I recently got the chance to talk to Daniel Vivian about his role in ‘The Seasoning House’. Here, Daniel talks about what it was like working with the cast and crew on-set and how he got into acting in the first place…
(Picture: Daniel with Sean Pertwee).
Hey Daniel. Thanks for taking the time out to talk to me about your new film, ‘The Seasoning House’.
Hello Matt. You’re welcome.
What’s the general plotline surrounding the film?
The film is a noir comedy. Just kidding. The “seasoning house” is one of the technical names for the brothel. This brothel and what happens inside: rapes, degradation of humanity, the fight for survival… it is a kind of metaphor for what is going on in the war outside.
Tell us a bit about the character you play in the movie…
I play the character called Radovan. He is an uneducated, retarded villager, who sees war as a good chance to prove that he’s an adult. He loves playing at war, especially when there’s somebody to command him and make the decisions for him.
How did you get involved in the project in the first place?
I auditioned for the part, met the director and the producer. They must have like me, I guess.
How would you say this film is different and unique?
The way it has been shot. Camera angles. Funny actors. Just joking: Rosie Day is a fantastic actress. Really impressive.
The film stars Sean Pertwee, Sean Cronin, Anna Walton, Jemma Powell, Adrian Bouchet, Dominique Provost-Chalkley, Ryan Oliva, Chris Cowlin and Rosie Day – with Paul Hyett onboard as director – what was it like working with the cast and crew on-set? Any good anecdotes?
The real funny thing was our green room. All the actors, myself included, would struggle to fit into that small room to warm up in between takes. Only on the second day, I discovered that under the big white duvet on the sofa was a body. It was Rosie Day; poor thing, her call times where ridiculously early, so she would seek refuge under the duvet. I had to fight for sitting space with Ryan Oliva, both of us being way over 6 foot: we couldn’t both fit on the same sofa. We become close friends! I’m taller than him, but he’s bigger than me.
Let’s talk a bit about you Daniel. What made you want to get into the industry in the first place?
My mother was quite upset by me performing in the front window at home and the neighbours talking about the crazy beanpole kid – (I’m 201 cm /6ft 7”), showing off, so I started doing some kind of stand up comedy gigs. The trouble is that stand up comedy as such didn’t exist at the time in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, where I was at the time. As you can imagine, the audience reactions were quite interesting. On one occasion, an old lady gave me a broom. She thought I was a witch who needed to do something practical.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pursue a career in the industry?
Believe in that crazy head of yours.
What’s currently on your I-Pod right now?
Roy Paci & Aretuska-feat Manu Chao : “Toda joia, toda beleza”.
If you could have dinner with three guests – (living or dead), who would you choose and why?
Ian McKellen, Michael Caine, Michael Chekhov.
These guys are my idols and I would ask them hundreds of questions. I worked with Ian McKellen, on ‘X-Men’ and I did ask him quite a few there…
You’re stuck on a desert island, you’re only allowed three personal things with you – what would you choose and why?
My motorbike (49cc), my Persol sunglasses and a Polaroid camera.
So when the Australians arrived and found me, they would say : “ Gosh, Danny Boy was here ! ”
What’s coming up for you in 2012?
Recently, we wrapped ‘Zombie Massacre’ by Luca Boni and Marco Ristori. I teamed up with my old friend Jon Campling – (believe it or not, the guy was the Death Eater in ‘Harry Potter’!) and we played good guys trying to kill zombies. It was shot in a small Tuscan town called Empoli…Check it out !!!
Another project very close to my heart is an indie, English, £2000 (yes, two thousand pounds!) multiformat feature film called ‘Evidence Of Existence’ by Adam El-Sharawy and Alex Frois. After two years of extremely hard work… I think many festivals are going to like it.
After finishing this interview with you I’m off to the airport, flying to Rome. Back to shooting the next episodes of the very popular Italian TV series ‘Un Passo Dal Cielo 2” (One Step From Heaven), where I play a Russian criminal mastermind called Nikolaj Yelisev; somehow pulling off a Russian accent in Italian.
Then….there is a project with a major Hollywood actor. I play a ….sorry.. have to stop here, the producers would “kill” me if I say more.
Thanks for the interview!
Matt J. Horn 