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Shameless must have changed your life
completely.
Yeah, yeah, it has. You get a lot of attention when you're out and about. It's quite weird at first, but you've got to adapt to it and put up with it, because that's the way it is. It can be really nice, or embarrassing, or awkward, or scary.
It's a great script for The Mark of Cain. Is it based on real events?
No, it's entirely fiction, but Tony [Marchant, the writer] did a lot of research into the army and the way it works. He interviewed loads of soldiers, I think.
Did you talk to any soldiers when you were preparing for the role?
We had soldiers on set with us, so we talked to them. I also went and saw the psychiatrist to get a better understanding of the psychological effects of war and that sort of thing. I spent a good few hours with him. That was really good, really useful in helping me understand my character. And we had these three military advisors and two armourers, so we talked to them. And JJ, the main army guy, drilled us about everything. If your gun wasn't right, if you were lazy, if you're not working as a team ? he drilled us about everything.
Was it a good experience making the film?
Yeah it was, and a real learning curve at the same time. It was filmed in Tunisia, the Iraq bits. We were out there for about three weeks. The locals were all really great, very cheerful and welcoming. The whole atmosphere was great, it really added to the buzz making the film.
What were conditions like?
In a word: hot! Lots of sand. Terrible food. Just like Manchester.
The film deals with some pretty dark issues, and your character really suffers. Was it pretty difficult to film sometimes?
Yeah it was. The emotions are just terrible. They're just ruined by the end of it. So it was a fantastic experience, but it was really draining. Especially that bath scene. And it all really comes back when you're watching it. And the torture scenes were tough to film as well. They were very delicate, carefully worked out, and we'd run through it all to make sure everyone knew exactly what was going on. It's all choreographed and everything, but I did hit one of the actors a couple of times.
Its not your standard war drama?
No, it's more about emotions and ethics than anything else. I think that's really important. It's too easy to do big money shots of massive explosions. We only had one scene like that. It was about people rather than action, which was great as an actor.
It's not black and white, the morality in the drama, is it?
No, I agree totally. But in the real world, things aren't always black and white. That's what I liked about the drama. It's not about painting villains, good guys and bad guys. I don't think that's what Tony's set out to do. I think he's seeing it from the soldiers' point of view, recognising the difficult choices they have to make. Difficult choices, dilemmas under so much pressure. There's so much anxiety and so many pressures involved. He's reflecting the reality of what people have to deal with out there.
Did it give you a greater appreciation of what British soldiers are confronting in places like Iraq and Afghanistan?
Absolutely. It's given me so much respect for the army, for the difficult job they do. I didn't have a clue. This has given me a real insight into what an incredibly difficult role they are playing.
Picture Credit: Copyright
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