VISUAL TALES: How does it feel to be a part of The Uprising?

WOODY NORMAN: I have no idea how it feels! I mean, working on it, Paul and I work in the exact same way, and it’s quite unusual for a director to work like how I work because I’m very—I like to move around the space. I like to be very in the moment. I’ll kind of gloss over my lines so that I know what they’re about, but I don’t want it to be robotic. And he’s big on that. He really likes it to be, “It feels right? Do it. If it doesn’t, don’t do it.”

 

VT: Did you do any research beforehand, or was it more about reading the script and finding the character yourself?

WN: The research I did was watching one of Paul’s films, Bloody Sunday, just to see the way he worked. Then I had a little bit of coaching for what voice I would use, and I ended up not using that voice. But it was good to be able to learn to free myself in a role because it’s the first time I really had to. 

 

VT: When you first found out you got the role, what was your reaction?

WN: Oh, it was all very sudden. I auditioned, and I got the sides the night before I auditioned. Then I think a few days later, I found out I got it, and I was going to Germany in like a month. It was just like, “Oh, wow, okay, cool, let’s do it.” And then the fear set in because I hadn’t prepared. I had nothing, you know? I had nothing in my head about what I was going to do, and I had to find it really, really quick.

 

VT: Did you feel like you were able to bring your own creativity to the character while filming?

WN: Yeah, I mean, a lot of thanks to Paul for that. He allowed us to do that.

 

VT: Richard II was only 14 when the revolt happened. How did you approach portraying someone who was so young while carrying so much weight?

WN: I’m sure you’ve met so many kids who’ve never been told no. Just play that. That’s all I did. I played a kid that was a brat and, you know, clearly mentally ill, and it wasn’t too hard. When I thought of it that way, I realized I had been overthinking all of it. I had been trying…because I wanted to avoid researching how he was because I didn’t want that. There are multiple parts of the character, even in the script, that we ended up cutting. He was supposed to almost speak in a falsetto, and he was supposed to have a stutter, but we found it really distracting, so we just cut it. I also think for a film, you know, if you want to see a fully accurate portrayal of someone from history, watch a documentary. You know what I mean? It’s cinema. It’s fiction. Everyone is a fictionalized version of what that person was. There are people in the film that didn’t exist, and there are events that were changed. But it’s cinema.

 

VT: You mentioned working with Paul and how well you two jive together. What did you learn from him while working on such a large-scale production?

WN: Paul is such a dude. I just treat him like he’s my mate, and he treats me that way. We always talk about music together and what we’ve been doing and that type of thing. I never had to approach him with the respect you treat someone that is your senior. It’s just like, “Oh, you’re right, mate. How are you?” You know what I mean? And that’s so good for a film set because it makes you feel comfortable.

 

VT: You also have such a star-studded cast. What was it like working alongside them? Did you find yourself learning from actors who have been doing this for so long?

WN: I didn’t get [to work] too much with a lot of the people. It was a lot of scenes with the same group with my sort of, you know, Kingsmen. But they’re all so nice, and it’s going to be such a joy to see them. I think tomorrow, because I haven’t seen a lot of them in a while, you know? I’m really excited to see how they’re doing and just catch up.

 

VT: Was there anything particularly challenging about filming, especially being on a horse while wearing all that armor?

WN: Well, luckily the armor was plastic, so that helped a little bit. But it took 40 minutes to get on, and then makeup was…I mean, my hair isn’t as curly as his hair is, so it was a lot of time in hair. But just sitting on a horse all day is a big endurance test, especially when you’re not moving, because you’re just stationary. And you can’t slouch on a horse because the horse will feel that you’re relaxed and they’ll become relaxed. There actually was a time where I did start slouching because I’d been on the horse for a while. My horse tried to lay down, and the guy that owns the horse really panicked and just got him straight up. He was a big horse, you know what I mean? Like, a proper stallion. So that was terrifying. But it’s really nice to be able to build that connection with a horse as well, because they’re such empathetic and, like, human animals.

 

VT: Aside from being on the horse, was there anything else you found challenging while filming, particularly when trying to achieve the result you wanted?

WN: Well, being a teenage boy, ego is something that I have to grapple with a lot in my own self-esteem. And playing a character that is almost as cartoonish as he is is a really big way to humble yourself because you have to embarrass yourself every day. It’s not good unless you humiliate yourself.

 

VT: You’re so young, but you’re also very thoughtful about how you’re approaching your career. Do you remember the first moment when you thought, “Yeah, I’m an actor. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life”?

WN: Well, I started so young, so there definitely was that moment, but I don’t remember it.

 

VT: Was there a particular role where you had that “This is my job” moment?

WN: C’mon C’mon. That was the moment I realized that this is a life I can have. You know what I mean? I can be here and create this with people, and it’s so fun. I mean, being in L.A., I get to see a lot of the people I worked with. I had a dinner with one of the guys yesterday, and it’s just lovely to catch up.

 

VT: And you’ve also been recognized for that role by BAFTA. That’s such a huge accomplishment. How does that make you feel, especially when so many people wait years for that kind of recognition?

WN: I don’t know. I don’t really like to think about it.

It’s such a big moment, and I feel like it could have gone two ways. I could have started, you know, really thinking highly of myself. I like to separate Woody, the actor, and, you know, me. Yeah, it’s two different people. So when I’m working, I keep myself there. But when I’m at home, I don’t bring it up. You know, my mates, I won’t talk about it unless they bring it up. You know what I mean? Because it’s not important to them. They have their jobs. If they’re speaking about how the day at the bakery was, I’ll speak about the day at the set was.

 

VT: Are there things you’ve learned along the way where you think, “I wish I knew that from the very beginning”?

WN: I think when you’re a young actor, you’re treated really like you’re special on set, and I remember the moment where I told myself, “No, I’m not. I shouldn’t act like I deserve this because I don’t.” No one deserves it, you want to work for it. You know what I mean? That actually was when C’mon C’mon was coming out. Just after I had done a lot of press for it, I sat down and realized, like, this is a job. This is work. I will treat it like that, and I won’t get comfortable.

 

VT: What are some boundaries or things you’ve set for yourself to stay grounded? You mentioned that you don’t really talk about work with your friends. Do you also give yourself breaks in your everyday life?

WN: Well, I’m pretty lucky. My mum does all those emails. I haven’t sent an email in my life, and I don’t think I’m gonna! I will speak about it, and I will obviously work, and I work every day. But I have a cutoff time. Like, I’m not gonna talk about work after 8 p.m. And then it’s like, “I’m gonna watch a movie. I’m not gonna work right now because it’s nighttime.” I treat it like a nine-to-five. You know what I mean?

 

VT: You’ve traveled to a number of places through acting. Are there any places you’ve visited where you’ve thought, “This is so cool”?

WN: I found my love for Germany through acting. I think it’s a great place to be. It’s so beautiful. It’s not great for a vegan, but I can manage. I just cook at home when I’m there. South Africa is lovely. Atlanta is a great city. I really like it, and obviously New York is lovely.

 

VT: As you’re going through all these roles, is there something specific you’re looking for in your next project? Maybe a time period or a type of character?

WN: I always just look for something that scares me a little bit. If I feel a bit nervous about a role, and if I consider saying no because I’m scared of it, it’s probably the right one. And I always want to support English cinema as much as I can because there’s so much amazing stuff coming out of it, and it does need that support. And it’s not in the same place as, obviously, American cinema is. We don’t have Hollywood, you know. We have London, which is not the same.

So I think if you are English, see as many English films as you can. Really support our film scene.

 

VT: Would you take the next step of not just being in front of the camera, but perhaps working behind it? 

WN: Oh yeah, absolutely. That’s what I want to do. I want to write a lot, not instead of acting. But I wouldn’t want to do a film where I’m directing it and acting in it because that feels like an absolute ego trip. I feel like I’d just be doing it so people can say, “Look how amazing Woody is,” and that’s not what I want to do. I love being creative, and I find that with directing, I can really put everything into it.

 

VT: Is there a particular story you’re interested in telling? Are you drawn to period pieces, or more specifically stories about English life?

WN: I want to do a short film adapting White Nights, by Dostoevsky. I think that could be fun, and that would just be with my mates. But I love sort of that old scene of literature, and I haven’t seen enough of it in film. I know there’s a War and Peace film that I want to watch, but it’s seven hours, so I don’t know when I’m going to watch it. And obviously, The Odyssey just came out, which is a lot older, but same sort of thing. If I were to make a film, I would keep it set in England. 

 

VT: For other young actors who may look at you as a source of inspiration, how does that make you feel, and what advice would you give them?

WN: Okay. Well, I hope they aren’t looking for me as inspiration because I have no idea what I’m doing! I’m very loose with my job. I don’t have many goals. If it happens, ah, it’s cool. But my advice is actually do that. That’s such a mindset that I find really healthy for me. Don’t expect that you’re gonna get an Oscar. You know what I mean? Just do it if you like it.

 

VT: Taking a step back and looking at The Uprising as a whole, how does it feel to see yourself in the role and watch the finished film?

WN: Well, it’s always difficult to watch yourself. It’s like hearing your voice. But once you’re like half an hour into the film, you kind of can remove yourself.

There’s a lot of films where I’ve cringed so much at my performance where I just had to go upstairs and, you know, go to my room and just think about what I’d done. But with The Uprising, because I saw it in a screening, I couldn’t exactly leave. I’m so glad I didn’t because I actually really liked the film. It’s always nice when, like with C’mon C’mon, I sometimes will just put the film on and watch it because that was such a time in my life. That was, you know, 2019 in L.A. and New York and New Orleans. It was just so much fun.

 

VT: At this point in your career, you’ve already accomplished so much. What does success mean to you? Or is that something you’re not really thinking about and you’re just enjoying the moment?

WN: I think I’ve found what I want in my career, so I feel like I’ve succeeded in what I look for, and it’s just to be able to do it.

But success for me would be starting a family, you know, buying a house, that sort of thing. Like, real things. Things that are actually successful. Having, you know, a daughter that I love or something like that.