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John Higgins chats with one of the giants from Spielberg’s latest blockbuster.
Steven Spielberg and Roald Dahl in the digital filmmaking era. Both pioneers of imaginative story-telling in their respective fields. The late author’s work has been translated, adapted and parlayed in all kinds of ways to fit generation upon generation.
The BFG, Spielberg’s latest multi-million dollar blockbuster, gives Oscar-winner Mark Rylance a lead in the title role, but one of nine man-eating giants in the film is played by another British character actor, Jonathan Holmes. Primarily based at present in Vancouver, he is in town to promote the film and I had the pleasure of interviewing him in a Central London location to talk about the film and other aspects of his career.
John Higgins: There is an initiative for charity which celebrities including Spielberg have endorsed, called Dream in a Jar. What would be your ideal dream if could contain it in a jar?
Jonathan Holmes: I have a ten-year old daughter, so my dream in a jar would be for her to have a healthy and fulfilling life. She’s an actress doing voiceover on an NBC series called Nina’s World, which centers on a character called Nina and her family and friends. It’s a multi-cultured, multi-ethnic show aimed at pre-teens and stars Rita Moreno and Mandy Patinkin. The benefit is that I don’t have to pay for my child’s college fees (laughs).
JH: I was researching your work on IMDb and it appears you have done several things already involving effects and fantasy, with the likes of Almost Human, for example, which reminds one of the likes of Robocop. In terms of how you approach your creative choices, are you somebody who gravitates towards sci-fi / fantasy, or more grounded drama?
Holmes: I tend to do whatever I can get paid to do. I am primarily based in Vancouver, which is a key centre for sci-fi and fantasy work. After Los Angeles and New York it is the biggest centre of creativity, with an investment of $2-3 billion per year.
JH: I think anybody who secures something associated with a Spielberg film would be in heaven, given his deserved status and also as somebody whom people like myself have grown up with. What is the experience of working on one of his films like and how did you find him on a professional level?
Holmes: Spielberg was delightful, a great collaborator and often the most enthusiastic on the set. He is a good listener and overall, the set was hugely exciting to be on.
JH: Do you have a set routine when you prepare for a role, and how much of your career choice is shaped by either visual effects or pure performance?
Holmes: I do like to do at least one play a year, and for the first five months of 2016, for example, I was at both Bristol Old Vic and Liverpool Everyman doing a play called The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovery. All you can be working on a film is to be as prepared as you can be. Unless you are in control, it can faze you.
JH: You did Peter Greenaway’s The Nightwatch in 2007. Greenaway is somebody who makes very artistic and independent films which are a total contrast to something like The BFG. How does working on something like that shape your development as an actor and an artist?
Holmes: Well, that was a really exciting project to work on. The cast was phenomenal and to be able to work with an auteur like Greenaway is rare, as auteurs are a dying breed. Both he and Wim Wenders are still fine examples of the auteur. However, it was also terrifying at the same time as you feel a sense of trying to live up to his requirements. To have both him and Spielberg on your resume is exciting.
JH: You have guest starred on a number of shows like Almost Human and Stargate SG-1, very visible and acclaimed shows that continue to define the essence of contemporary television. How has television work changed over the years, considering that some actors now actually find television more rewarding than cinema?
Holmes: It is a good thing. Most of the best writing happens in TV. In the last ten to fifteen years, there has been a revolution. Originally in TV, most footage was shot on film, so less takes were shot. For an actor like myself, however, Ultra-HD is not a good thing, as you cannot hide who you are. Overall, though, TV is in a golden age and can only get better.
JH: In The BFG, you play Childchewer, one of nine man-eating giants. How did you prepare and what sort of references did you make when you were creating the character?
Holmes: We had five months of training with a guy called Terry Notary, one of the pioneers and experts of Motion and Performance Capture. He helped us define who the giants are because in the original book they are not as specific. We did a lot from scratch and used pre-viz as reference, as the Digital FX are truly amazing now.
JH: Roald Dahl is another legendary writer like JRR Tolkien, whose imagination was of another time, but which in the context of progress, filmmakers have found his stories to be perfectly suited to the Digital FX era. Is there a particular book or film adaptation of Dahl’s before The BFG that you admire or are a fan of?
Holmes: The Witches and The Twits are among my favorites and in my family, Dahl’s books have been in circulation for years. I also like Matilda, which starred Danny De Vito.
JH: Mark Rylance has come to prominence this year with the success of Bridge of Spies and his Best Supporting Actor Oscar. How much of an inspiration to you is watching him work, and what would you like to do next?
Holmes: Rylance is an icon and a few years older than me. A huge thrill. In terms of what I want to do next? I guess to keep working.
JH: You worked alongside Thandie Newton on Rogue, a thriller series that was a British-Canadian co-production which was shot in Vancouver. When you are shooting on location, do you get much time to socialize and do you mix with crew?
Holmes: When you are on a series like that, it takes over your life. One of the benefits on being a character actor like me is it does allow you time to keep the feet on the ground.
JH: The ABC movie Descendants provides yet another example of reworking fairy tales a la Into the Woods. Kenny Ortega is a renowned choreographer responsible for work like Michael Jackson’s This is It, Dirty Dancing and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Did his work ethic rub off on you, and how did you evolve on that movie?
Holmes: Kenny Ortega was brilliant, full of ideas and an icon in his own right. A phenomenal character.
JH: You worked on the animated series Hulk VS., another incarnation of the ever-popular Marvel universe, which appears to get bigger and bigger with each movie. Would you consider a role in one of those films, and what would be your ideal role to play?
Holmes: I have never been approached.
JH: Now that you have worked with Spielberg, is that any other name director that you would love or would have loved to have worked with?
Holmes: One name that comes to mind is theatre director Peter Brook. He wrote a book called Empty Spaces, which all theatre students starting out reading. The book defined an approach to Twentieth Century Theatre, and I also admired his work with the RSC. Even today, he remains a hugely influential figure in theatrical history.
JH: With reference to Hulk VS. and looking overall at voice work per se, this is another area of acting that sometimes gets overlooked. You have done several of the popular Barbie animations alongside the likes of Hulk VS. Mark Hamill seemed to have made a second career away from the Jedi world with this. Where do you place such work in the grand scheme of things?
Holmes: I love doing it. You haven’t got to learn lines for Animation. I value it as much as anything. What I have noticed is that big projects in Animation are star-driven now and it is hard to get into. Also, when they do a new version of anything, the filmmakers gravitate towards big names.
JH: When you were starting out as an actor, did you have any particular roles that you wanted to play which life and experience have denied you the opportunity for, and if you were approached to do them now, would you do them?
Holmes: i am not driven by wanting to play a certain character. That said, I would love to play Richard II, which is a Shakespeare character often overlooked.
JH: Finally, do you have three favorite Spielberg moments?
Holmes: Firstly, the climax of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Secondly, when Indiana Jones shoots the Arab swordsman in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Thirdly, the 2005 film Munich, which was critically acclaimed but not as commercial as his other works.
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