Henry Hereford
Henry Hereford is set to team up with Lindsay Lohan and Grant Bowler as they bring the story of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to life in Liz & Dick.
I caught up with the actor to chat about the movie, his role and what lies ahead for him.
- You are about to appear in Liz & Dick so can you tell me a little bit about the movie?
It is about the life of Elizabeth Taylor and Tim Burton and it is them looking back over their life together. All the major episodes in their lives together are highlighted.
- You take on the role of Martin, who is a hotel manager, in the film so what was it about the character and the script that initially drew you to the project?
I was offered the audition and I then I read the script after that. I didn’t know much about it before the audition as my representative set me up for it.
But it was a really really fun role when I did read it... it’s a fairly serious role and this role does provide a little bit of comedy in there. So it was fun to play. And I suppose that it was the humour that really drew me.
- And what sort of research did you do into the period and so on for this movie ahead of filming?
I got myself more familiar with their story, this time period and what was going on in that era. A lot of what I needed to know about my character was in the script and in the words.
He is very British and working in a hotel in that era and he doesn’t find it easy to ask when he needs to ask - and Liz & Dick are two people were very open in what they felt.
So a lot of the information was there on the page for me. But I saw pictures of the Dorchester at the time and I also researched what was going on with them at that time.
- You have mentioned that it was the comedy element of the character that was particularly appealing to you so how comfortable are you with this genre?
I love it and if I could do more comedy I would be very happy. I love doing it because it is so much fun and when the writing is great I find it very easy to do.
I am into the dry humour as opposed to the multi-camera sitcoms, I do enjoy them but I do like The Office style comedies. I really do enjoy it.
- Lloyd Kramer is in the director's chair for the movie so how did you find working with him? And what kind of director is he?
He is really really friendly director who made me feel at ease. He knew what he wanted and he was very easy to work with. He was very relaxed and very friendly.
He knew what he wanted and was able to explain that very easily and so it was great to work with someone who was able to do that.
- Because this was a comedy part for you how much of it was ad-lib or did you stick very rigidly to the script?
We kept to the script, which I thought was very important because it was a very well written script.
The script was written by Christopher Monger and he wrote Temple Grandin what was, in my opinion, one of the best mini series that there has been as it was so beautifully written.
He wrote Liz & Dick as well and it was also amazingly written. So we very much followed the script because there was no need to g off it at all.
I have a high respect for writers because they spend so much time crafting this amazing material and so the least you can do is honour what they have written and bring it to life.
- We haven't had a chance to see any of the film yet so can you give us any hints as to what we can expect from Grant Bowler and Lindsay Lohan in the roles of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor - as they look fantastic?
All I have seen is the trailer, which I think looks incredible. I worked with both of them in one scene and Lindsay in four scenes and they are incredible.
Lindsay has amazing instincts as she has been working for years so she really knows what she is doing.
Grant is great as well and they really seemed to have this great chemistry together and my scene with the both of them was great.
I think it is going to be amazing and I think that she is going to light up the screen and bring Elizabeth Taylor to life.
- Lindsay Lohan, Grant Bowler, Theresa Russell and David Hunt are just some of the names on the cast list so how did you find working alongside them - was it a fun set to be on?
It was a really fun set. I wished that I had met more of them but because of the way that they schedule things you don’t necessarily meet everyone.
But I really enjoyed meeting and working with Grant and Lindsay as they were the people I had the most scenes with.
It was really fun, everything was smooth, everyone was really friendly and the crew were amazing. It was great and it was fun to be a part of it. I can’t wait to see the full thing myself.
- The movie doesn't premiere on Lifetime until the end of November but have you been able to gauge any early reactions for anyone who has had a chance to see it?
I know that the reactions to the trailer… I believe that it was shown during the Emmy’s and there has been some buzz as people have really liked the trailer.
There are some huge billboards up around town and people are really talking about it and are excited to watch it. But it is definitely creating some buzz and I am excited to see it.
- Throughout your career we have seen you work in TV and movies as well as theatre how do you find that the mediums compare? And do you have a favourite?
They are so different in certain ways and I get a buzz from all of it to be honest. I do some voice over as well and I really enjoy the buzz of working in a booth and bringing animation of a commercial to life.
So I enjoy all of the mediums. They are so different and they all have their high points that are totally in different places.
But film and television I really enjoy the buzz of being on set - even if you are not performing there is still a feeling of excitement. Even though that is very different I suppose it is a like being backstage waiting to perform in the theatre.
I don’t really have a preference and when you are working it really is about the project; if you are working on an exciting play or a film it is the project that you are excited about.
- As well as working in different mediums your work has also taken you around the world as you have worked in Australian drama, British drama as well as being out in the States so how have those experiences differed?
They all work pretty much in the same way and I guess again it is more about the material the material that I have worked on.
I guess a film set in Australia or UK all, interestingly, work the same way as they all go through a very similar process. I think that it is just what you are working on that is the main difference.
- You have also completed work on Man Up and Liars All so can you tell me about those projects?
They are both exciting independent films and they are both with the same director Brian Brightly. I auditioned for Brian for Liars All and he actually made my role larger. That was a fun role to work on.
It is about a group of young American guys who are in London when something goes wrong at a party. I am working in the police with Alice Evans and we have a really fun time dealing with these guys who are hiding the true story.
The audience is told the story from multiple perspectives and you don’t find out until the end who is correct. So it was fun and it was fun to work with some well known people from television out here and see how they work.
I was then contacted by the director the following year and offered this role in Man Up, which is actually now called The Brazilian, so I was offered it directly. Again that became a much bigger role and he works a lot with improvisation.
That film is a comedy film and all of the actors were given quite a lot of free reign. He had an idea for my character but we discussed it at length and I brought stuff everyday to it - and a lot of other actors would do the same.
It was great thing to have worked with someone and then for them to have come back. I think that is the way the industry works out here - not just here but in the UK as well - once you start getting in with people and you work with them… you see it all the time with the like of Mike Leigh as he brings a lot of the same actors to his voices.
Once you start working with someone and you have a rapport with them I guess it is only natural that you would want to work with them again. So it was great to be offered a role without having to audition for it (laughs).
- We have also seen you do a little bit of producing work in the past so how much is behind the camera something that interests you?
More of the producing more that I have done and am planning to do has been in the theatre but I have been an associate on a film. I definitely am interested but it is not something that I am directing myself towards immediately.
What has helped me with my acting and learning about the business - in order to enable myself to be creative you need to know the business of being an actor; it is a business and you have to look at yourself as a product to some extent.
You really learn how you are a business and you have to market yourself. The fact that I have done a bit of producing before and I have worked with anagent and a casting director and those have all been valuable experiences because I know how everyone else works around me.
You also understand the crew on a film set are the most important people and they work the hardest and they work the longest hours and knowing what they have to do makes you a better actor and a better person on set.
It is something that I am interested in but I am concentrating on the acting at the moment.
- Finally what is next for you?
I am waiting for the release of The Brazilian and I am also working on a video game doing some voiceover work.
That is quite exciting because these videogames are so interactive you get to create these great characters. And I am just auditioning like crazy at the moment.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw