Hallam Foe (2007)
Hallam Foe: This Is My Story
Interview with Sophia Myles
Sophia Myles
Beautiful Sophia Myles plays roles on both sides of the atlantic, from indie productions like Art School Confidential to bit parts in Blockbusters such as Underworld. Born in London she got addicted to acting after one play even though she's scared of large crowds of people as she confessed to OutNow.CH. To this date she doesn't like red carpets and was a bit worried about the world premiere experience when OutNow.CH met her in Berlin. In Hallam Foe she plays feisty hotel manager Kate who is intrigued by the mysterious boy Hallam who starts working as dishwasher in her Hotel.
» Das Interview in deutscher Sprache
OutNow.CH (ON): What attracted you to the role of Kate in Hallam Foe?
Sophia Myles (SM): I was searching for a really strong contemporary piece. I've done a lot of period drama. I wanted to find something modern and non commercial.
in Hallam Foe
ON: Kate has quite some dark sides
SM: She's an interesting mix. She's got a very tough, business-like exterior, but on the other side there's vulnerability and a softness that is torn out by the relationship with Hallam. She battles with her demons, and like we all do she has a light and some dark sides. The thing I like about Mackenzie's films is that he is very honest about the human condition. He never ties anything up. It's very ambiguous. It's very honest.
ON: You showed great chemistry on camera with Jamie Bell. Did you get along well off set as well?
SM: Yes, really good. We had a very easy relationship. I was absolutely terrified though about that dance scene bit. I mean it was Billy Elliot sitting on that couch. (She laughs)
obliterating saliva
ON: Did you notice the saliva in the kissing scene you guys shared?
SM: I know. I've seen that once before in that lesbian kiss in Cruel Intentions. David Mackenzie, the director, kind of liked it. That sort of stuff just happens, I suppose. But it was Jamie's saliva. It wasn't mine!
ON: Did you ever mind about the nude scenes?
SM: After meeting David I knew instantly that it would be fine. I was fully aware going into it that it would be a film about voyeurism. If I had been prudish in any way it wouldn't have worked. But there was not one moment during the making of it, or when I saw it that I was remotely uncomfortable at all.
*loll*
ON: A part from the dance scene...
SM: Yes. I was more embarrassed watching the dance scene than the nudity.
ON: Hallam Foe is a bit of a boy's fantasy. You played the girl in it. Do you think women can be attracted to the film?
SM: I would. Even though Hallam's watching Kate at every move, he's not getting any sexual thrill out of it. There's nothing seedy about it. There's a huge amount of comfort in the fact that it is ok to be a bit messed up. The film is very honest about the workings of teenage mind.
ON: You're next film is called Outlander. What's it about?
SM: It's set in Norway 7 or 9 A.D. and on about page four of the script an alien space ship crash-lands on planet earth with Jim Caviezel on board and also this terrifying creature called Moorwen. It's a dragon but it looks more like a ball. Unlike other monsters in film which are simply bad it is explained to the audience that this one is on revenge.
ON: What the hell are you doing in this film?
SM: I play Freya, a princess. My father is played by John Hurt. He's in power at the time. The first time you see us on film, we have a huge sword fight - 120 moves. We trained for months for that.
looking into a bright future
ON: You seem to easily transgress from a vampire babe like in Underworld to arthouse leading lady like in Hallam Foe. Which genre do you prefer to work in?
SM: It's so different. Quite often the films with big budgets and special effects like Thunderbirds for instance are a bit dull to make because as an actor you just have to adapt to a frame that has already been set, whereas in a film like this there's much more opportunities to explore and getting down to the nitty-gritty.
