Skywalker to mind. SL I like to think that the fascination for the ‘monster’ happens because said monster does something which most people can’t imagine - and by that I mean, most people can’t imag- ine killing someone or putting them through torturous situa- tions. I kinda feel that the attention for the ‘villain’ is height- ened because they do something that none of us would ever do - and that whole display of the unknown creates massive curiosity. I guess it's the cinematic alternative to rubbernecking. Hosts, ends with one of those classic cliffhanger endings, has there been any mention of a sequel, or do you think the film ends just as it should? NW I purposesly moved when I supposed to not be to try and cement my return! But Rich just froze the frame! Lol dammit! I mean the ending is open to interpretation if the fans want a sequel im sure there would be! Maybe a trip to maritius is on the cards finally! BS Yes I do it ends at a perfect place hopefully leaving people wanting to see more FJ I think it should end as it did. It’s hard to make a sequel when most of the cast is dead! SL I have actually written a sequel-worthy alternate ending for Hosts where Lucy gets on a horse and rides off into the sunset accompanied by a creepy and mysterious sound- track. Approval is pending. Fingers are crossed. NL Never say never! If you could go back and redo any part of the film, what you choose to "fix"? NW Nothing it perfect the way it is. The task was completed! On to the next! FJ Not a thing. SL You are your own worst critic when it comes to watching yourself on screen, so there are quite a few things to choose from I guess! The first part of the film would be my main worry, this is where Lucy is overexcited, bubbly and ulti- mately very much like me, I think that’s why I find it the hardest part to watch. NL None of them, it's all about the process of learning from your mistakes, and moving forward onto the next film. Did you take any mementoes from the set, don't worry I won't tell Adam and Richard NW I placed dibbs on the jacket and xmas jumper! BS Just lots of lovely photos and plenty of memories! JP Just a lot of fake blood in my fingernails and hair that took weeks to get rid of! FJ I lent all my Taxidermy to Richard so now all the bugs and bones are back home. It makes me smile when I see them in the movie. SL I actually didn’t - but Adam took one of mine. Maybe that’s something you should ask him about . . . NL I have my Lauren dress actually but they know about that! Picture this scenario, Hosts is real, but you get to invite anyone in the world for a meal, who do you invite to get "Hosted"? NW Christian Bale! I think we all know why! JP Ha ha! Couldn’t say! Couldn’t wish that fate on anyone! FJ The mother-in-law!!! SL I’m gonna have to answer this question on behalf of Lucy. Without giving too much away in terms of spoilers, in re- gards to my behaviour at the dinner table, I guess i’d have to invite guests who’ve earned their place there. My first thoughts for potential options would therefore be Hitler, Joseph Fritzl and Voldemort. Pass the salt. It's been a horrible 12 months or so for everyone, how has it been for you as actors? NW Very quiet! Very very quiet! BS Fortunately I have managed to work a little in the pandemic but I did lose a great job I was looking forward to due to the lock down fingers crossed it will be picked up again. JP Ive been excited to see how people are going to react to Hosts, but been busy with some other projects – two other horrors in fact – watch out for ‘Karli” and “Hidden Woman” later this year. FJ The lockdown is a bummer but I’m keeping busy, with a few new things in the pipeline. SL In all honesty it’s not been great work-wise, I’m sure many other actors out there can say the same. Little Miss Rona’s arrival meant almost all theatre and film work had to be put on hold indefinitely. There have been a few things crop up here and there but in general, the arts have been hit pretty hard. That might sound negative, and I guess it is, but it’s true - a lot of people in the performing industries have had their work dry up this past year . Hosts was truly a shining light in the dark - I felt so lucky to have something exciting in the post-production pipeline NL It's been a rollercoaster of emotions but it is what it is, the whole world has been suffering to some degree and we've just had to adapt and move forward. I try to stay as positive as possible just for my own mental health, but it hasn't been easy. However saying that I gained a lot from 2020 and am thankful for that. What can we expect to see you in next? NW The queue at the job centre! I don’t even have an agent! That’s how bad it is! Hopefully hosts changes that! BS I have a small part in the new Rise of the Footsoliders film it’s the 4th gangster style film in the franchise, also I shall be playing Keir in the Apple tv sci-fi series called Foundation JP As Mrs Grinwell in Amazon Studios ‘Wheel of Time”, as Amanda in ‘Karli” co-directed with Paul Gerrard who is known as one of the original concept Artists for Hellraiser, and Mike Clarke, known for the feature “The Sand Sea” and as Hannah in the ‘Lore” which is a horror anthology feature film directed by award winning directors Patrick Ryder and James Bushe. FJ Feature Films FAITH and NEST OF VAMPIRES both due to be released Summer 2021. SL You mean aside from the Hosts sequel . . . ? There are a few little things I worked on last year which are yet to come out. I guess the biggest role was where I played the lead in a film called ‘Election Night’ which is in post pro- duction at the moment, so that’s due to be out later this year. NL I wrapped on a film called Giddy Stratospheres which is a tragi-comedy about the 2000's Indie Music Scene in London directed and written by Laura Jean Marsh. I play a very different character to Lauren, I think a lot of people will be quite surprised haha, and I have a few other things in the pipeline but nothing is certain. Why should people seek out Hosts, give us your elevator pitch? (note you should all go and see it, it was one of my Top 5 films of last year) NW Watch hosts for the Total Film's "kill of the year 2020" and also because were all awesome and some scenes will haunt you forever! BS It’s a great film that has everything in it ! its a great script great actors scary jumps and a horror scene that will leave you slightly shocked JP It’s a home invasion thriller with a twist – stylish and shocking with amazing acting and action! It takes you on a gory shocking roller coaster ride. And did I mention the acting? FJ The characters are so well written and developed, that is makes you care about what happens to them. This is something a lot of horror films fail to do. NL It's original, it's independent, it's beautiful in its own messed up, bloody thirsty way, and it'll knock your heads off! Thanks, everyone for taking the time to answer these questions, do you have any final words for Ginger Nuts' readers? NW Final words: end, last, bottom and zyzzyya! Thanks for all your support of our little film! Its been a great ride! JP Thanks so much for taking an interest in our film – we are sooo proud of what we have achieved and absolutely chuffed with all the amazing reviews and reactions – hope you love it too!! FJ DON’T MISS HOSTS! SL Would just love to say how grateful I am (as we all are) for each and every person out there who takes an interest and/ or watches our film. It was amazing to work on and it’s equally amazing to share it - so thank you! NL Thank you for your support and so happy you loved the movie! Please continue to support the film, and the cast and crew! Watch out for these directors, the sky's the limit with them! Hosts is now available on VOD on Sky Store, iTunes and Amazon related articles   Comments are closed.
|
Archives
May 2023
|
RSS Feed
|
|