Under The Mountain: Interview with Oliver Driver
Oliver Driver is the new Mr Wilberforce for the 2009 version of Under The Mountain. Oliver last worked with director Jonathan King on Kiwi horror comedy Black Sheep.
tvnz.co.nz-So you're a boogeyman for the 21st
century?
Oliver Driver - Yeah it's such a cool thing to
play Mr Wilberforce - I mean I grew up having the beejesus
scared out of me by him when I was younger and to play him has
been really exciting.
tvnz.co.nz -
The makeup must have been
quite gruelling to sit through?
Oliver Driver-
4 1/2 hours - Yeah it was and it
really makes you quite isolated you can't talk cos you've got teeth
in and can't see as you have contacts in, can't hear because you
have ears on so you really just have to spend hours and hours
sitting alone in the dark so that your face doesn't fall off.
tvnz.co.nz - That's a good place to find the
character from then?
Oliver Driver -
It's nice because we wanted Mr
Wilberforce to be this alien stuck inside this human shape - and I
wanted it to be uncomfortable. I like the whole idea that he hated
being in it and it was a pain and an effort to be in it - and it
was this whole frustration of "Why am I wearing this face?" and so
to actually be an actor who was going through that that made it
easy it has to be said.
tvnz.co.nz - It seems to have been a dream set to have
been on and a great cast to have worked with?
Oliver Driver: Yeah - not so much for me as I was
in make up sitting in my trailer! It was great for them from what I
could see; I was getting a depression or felt like I had some kind
of disease - I remember the moment which is etched indelibly in my
mind was one day at the studio and the old school Mr Wilberforce
(Bill Johnson, the real actor who played him), Maurice Gee and his
wife came over and Helen Clark came out - there was all these
people visiting from England as well from the co-pro company and it
was a beautiful sunny day and all the buses were parked round...
There was cast photos, there was music playing and then in one
corner, a little boy waits in his tent - me sitting and not moving
and watching all of this going on. It was just me sitting
there growling - so it was great for the shoot because you get out
and all you can think is "Yeah I'll kill everybody...."
tvnz.co.nz -So you weren't actually acting
then?
Oliver Driver - No not at all (laughter).
tvnz.co.nz -
It's the second time
you've worked with Jonathan King - it must be nice to be reunited
with him?
Oliver Driver
- One of the joys of doing this and I've
directed actors time and time again or been an actor for other
directors is you develop a shorthand which makes it
easier to work - you're not trying to go "Are you
good?" Jonathan knows how I work and I know how he works and
it so becomes a very simple fun way to work.
tvnz.co.nz - Mr Wilberforce is quite a terrifying
character - he doesn't say very much but when he does towards the
end, he's quite menacing.
Oliver Driver - Well by the end he's actually
getting quite irritated with them - I often think of him like a
shark or a wolf that's just thinking of the humans as
inconsequential - it's like ants or worms really - you don't
think about them. He just says "What about the humans? Kill them
all" - and then the twins come along and he makes vague threats and
he's not able to do it until that final bit at the end with the
confrontation - it's only then he just starts to think
"Oh you guys are going to pay - I was going to kill you quickly but
now it's just let's hurt these kids."
tvnz.co.nz - Is it fun to be involved?
Oliver Driver
-Working with Sam Neill was great - the
kids were brilliant. The great thing was they really did the work
and they didn't winge or complain as young actors can; they handled
it right from the start and no matter how uncomfortable the shoot
was they knew it would not last forever. So you just have to grin
and bear it but yeah it was a fantastic group - but I just didn't
get to talk to them loads - I spoke to the other Wilberforce guys
but it was easier for them because they didn't have to wear too
much make up. When they did, we were a bunch of sad sacks
looking really depressed and angry. It was a weird thing because
you'd have all these people asking you if you were ok and it was
kind of "Yeah, I'm good" but at the same time going "Noooooo I want
it off my face!"
tvnz.co.nz -
Would you do it
again?
Oliver Driver I think I would - it's one of those
things when I was doing it, I'd go never again am I doing this,
it's just horrible. But then you kind of forget afterwards
and when you're doing interviews like this and you tell great
stories about what a great job it was after time passes...If
Jonathan called and said we need a marshmallow man I'd be like yeah
cool - I'm on my way.
tvnz.co.nz -Would you inflict it on anyone as a
director?
Oliver Driver
Yes definitely - I'll get my revenge! It's
only bad because I'm quite a social person and I like to interact
with people. It was quite strange as it's the first time I've done
that major stuff - if I ever did it again, I'd know exactly what I
was getting myself in to. I'd work with Jonathan again at the
drop of a hat. He knows what he wants to make and has such a vision
- he's not precious about stuff so it becomes a fun environment to
work on - he's very receptive to your own input and is open to you
trying things.
tvnz.co.nz -The special effects look great - were you
surprised to see the end result?
Oliver Driver:
Yeah totally - it looked
amazing. It's all so bitsy when you shoot it as you have tape
on your face and designs for the prosthetics; so seeing it
altogether I was blown away by it. When Jonathan King is
explaining to you what it's going to look like, you wish you could
see inside his head because you don't get it - but ultimately it
clicks and you go "Ahhh, I've got it." The main thing is
I'm really going to have to step it up at my fancy dress
parties - I really want to talk to the make up guys to see if
there's any possibility for me to host the TV awards next year as
Mr Wilberforce - that'd be genius.
GO BEHIND THE SCENES OF UNDER THE MOUNTAIN HERE!
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR UNDER THE MOUNTAIN HERE!
