Part 11: Doing PR
"Interview time!" Theo says cheerfully, strolling into the canteen everyone's lurking in given that it's a relatively early start.
Angel eyes him, inhaling coffee fumes while it's still too hot to drink. "Is he speaking English?"
Drew slings an arm round her waist and kisses her temple as she cradles the coffee. "I think so. it may be producer speak."
Isabella twitches. "Everyone knows producer speak isn't English. Especially if they're perky at this time of morning."
Theo ignores them. "The next two days, we have reporters, people. You'll be giving those all important 'interviews on set' that make it looks so exclusive. remember, these are not the mad interns filming the snippets for the behind the scenes stuff, it's publicity. Little anecdotes, opinions, make sure you say how fabulous it is, be very actory if you want - especially you, Isabella, a lot of these are American reporters, they'll be impressed about the Shakespeare company thing and get starry-eyed . You won't necessarily be having photos taken right now, but make sure you're presentable as several of them will be carrying video cameras."
"We're as presentable as makeup can make us." Isabella yawns.
"Some being more presentable than others." Gavin says, casting a glance at Simon, who appears to be asleep on his feet and only upright due to being propped up by Ross. "What did you do last night, Ross?"
Ross doesn't look in the slightest bit guilty. "Sometimes, you have to defend your title as Assassins Creed champion. it was valiantly fought."
Theo glances at him. "At least he doesn't have eyebags. Shovel red bull and coffee into him before he goes on set." He pauses and pulls out his phone. "Oh, and we have magazines and so on. After Elton, Out, Gay Times, Attitude for starters for you two."
Ross blinks. "...Seriously, how many gay publications are there?"
"Also Men's Health." Gavin volunteers, amused. "Given the muscles."
Drew facepalms. "Oh, christ, I can't believe I'm going to have to talk about my fitness regime."
Simon shrugs. "Mine's called 'go to the gym a lot'."
"Mine's called 'high energy dance routines daily'. With added martial arts." Drew says. "But oh no, they'll want press up details and diet and 'how to get a body like this'." he pauses, then asks "Don't I get to do the gay ones?"
"...Only if they ask." Theo says, a little confused.
"They will, they perved enough over me as Gisburne." Drew says, then waves a hand towards himself. "Also bisexual and in musical theatre. Photo of 'what's hot this month' at the very least."
Angel pats him on the cheek. "Your ego is just fine, honestly."
"What, I've been through this before. Just watch out if they try to put you in a fashion shoot, their idea of clothing that suits you is not of this planet." Drew says, then starts counting off on his fingers. "GQ can be real tossers, just constantly smile. then there's comicstore news, and bleeding cool and the like...."
Ross grins. "we promise to geek happily at them."
"Riiiiiight." theo says, scrolling to the next page. "Girls, you're -"
"Not. Fucking. Doing. Loaded, FHM or Maxim." Angel states, taking another sip of her coffee. "It's in my contract. Under 'self-respect' and 'if they want to see me half naked, buy a ticket to a play or the dvd where I'm guaranteed to be naked. And there's no photoshopping."
"Good thing I checked it, then." Theo says dryly.
"Good." Mei says. "I have no problem with appearing in soft porn as long as I'm paid porn rates."
"never let it be said you were cheap." Angel says.
"Damn right. I'm expensive, I am." Mei says, checking her manicure.
"Anyway." Theo continues. "You've got the broadsheets and SFX."
GQ
"So, who causes the most trouble on set?"
Ross and Simon look shifty. "We deny everything. Except Angel's longbow. We may be danger-sense impaired but we're not stupid. No fucker touches that."
"Living in the UK?"
Ross shrugs. "It's the Authority. I was willing to arrange accidents to get a part. Learning to cope with their public transport system and lack of normal food was a small price to pay."
"Some day, I'm going to wipe all marmite from the face of the earth." Simon muses.
"Auditions?"
"I auditioned for Hawksmoor, Apollo and Midnighter." Ross says. "Happy with any of them, but they had a preference for the guy who can literally run up walls. it saves on stunt doubles. But dude, I'm playing Batman without the need for massive therapy on a big-ticket HBO show. How cool is that? Plus: coat."
"Costume has threatened to abandon you in the hen night zone in just your shorts if you ever consider stealing it." Simon reminds him.
"So, you, Simon?"
"Got put up for Apollo for my agent and told to work out. She chucked me the script and told me he was basically Superman . then I found out they were the first out superhero couple in comics, as well as being ex special ops and not just kansas farm boy. Which definitely made it stand out even if it wasn't HBO."
"You didn't audition for Midnighter?"
"Nope. I've played menacing and a few mobsters, but I've mostly played nice guys, so don't give off those 'may kill you in your sleep' vibes like he does."
"I do not." Ross objects.
Simon stares at him. "...You were in a WB show as the ex who goes off his rocker. there was a reason they cast you. and you were in Supernatural for a bit."
Ross grins. "Come to the Dark Side, we have cookies."
"How's portraying a couple working out?"
"We bitch, we snipe, and very occasionally we get emotional when the other gets hurt, but in a very restrained way." Simon says. "Seems to work."
"So how was all the fighting? I know you, Simon, have played quite a few soldiers and physical roles, how does it compare to Pride and Fall?"
Simon scratches his head. "Well, there's no guns in this. and my fight scenes are kind of odd, since I'm supposed to be much, much stronger than everyone else. It's like hit, pause, hit the air, they'll work that bit out in post production and CGI it in. Possibly the weirdest one was where we got attacked by sword wielders. Trying to fight those off when you're on the ground and don't have any weapons..." He pauses. "Most of my physical stuff involves wire work for flying. Which puts strains on muscle groups you'd never even heard of."
Ross leans forward. "I'm enjoying it, but it's all choreographed and a lot's done in close-up to make it look more like I know what I'm doing. If I take my feet off the floor, bang, stunt man. Admittedly it's a lot easier for make-up since they don't have to worry about having to mess around with wigs for me." He cocks his head towards Simon "I've been perfecting how to menace people, though. I now do a really scary loom and grab of chin and hiss into people's faces."
"You're not Drew, is what you're sulking about when it comes to 'not as much as I'd like', is what you're saying." Simon points out.
"Yeah, but he's Drew." Ross says. "He's actually got his stunt credentials. you turn round and he's doing a mid-air spinning round house, or flipping over your head - seriously, there's this one fight scene where I'm grappling with a guy and he actually flipped over my head. no lie. Oh, and that thing with swords? He choreographed that, so if there was even a chance we got an injury we were totally going to blame him."
SFX
Angel Harker first got our notice in Robin Hood with her practical, vicious portrayal of Marion, which was her first major tv role. Which she insists was at least half won due to having her own longbow, so could cut down on filming time by making the shots herself. She's done the occasional bit of tv and film, but is mostly a stage actress along with her boyfriend Drew Shipley who played Guy of Gisburne in the series. And now she's landed the role of Jenny Sparks in HBO's adaptation of Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch's The Authority. At this rate, she's going to become geekdom's new favourite actress.
Right now she's complaining about the fact that she's the only one of the cast who doesn't get to hit people aside from Gavin Detori who's playing The Doctor. "Gavin's way too mellow to be worried about this. I like being physical! I've asked the producers if we can shoehorn in an excuse for me to at least glass someone in one of the flashback scenes, but no, Jenny doesn't bother to hit people when she can electrocute them instead because it's less effort. Drew's being a spoilsport and backing them up on this." Angel pouts. "Even Isabella gets to shoot people as Angie." Another sigh. "So, perfecting my Palpatine impressions. Ian Mcdiurmid is my new acting role model, and it's not often you get to say that if you're female. maybe I can swap tips with Fassbender on playing characters who can kill you with gestures. Jenny Sparks and Magneto team up during the sixties when he's on his nazi-hunting mission. She's got cause, since she spied during the war." There's a pause. "Admittedly he'd probably dump Jenny after the third or so time she got completely rat arsed. And then get really pissed off when she met him a few years later when he was in costume and fell over laughing due to the cape and helmet. Course, he doesn't dare try anything because his stock in trade's metal, which is really not a power you want to have if you get on the wrong side of someone who controls electricity."
When asked what she thinks about the role itself, besides it being with HBO "Which equals budget up to *here*. Seriously, the BBC would've killed for this." the first thing out of her mouth is "I hone my grumpiness. It's a thing. I knew the story and character already due to Drew being a comics fan and the graphic novels are all round the flat, and they're a good read. Unlike some of the other stuff he's got. But yeah, the idea of playing someone who's over a century old and been fighting for a better world the whole way through... it's like if Doctor Who were female and believed in getting involved in world events, and really, really wasn't a pacifist. Especially the secret agent stuff. And then spent half his time drunk because it's the only way to numb all the disappointments. Maybe me and Matt Smith should have a face-off over who does old soul in a young body better. God, I'd have killed to play Jean in Christopher and His Kind, but I was in the middle of a play, so there was no way i was getting anywhere near Berlin. Jenny copes by getting off her face, the Doctor copes by running away. Oh, and she's got better dress sense." Jack harkness is nominated as another option. Angel starts sniggering. "the problem with Barrowman is that I acted against him when I was a kid, so we'd probably start giggling. as for Jack vs Jenny - come on. Secret alien stuff throughout the century? He'll shag anything if it's pretty and Jenny's pretty much perfected the drunken shag. If they exist in the same universe, they're old muckers and have been since Jenny was a teenager and got involved in the weird stuff. They both agree that alien blue princes are completely selfish bastards and crap in bed, so just not worth the aggro."
Attitude
Ross Hunter and Simon Kowalski have no personal space. None.
"Ross has always been very touchy feely and developed Stockholm Syndrome very early on in filming." Simon says as Ross idly pokes at Simon's earrings. Apparently they're not sitting right. Simon ignores him.
"Other way round." Ross protests. "Although it may be a case of playing an old married couple day in day out. Transference. And the studio put us up in a flat together."
"And he's not a complete scum bag so we hang out quite a bit off set." Simon adds.
"All about the Angel torment, really." Ross muses, finally leaving Simon's earrings alone, then grins wickedly. "That girl is way too much fun to annoy."
"Weird bits... " Simon muses, glances towards Ross, and Ross nods. "well, the flashback episode was weird to film. the one that goes over the whole Apollo / Midnighter origin - how they got their powers, how they get closer and to the point where they join The Authority. Besides the fact that we spent a good few scenes naked, and not in a glamorous or sexy way, we're meant to be on the run from the government after the whole super-secret black ops project that gives them their powers goes tits up and we're sleeping in abandoned warehouses and haven't washed for ages." he winces. "I dread to think what the characters are supposed to have smelled like at that stage. But the main stumbling block in that episode was the fact that we had to act out our initial attraction to each other."
"And lust. Don't forget the lust." Ross adds, leering for effect. "Seriously. Look at this. Wouldn't you?"
"Shush, you." Simon says, pushing the side of his head. "You get to geek out, I get to explain this bit. We'd learned to automatically act like an old married couple - comfortable in each others' space, little touches, no personal space, all this non-verbal stuff and looks that the directors can actually tell us 'can I have long suffering look number three for this bit' and we can do it. And suddenly we're having to be skittish and tentative. You know, stares that last too long, not touching when we're talking, reacting when the other person touches you -"
"Yeah, the direction most heard during that episode was 'Move the hand!'." Ross says, scratching his neck in discomforted memory.
"Yeah, apparently there's a big difference on camera between when you put your hand here -" Simon turns Ross to face him, putting his hand on Ross' shoulder, then shifts it closer to his neck. "- And here."
Ross chuckles, quoting again. "You've only done back-alley blow jobs, you don't even like each other yet! He thinks you smile too much, and you think he's an eerie uncommunicative bastard even if he is hot. You do not know how he sodding well likes his feet rubbed!" He pauses, then continues. "And don't relax when he puts his hand on the back of your neck, you're a highly trained special ops killer! Oh my god, Simon, are you - stop rubbing circles into his shoulder with your thumb on automatic!" Simon's covering his face and shaking his head. Ross grins and pats him on the arm. "It's okay, sweetheart, these things happen."
Simon groans. "The sad thing is that that's near perfect quotage from the AD at one point. God knows what's going to happen if we're ever cast as brothers or colleagues. 'er, we didn't write this as incestuous or as boyfriends. can you stop doing that?' " Simon grins. "Pavlovian reaction, soon as the cameras roll."
"Course, if it's enemies, that'll just give us an obsessive edge. in the 'they have history, don't they, could they please get a room together and leave us out of it?'." Ross says. "Note to agents and casting directors, if the other person is cast, please only cast the other one as his opposite."
So were there ever problems with intimacy? neither of you have ever played gay before, right?
"Oh, Angel and Drew got everyone drunk, then chucked us in bed together and ordered us to fuck to get over any intimacy issues." Ross says cheerily. "You do not say no to the medieval weaponry masters. He can gut you and she can fill you full of holes. He made me sleep in the wet spot, though. Bastard."
Simon nods in agreement. "Our muscles are gym muscles, there to look good in front of the camera. Theirs are from dancing and wielding big bits of metal. Solid rock like things. They kick like mules." He eyes Ross. "Besides, you snore. You deserved the wet spot."
"So he says. I think he's just mean. But your gym muscles did satisfy costuming." Ross says, flicking Simon in the bicep. "Is there an ep where you don't get shirtless?"
Simon raises an eyebrow. "You speak treason. I have a very important role in this series, and it is eyecandy."
comicstore News
Right, first things first. We know you're complete Warren Ellis fanboys. How was it getting the role?
Drew harker: My girlfriend (Angel Harker, who if you're blind and deaf, is playing Jenny Sparks) had to sit on me. There may have been dunking in cold water involved.
Ross Hunter: I went out and got very happily drunk and destroyed people's eardrums in karaoke bars.
Is it true you both interviewed for all the roles except the Doctor?
Drew: I would have been fabulous as Jenny. and I look better blonde than Angel does. Angel hates being blonde. I'd've been happy as anything they offered me, really. Little cameo of random person being beaten up? Fine with that. I may have tipped the balance in favour of Jack Hawksmoor instead of Apollo and Midnighter by doing backflips in the audition and listing my martial arts training and stuntman credentials.
Ross: yeah, he stole that role away from everyone. Bastard. Seriously, how do you compete with someone who can actually run up walls and has previous on being a sarcastic bastard in a pretty high profile role? So instead I had to settle for Midnighter and perfect my menacing air because Simon's prettier than me, so got Apollo. Also: coat.
Drew: His attachment to that coat is a little disturbing.
Ross: Not as bad as Mei's thing for her wings.
Drew: God yeah. she'd get them surgically grafted on if they actually worked. She fully admits the entire reason she took the role was to get the wings.
So, playing the characters?
Drew: Jack Hawksmoor. God of the Cities. How can i not love my life? I get to kick arse, I get to be a Warren Ellis character, I get to tell my girlfriend what her character should be doing, I get to act out all the immensely cool things in the comic i loved - during the Blue Albion story line, when the Carrier gets invaded by the cavalry? I was in charge of the choreography and planning of that scene because I've done the mowing down peasants thing from horseback. the odd scene covered in Regis' guts in a cold wet graveyard at arse o'clock in the morning? Totally worth it.
Ross: the problem is that I now know what it's like to be a peasant due to that scene. And fighting against horses was *weird*. But dude. I am basically batman. Batman without the massive, massive need for therapy and in a stable relationship, as written by Warren Ellis so I have cooler lines. One of the first out superhero couples which is amazing and really important.
Drew: Speaking as a bisexual comic geek who was into martial arts, definitely important. and because it's HBO, they're not going to shy away from it.
Ross: Oh, they shied away. If by shied away you mean 'more sex scenes than the rest of the others put together and having kissed Simon more than I've kissed any other actor'. the director once didn't say cut because they had bets on how long we could keep it going. and we get to do the origin episode from Stormwatch! ...Remind me, do we fudge the whole Stormwatch thing?
Drew: it's in there that Jenny, Jack and Shen were part of the black ops part of a superhero team previously, but i can't remember if they actually mention Stormwatch. Have to check the final versions.
Anything else you can give away?
Drew: There's lots of little throwaway things the writers put in there.
Ross: Oh, yeah, they tweaked the end. it's not the same as the comics.
Drew: Considering it is after the turn of the century and it's set in the present day, they definitely tweaked the end. but yeah, the story is a bit different from the 'God comes back to shape the Earth to his liking' because that's pretty hard to get right on camera.
Drew: Also Warren visited the set. We considered dying happy but instead offered tribute as is right and proper when encountering Internet Jesus.
Ross: I'm now lobbying to get Transmetropolitan made. and knee-capping Karl Urban so I can get his role in the RED sequel.
Any other superhero roles you'd like to do?
Drew: Considering I've already got Guy of Gisburne under my belt for iconic baddies... I'd love to be Pete Wisdom. But for costumes... um. I really like all the casting for the recent superhero films, and I never really wanted to be any of them. Plus I did get to be in Captain America as the Hydra agent who shoots Dr Erskine. Um. Dick Grayson as Nightwing would be fun, plus it's another acrobatic role.
Ross: The question is whether you've got the ass for it. Dick canonically has the best ass in the DCU, remember?
Drew: Dancer. My arse is to die for by definition. Plus I'm English, which automatically puts me streets ahead in casting for iconic american superheroes.
Ross: I'm going to ignore that last comment. as for me... I'd love to do Blue Beetle, but I'm pretty obviously not a teenager and not Mexican.
Drew: You'd be great as Supergirl, Peter David version.
Ross: Crap on a skateboard, sadly. And I'm another of those 'looks terrible blond' people. oh, I know. Starman. Jack Knight. it looks amazing, and then there's the supporting cast...
Drew: I vote Benedict Cumberbatch - no, scratch that, I vote Mark Gatiss as The Shade in that. Peter Wingfield if he's not available, but definitely Mark Gatiss as first choice.