Yeah quite a few of the main characters I had already pictured in my mind - I knew that I wanted Jazzie involved and Richie Campbell was always going to play Tyrone, we talked about that way back in 2005 I think it was.
I knew that I wanted to Jamie Winstone back and Ashley Walters and a lot of the character that I had in my head really came through for me.
But that’s not to say that a couple of days before filming actors dropping out - but every actor that dropped out we were kind of blessed because someone else came a long and did something better.
It was hard because I didn’t have a casting director helping me it was just me and my mobile trying to ring up all these actors to see if they were free - that was the hard thing as well trying to make sure that everyone was free at the same time.
Luckily it all came together and we manage to schedule filming around everyone’s schedule - I was really happy because we had a great mix and blend of the best of UK, so yeah I was happy.
- Many of the cast are friends so how challenging was it directing them - as you don‘t have that distance from them?
I had to make that distance, if you see what I mean? A lot of the actors understood that this was my baby and I wasn’t messing about.
I think that people really understood from an early stage that this was not a joke about and it will not be the usual Adam having banter as this was my baby and it will be done right.
It was hard though because you have got actors like Femi (Oyeniran) who I have done all these films with in the past as actors, we were the ones on set having jokes all the time and I think that it must have been a weird for him me telling him what to do.
Because they are my friends they understood and they knew that it had nothing to do with ego they knew I had written this film and I had it all in my head. We didn’t really have any problems with that.
- How much is directing where you want to take you career - or is acting still very much the focus?
Acting has always been my main love - directing is something that I have always wanted to do but I didn’t think I would get to do it so early in my career.
But now I have done it it’s definitely something that I would like to carry on, I’m in the process of writing some thing s at the moment.
Now I think that all the things that I write I would like to direct but still act the same time. So I have really got the directing buzz now because I really enjoyed it ad it’s good to know that you can put your vision out there rather than just going to set and reading your lines - I like that creativity.
- You have starred in movies such as Kidulthood and 4.3.2.1. and worked alongside fellow British filmmaker Noel Clarke so how much did that inspire you to step behind the camera?
Obviously I was a round when he was doing it and then it was done and that is what really showed me actually he has put his mind to it, he’s a young guy and he’s directed his first film who’s to say that I can’t do that?
Watching Noel and other actors doing their thing over the years I learnt a lot, I didn’t go to drama school or anything like that, so I learnt on the job and it was a case of watching good directors do their thing and bad directors do their thing and knowing what kind of director I wanted to be.
So yeah it had a great influence on me seeing Noel do his thing and I realised that I could definitely see myself doing that.
- You have now worked in both TV and movies so how do they compare/differ?
OI think TV is a lot more organised because there are strict schedules that you have to stick to but it is also a lot calmer. Film it’s always done on a low budget it’s a lot more guerrilla style where you have twenty minutes to get the scene done - but it’s a lot more challenging.
What I love about movie is it’s there for life, you do a TV job and it sort of comes and goes, while a movie is there in history, hopefully, and it will always be on DVD.
I enjoy them both for different reasons but I just love the thing about making movies that will be around for a long time.
- Finally what's next for you?
I have got a film coming out called Outside Bet with Bob Hoskins, that’s out at the end of the summer. I’m also doing some writing at the moment for other projects that I want to get out next year and I have got a few films that I’m acting in this year.
I have also got a bit of music coming out this year so it’s just trying to keep busy.
Anuvahood is out on DVD & Blu-Ray now and you can follow Adam Deacon on Twitter at @realadamdeacon.
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