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 “I think it’s a beautifully shot film”, says Jack O’Connell of his latest project. “The director (Daniel Barber) had a great working style which made things very easy when we were making the movie”.
Harry Brown is now on general release and as we spoke to Jack from the set of Channel 4 series Skins it was clear that he was very proud of the outcome and the material it covers. “Well at the moment its pedal to the metal time with Skins which we are about to wrap up, and it’s going to be really sad when we finish filming. I have to say though the red carpet this week was the pinnacle of my career so far… just in terms of the sheer size of it.”Harry Brown premiered in the UK following successful screenings at the Toronto Film Festival. Jack however will already be familiar to many fans thanks to his extensive television work as well as roles in Eden Lake and This is England. “By the way how was my accent?” asks Jack. I assure him it was very convincing (so good in fact that I had to be reminded that the actor himself is from Derby). “Well that’s good, I guess that’s a seal of approval from someone from the area…” Suddenly I feel very ‘cockney’, time to speak proper I think to myself.
“We were filming in the Elephant and Castle area, so it felt very real. Very authentic to start off with. I mean even though I’m from Derby, you instantly recognise that this is a national issue. We had an amazing cast and it was very easy to bounce ideas and performances… in some ways it was like a game of tennis with the back and forth we went through. All this helped with making the characters seem believable and not your stereotypical hoodlums, like my character Marky for example. I liked playing him and can even understand him but I wouldn’t say I liked him… I went to a Catholic school after all!”
Jack is also very honest about the controversial nature of the film. “I really don’t see how if glorifies violence or even gun and knife crime. It does show the harsh reality of life in these sorts of places and even what drives some of the characters to do what they do. You see Marky being abused, and that was a scene I was wary of, but it’s a very smart film. It leaves you with a lot of unanswered questions and that is to the credit of the writers and the director. It shows you the carnage and the problems but never makes out that the solution will be easy”.
And with that it was back to the set. Harry Brown is on general release and well worth watching... it's probably the best British film of the year.  Jack O'Connell and the rest of the Cast and Crew at the recent UK Premiere of Harry Brown.
www.harrybrownthemovie.com Interview by Cassam Looch
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