Bill Milner
Bill Milner shot to fame in last year's coming of age movie Son of Rambow but since then he has gone on to work with one of cinema's greatest icons, in the form of Michael Caine, in his new movie Is Anybody There?
I caught up with Bill to talk about his new movie, working with Michael Caine and what the future has in store for him.
Anybody There? is about to be released on DVD so can you tell me a little bit about the film?
It is a film about an unlikely friendship that develops between two characters who meet because they both reluctantly live in the same old people’s home.
One, my character, is the son of the owners of the home and the other is the newest resident, Clarence, played by Michael Caine.
What was it about the script, and in particular the character of Edward, that made you want to be involved in this movie?
Edward starts of as a grumpy, self-centred boy with an unhealthy interest in the afterlife. The friendship he strikes with Clarence sees him develop into a more caring and happier boy.
Their journey involves tears, tantrums, laughter and magic and it was this and the fact that I had to have a Yorkshire accent that drew me to the character.
Now Michael Caine is a bit of a screen legend so what was it like working alongside him?
I really enjoyed working with Michael Caine. He is very friendly and easy to work with. He treated me like any other actor and so I never felt in awe of him or daunted. We had fun and developed a real friendship on set.
How long did it take you to perfect the card magic trick routine and was magic something that you had been interested in?
Actually we were really lucky because we had Scott Penrose the head of the Magic Circle teaching us the tricks which is a hell of a lot easier than studying those dodgy diagrams in those Magic Sets you can buy.
He made it seem quite easy and I didn’t have nearly as many tricks to do as Michael did so, no, it didn’t take long to learn.
You made a name for yourself in the Son of Rambow, which really was a great movie, it looked like a lot of fun to make so what was the shoot like?
It was brilliant fun. Will and I had never done anything like it before so we just threw ourselves in and let Garth (the director)take us on the ride! Every day was full of aughs and action. It was probably the best summer holiday of my life.
And you had a great onscreen relationship with Will so do the pair of you still keep in touch?
Oh yes. We shared such a unique experience together that summer which does sort of bond you. We also have the same sense of humour so when we get to see each other we have a lot of laughs.
He lives pretty close to me so we get to meet up whenever we can. At the moment he is in Australia filming Narnia so I shalln’t see him for a while.
How did you get involved in acting in the first place?
I go to an after school drama club with my friends where we do improvisations and various drama games. One day, completely out of the blue, a casting director came down and asked me and another couple of boys to audition for a film( Son of Rambow).
I had never been to an audition before so hadn’t a clue what it was all about. Anyway it obviously went okay because I got the part of Will Proudfoot.
You are already grabbing people's attention so do you want to take your acting further? And if not what kind of career can you see for yourself?
Acting is a very difficult career choice. It seems to be one of those jobs where it chooses you rather than the other way around.
It feels like a lot of luck is involved and so far I have been very lucky. I enjoy acting and really love filming but who knows what the future holds.
I love art and photography so maybe I will look at Art Direction or Camera work. Although I’m not sure if that is any more stable! I am only fourteen so there is plenty of time for me to change my mind lots of times yet!
And how are you dealing with all of the attention that has come your way since Son of Rambow?
To be honest I don’t think I have attracted much attention. My life is exactly as it was before I made any of the films, thankfully.
You have just gone back to school so how are you finding mixing school life and your acting?
In terms of education it is easy because my school is very supportive and when I am filming I have a tutor who makes sure that I am up-to-date with all my work. My friends are also really brilliant at letting me know what’s going on.
How difficult is it after being on a movie set to be back to the classroom?
It’s fine. I actually really enjoy having the two bits of my life. It is sad when a film ends and you are saying good bye to all the new friends you’ve made from the cast and crew but then you know you are going back to all your old friends at school.
Finally what's next for you, I read that you are going to be in an Ian Dury biopic that sounds exciting?
Yes, it is a very different project for me. I did quite a lot of research because I was playing a real living person…Baxter Dury, Ian’s son from his first marriage.
It is set in the 70s so I get to wear some good punk costumes and my hair has a bit of a quiff and mullety thing going on. The music in the film is brilliant and I am now a serious Blockheads fan.
Is Anybody There? is out on DVD now.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw