Matthew Beard
Matthew Beard seems like just an ordinary 21-year-old. Currently in the process of his final year of university, dealing with deadlines and exams...oh and did we mention he's in the middle of releasing his new hit film, Chatroom?
The brand new British Pyscological thriller Chatroom is completely different from any film in the industry at the moment. Looking into the depths and dangers of the online world, the young characters face the threats that are ever apparent in real life cyber situations.
From themes of depression, suicide and cyber bullying, it promises to be an exciting, if not slightly twisted film, with some excellent home-grown British talent including Kickass' Aaron Johnson, 28 Weeks Later's Imogen Poots, Skins' Hannah Murray and of course An Education's Matthew Beard.
"The first script we all got was pretty incredible and I knew it had been a successful play at the National and then I heard that Hideo Nikata, the director was attached and I thought it would be really interesting to work with him.
"It felt good to have a new idea to have an online and offline world represented filmacly so that was everything really", says Matthew.
Although Matthew admits that he found it difficult to play his onscreen character Jim, he found it interesting to portray him.
"I had to think about this online offline world thing which involved quite a lot of self conscious acting, we had to be quite artificial online because thats how people are online.
"You know, creating a character, we all do it we're all artificial and actors online so we had to sort of act an actor in a way and that was quite difficult to then try and give him some human emotions as well," he adds.
"So I had to think about all these sort of things on top of it being a bit...tiring...to wake up everyday knowing you're going to have to spend your time crying."
Chatroom is an useful film for trying to highlight some of the issues being raised with social network sites and the London born actor took this responsibility onboard.
Matthew comments: "I think its an accurate representation of certain corners of the internet. I don't think its an accurate representation of the internet in general.
Obviously the internet is the world wide web, its another world just like in the real world you have sort of dark stories to tell but you have light stories to tell and comedies to tell in the real world you have to do this in the internet.
And this one is a dark story, that doesn't necessarily mean we think that its all dark and doom and gloom because it's not at all, its just that this is the one we chose to tell."
Matthew enjoyed working alongside the other young actors, saying that it was interesting to observe the different ways that everyone works. He found it very encouraging to have worked with them.
"But the idea is to sort of us carrying this film together and sort of having to work out these relationships together was really exciting. So that was really a priviledge to be a part of them."
Though Chatroom is completely different from Matthew's performance in An Education, he said that it is the aspiration of every young actor to try and work on as many different roles as possible. And it was this that made him accept the part of Jim.
"To do something different every time is what you aim for as an actor and yes it is tough to play after playing such a light, cheery character to going to the completely other end of the spectrum is what every actor dreams of, so that's why really," he says.
With only two terms left to complete at the York University, already a healthy CV to hand, working alongside BAFTA award winning actress Carey Mulligan, not to mention his impeccable manners and unassuming nature, it would seem the world is well and truly Matthew Beard's oyster.
Whether it is in television, films or on stage, we can expect great things from this young British talent.
Chatroom is released on 22 December 2010.
FemaleFirst Jenna Fordie