In the first of a series of behind the scenes blogs on The Torment (The Possession Of David O’Reilly), written and directed by Andrew Cull, Giles Alderson talks about becoming David O’Reilly, the challenge of playing such a dark role and about his current and future projects. I think you’ll find it a really interesting read. Thanks Giles!!
The Torment – Giles Alderson
My role as David O’Reilly was one of the most challenging of my career. Sometimes things get thrown at you and you have to grab it with both hands (and hold on for dear life).
I saw the casting breakdown for ‘The Torment’, (which was then called ‘Inside’) on various acting sites and applied for it not once or twice but about five times. I wanted it!
The synopsis of the film sounded great, an exciting horror movie, one with more depth and challenges than the usual clichéd shock-flick of running and screaming in fear, one where you really have to act and envelope a character so deeply it could hurt (or at least have a lasting effect!)
I always had problems crying, even as a kid, let alone on camera! I guess it comes from a deep routed Yorkshire upbringing where showing emotion for something that upsets you was not necessarily frowned upon but wasn’t embraced either and although this has given me a wonderfully strong resolve and an amazing grounding, crying on cue just wasn’t in my repertoire.
I knew, for this character I had to go to the dark side, find my inner demons, as well as searching places in my soul that had been closed off. What was I thinking? Being a generally upbeat person, depression and deep fear are very far away.
Firstly however, I had to nail the audition. It was Christmas and I was at my sister’s for the holiday when I got the call for a second meeting. The first had gone okay but I knew I could do better and HAD to improve to get this wonderfully dark and complex part. The script leapt off the page for me, a real joy for any actor, so I had to up my game.
I remember pacing around my sister’s loft in the dark trying to freak myself out, thinking that If i have to miss out on some of the Christmas celebrations, I would not only have to be almost word perfect, I would have to open up my soul, a lot, and give a performance of the lost man that ‘David’ really was.
I really scared myself up there. It was dark and becoming increasingly spooky.. The floor was creaking but I just kept going over and over the script.
All my hard work seemed to pay off, as when I did the casting, an enormity of pain and anger swept over me… this was the scene where David explains what he is seeing. The poor guy reading for the ‘Alex’ part was shocked to say the least at the bile and spit spewing from my mouth! I felt the monsters with me, and I knew I had given it my best shot.
Clearly I was over the moon when I got the part. I knew this was going to be a good film but I also knew it would be a major challenge! And then I basically crapped myself! It’s okay to do it for five minutes in a casting, but how was I going to keep the pain and anger inside for a month? How would I cope living with such an isolated, suffocated character when in reality I like to have fun, and absolutely hate being depressed and down. How the hell was I going to pull this off?
The words disillusionment and (chillingly) psychotherapy ran through my mind at great speed. But Andy, the director, being the wonderful horror buff that he is, worked me through my worries. I watched various f***ed up films and some great ones (Session 9, Hidden) and listened to some sickening songs, (Mariah Carey!?) What? He had just caught his girlfriend cheating on him for Christ’s sake!
We had a week of intense rehearsals, running around the large, spooky, Georgian town house. It was a great place to be working. Full of nooks and smaller connecting doorways. Then with nail biting precision, we worked our way through the ‘important dialogue scenes’. Yet those first few days were pretty hairy. Finding your feet, trying to prove you are the right person for the job, scared witless they will change their minds and you’ll be sent packing with a bar of chocolate and a dribble bag clutching a warm pair of socks!
Andy really made me feel at ease from the first week, giving me the freedom to try how best I thought the part ought to be played, before honing it down (and up) to the way in which he wanted. It was a tough shoot. Looking back now I thoroughly enjoyed it, one of the best filming moments of my career, but at the time you are really up against it.
As the cameras roll, a weird pressure descends and there is an overwhelming expectancy. You know when you have done a good take because the crew are actually listening (obviously not the sound guy!), on edge and you can really feel it, like electricity. But if it’s not… Time is money my friends.
I built myself up into quite a mental state on that film. Before shooting a really intense scene, (most of it was) I would isolate myself, turn off my phone, plug in my i-pod, and sit in a corner or on one of the steps leading to the darkened basement, just rocking slightly. It was the only way I could ‘be David’. A man dumped by his girlfriend and who is seeing monsters that no one else can! Going mad, or thinking he might be, is a heavy place for anyone to be in, let a lone a soft Yorkshire lad! The wonderful thing was, that all the crew respected that and left me to it. They knew it was hard to switch in and out of those emotions between meal breaks and lens changes especially with a big metal camera whirring inches from your face, only calling me on set when everything was set up and they were truly ready to roll.
The way Andy wanted to shoot was the camera as first person, handheld, watching the action, as if it could be someone else there in the room often in a continuous shot. There are scenes that are nearly five minutes without calling cut. Scenes where the camera lingers on a shadow or a corner before a character would walk back into shot. Because of this we did lots of long takes. Which is superb for an actor. It’s almost like a play. Once you have nailed the timing and the action, you can start to really up the ante and flow with your character and bounce off the other actors in your scene or in my case, monsters! It was a terrific way of working. Coming from a theatrical back ground, I relished it. I remember one scene I had to creep behind the camera as it went downstairs and into the flat and when the camera had gone, I had to wait by the front door for about 4 minutes as they filmed a really quiet scene inside then, as the camera and came back out, had to start my action again. In those moments you’re kind of acting to no one. Just you and the front door, being as quiet as a mouse. But you have to keep it going other wise you will ruin the take.
In regards to keeping the despair and pain going, I can tell you, it was tough. But it did get a little easier. Once I had ‘gone there’. Over time, It wasn’t as hard to go back to it. The more I did it, the numb fear wasn’t as far away anymore. It stayed.
The downside to keeping up these deep saddened emotions, was that they would occasionally come home with me. I recall one horrific night after much screaming and upheaval (filming wise), going back to my flat in the middle of the night with no one awake and having just moved in, boxes were lined along the walls and everywhere echoed. I seemed to have some sort of panic attack. I was shaking and felt sick, but not an ordinary ill feeling, instead this was a real sense that something was deeply bothering me. It as clear that the part had gotten to me. I suppose I didn’t sleep for the entire month of filming but, I can say this now, it was worth it. I hoped, that by allowing myself to connect to the role of David, and discovering a part of me I hadn’t been aware of before, when it came to the emotional moments I would be able to open up……and during one of those darkly vulnerable scenes, no one realised the joy I felt as a genuine tear rolled down my cheek.
Next up for me? Well, recently I have filmed a terrific little vampire feature called The Harsh Light of Day, which I think is going to have a real cult following. It really attacks the vampire genre from left field. Lovely and gritty with luscious visuals from first time director Ollie Milburn. Also out soon will be ‘L.V.J’. Which is a wonderful comedy sci-fi which is like a mix between Men in Black and Back to the Future: and the WW2 flick ‘The Glasshouse, where I got to play a quite horrible Nazi. I am also working on my own feature called ‘Transmission’ which I am producing with my writing parting Martin Owen. We have got Roger Christian (Alien, Nostradamus) directing and we are really excited about it. It’s a sci-fi thriller which we will shoot in 3D, hopefully later this year. And obviously, the sequel to The Torment. Or prequel. O Threequel?! Hopefully Andy can clear this one up!
Giles Alderson August 2010.
