Dan's Movie Report Exclusive! (C) 2012! Post #250!!!! New Photos!
Check out Ben's New Show Reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nz-KV2Kwvqs&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Actor
Ben Loyd-Holmes is sent to explode in 2012 with the release in
September of UK horror film The Hike, upcoming production Mercs, and
his upcoming role in Skyfall. Ben has a diverse background and chats
at length about his variety of experiences in front of and behind the
camera. No more of my inscessent rambling, time to get inside the
mind of the UK man of action!
How
did you get bitten by the acting and producing bug? Influences?
I
was a set brat. My dad is in the industry and so I
grew up in magical villages. Well, sets of magical villages. My
parents divorced when I was six, but by then I had already tasted a
bit of that world and as I grew up I got the odd glimpse into my dads
world and met amazing actors like De Niro. I played around in the
film industry as a kid doing advert and the odd movie, but I turned
my back on it for years from my mid teens until 2000 when I got
offered a small bit in Band of Brothers. Totally right place right
time, someone saw me who was working on it and bobs your uncle....
Was amazing. But after that I did a few bits and again turned my back
on it, wanting to focus on fighting and training. I used to love
competing and training so much and I was just starting my own gym so
tried to be sensible and move away form the film industry. A few
years later and I was back at it full bore. And here I am. There are
so many great actors, I love Hank Azzaria, Javier Bardem, Josh
Brolen... Tom Hardy is showing just how great he is too. There’s
some great acting talent out there to inspire you. Producing comes
from the drive to make things happen and sometimes the frustration as
an actor that you sometimes feel. Turn it into positivity.
What
is your martial arts background?
I
started doing Martial Arts when I was a kid, I got bullied and there
seemed no other way out that meet violence with violence. Its not
ideal in todays society, maybe, but then what is? After all that
stopped I got the bug and wanted to fight and test myself. I love the
many sides of martial arts in terms of styles but personally I hate
the politics and scams that go on behind closed doors. Theres a lot
of lies told to students, forcing them to spend more and more money
and to do certain things. Thats not what martial arts should be
about. I have been lucky, trained with some good people, learnt some
good technique and like to think of myself as pretty well rounded as
a martial artist. I’ve studied, Kickboxing, Capoeira, Kung Fu, Krav
Maga, Kidon and Thai for nearly 20 years and really do love it. But
sadly acting stops you from fighting which is kind of frustrating.
In
an ideal world we’d see more martial artists working together and
helping each other rather than trying to screw each other and their
students over, which is all too common in the UK.
I know you had a starring role in The UK Horror film The Hike, share a crazy story that you had not told anyone.
The
Hike, crazy story.. there are a few, some which probably should never
be mentioned! It was a hard film and that meant pulling together. I
remember one night after a long shoot where Barbara and I had done a
particularly long and traumatic scene the whole crew were so
exhausted from watching it when the shoot wrapped we all had a few
beers and then a few more. It was about 6am, and theres a bunch of
idiots drinking and dancing in the woods. There was lots of tricks
played, lots of fun had. The girls were great, they did a great job
in a difficult situation. I will never forget Zara’s face when she
dived in the water in Wales after I had warned her it was cold,
glacial water cold not swimming pool cold. She was so cocky then came
up in total shock! Talking of cold water, there is a shot in the film
where Dan and I are in the lake, in one of those shots you can see a
big red hand print on Dan’s butt cheek. Who did it though, I’m
not sure I can give that one away !
The Hike is released as a Lionsgate film in the UK have you heard any
plans of a U.S. release?
Yea
of course, the US release was slightly delayed that’s all. We have
a deal in place and the full release is September. I can’t say too
much more yet, but as soon as we can there will be a press release on
The Hike fanpage.
Ok Man the big question, How did you get the part in the upcoming Bond Skyfall film?
You
ever heard of the casting couch....? Well it wasn’t that! (Ed
note-”No kidding”) No I was lucky enough to be seen for one of
the Assassins in the film, though from the start I didn’t fit the
breakdown perfectly so it was a bit of a long shot. I went in and met
the casting director who was lovely and we had a good chat and I did
a monologue from the film. It was an interesting piece as it could be
interpreted in a couple of ways so I did it in a way that would
hopefully show some range. Word eventually came that because I didn't
fit the breakdown I wouldn't be able to play the assassin but they
wanted to offer me something else. So I was really pleased to still
get an offer.
Can
you say what character you play (As of yet) Villain or Hero What are
some of the action moves you did?
I’m
not too sure how much I can say about this one. I play a police
officer, it’s a normal character in terms of I’m not doing any
big fight scenes. It’s a small character in a big scene. As it
were.
How long were you on the set of Skyfall, and what were the filming locations?
I
was only booked for a couple of days. I was up a pinewood studios and
then on Vauxhall Bridge.
Compare the Skyfall experience to shooting a lower budget film, is there more time less rush rush etc?
Shooting
a movie is always rush rush rush as you are working to productions
schedules and they are either rushing to stay on time or rushing
because they are behind. Its a tough balance for the 1st AD and
Production staff. The biggest difference in a movie like SKYFALL and
a smaller production is the how much you are looked after and how
professional everyone is. Every tiny part is perfect, from the
wardrobe to the lines. Sam is an amazing director. He knows what he
wants, he’s very focused and yet he’s still open to an idea from
an actor or his DP. To have such focus and still be so open is very
commendable. The British press has been reveling in the financial
constraints of the film and the fact that ‘Bond wont be shooting
abroad’ which in itself is nonsense as the film did shoot in
Turkey, but I also felt they were missing the point and almost
enjoying the budgetary constraints of the film. What they don’t
realize is no matter what the budget Bond will deliver a great film
and from what I have seen and heard, this is going to be an amazing
movie.
Above Pic: promotional still for Mercs
On to Mercs, chat about your newer indie production Mercs, cool concept Mercenaries.
On to Mercs, chat about your newer indie production Mercs, cool concept Mercenaries.
Yea,
simple concept, a band of mercenaries are a fun group to be a viewer
of. By definition they are a bit rowdy and rely on each other so
there are going to be great relationships. The film is still indie in
that we are doing it the way we want to and have managed to retain a
lot of creative control, however it’s not the kind of film that you
would look at as an indie movie. We hope. We have some jaw dropping
action sequences, unreal visual effects as the icing on the cake of
what is a good little story. It’s got a real graphic novel feel.
The director offered me one of the main roles in the picture which is
amazing as he’s such a great character, but it’s a difficult one
to play so it’s going to be filled with challenges.
Do you feel that taking big budget films allows you to learn and be creative on the indie productions you work on?
It
can never hurt, but often the gadgets and tools on a big movie are
never going to be seen on a small one. Often its reverse engineering.
We have to work out how to create the same effect with no where near
the budget for the gadgets or effect. But that's where having a good
team is the key.
Did you take any filming techniques learned on Skyfall and incorporate it into Mercs?
No.
Though looking at the trailer maybe I should have ! Have you seen the
Skyfall teaser? It’s pretty good!
How about action, will we ever see Ben in a romantic Sandra Bullock comedy? What are your favorite types of films to watch, star in?
Will
I ever move from action and horror into Rom Com? Well If a casting
director or director could see me in it then yea i’d love too!
Mainly because I really enjoy comedy. I am a bit typecast by the way
I look and the amount of work I have done in those genre’s so I
wouldn’t be their first thought. To watch I loved the Hangover, but
also loved Shawshank and Drive. There are so many great movies that
pull you in that it’s too hard to say one type. Anything that's well
written with a great director and cast I’d love to watch or be a
part of. Genre is just a part of it.
Who are some of your independent and big budget acting influences, and why do you like them?
Ryan
Gosling is a great actor and he’s been on that cusp for a while and
has only gone really mainstream recently. Tom Hardy is a great UK
actor, I like his style and he’s really leaped and stepped up.
Scott Adkins is doing very well too. It’s great to see UK talent
continuing to come up as we have some established greats like Bale
and Oldman but we need to keep seeing the new breed.
What are some of your future projects lined up for the rest of 2012 and beyond?
I
have been asked to be an ambassador of Jackie Chan's charity which
brings opportunities for education to under privileged children among
other things. It’s a real honour to be asked to do something like
this. I also support Clic Sargent the kids cancer charity, for
obvious reasons again its such a worthy cause. I also am a huge
supporter of shelter and the ZSL. ZSL does great work in conservation
and without them and their partners a great number of species would
be extinct or on the critical list.
Aside
form the charity bits, I have a few projects lined up and gotta keep
working on my house. Have a DIY list as long as my arm.
Beyond
all that... I’m not sure. I’d love more opportunities in Film to
come my way obviously. I love my craft and am lucky to have the
support I do from people such as yourself, MCM Expo, Massive Events,
all the magazines and website journalists and of course the viewers
that take the time to get in touch, so hopefully there will be more
to talk about soon. And of course... don’t forget MERCS. It’ll
either kill me or be brilliant.
Finally
a few funny questions? Ben this is totally humorous-- do what
you want with them answer or not
Be
honest has a lady ever kicked your ass in a fight? Sparring or
otherwise?
I’ve
been slapped by one does that count? Actually when i was but a young
kickboxer at all of 16 or 17, I had to spar with 11 people as part of
my black belt, well one was a woman, at least if you took away the
stubble and the huge muscles she looked a bit like a woman. I tried
to show how much restraint I had, throwing kicks and punches that
didn’t connect and stopped just before but she wouldn't stop
steaming into me. Eventually I thought I’ll give her a little
contact to get her to back off. One sidekick and she dropped like a
stone. I felt really guilty until i a few months later I learned that
she had a weakness in her muscles due to steroid abuse. Reap what you
sow!
If so how did she do it? If not how would she be able to do it?
Best
way for a woman to beat me up? Feed me good food and like a dog I’ll
eat till I'm incapacitated.
Above Pic: That is Zara and her deadly whip chain!
You and Zara Phythian play around on twitter, but if it comes down to a real fight who wins?
Hahahaha
a real fight between Zara and I!? If she had that bloody whip chain of
hers I think I would be in trouble before I was within 10 ft of her! However I can’t actually think about that for real. I would never
hit a woman. Unless she was late to set like Zara always is... then
I’d consider it. (Ed Note: Zara is cute, a bit rough, might be able to inflict minor damage, but I think Ben is stronger haha_)
Thanks
Ben for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to chat a bit
about your projects and have some fun..
For more info on Ben follow him on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/#!/benloydholmes
IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2102207/
Mercs Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MercsTheMovie
For more info on Ben follow him on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/#!/benloydholmes
IMDB Page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2102207/
Mercs Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/MercsTheMovie
