Craig Viveiros
Craig Viveiros returns to the director’s chair this week as be helms his second feature film The Liability - a movie that bring together a terrific cast that includes Tim Roth, Peter Mullan and Jack O’Connell.
We caught up with the director to chat about the movie, what he was looking for as he was casting the central role and what lies ahead.
- The Liability is set to hit the big screen this week so can you tell me a little bit about the movie?
The movie is a dark, comic thrill ride from the south of England to the north and tells the story of two mismatched characters; one is a hitman and the other is a young upstart who is trying to prove himself.
Essentially it is the story of the ageing hitman who is reflecting on hic career and the damage that he may have caused in his past as a career criminal. And also the young boy - played by Jack O’Connell - is looking for the male role model that has been lacking in his life from his own father to his step father.
His step father is the person that he is trying to prove himself to and that is why he is on this road trip with the hitman.
Inevitably it is a bit of a cat and mouse game across the north and there are some dark and sinister towns which give a more serious edge to the film.
- So how did you get involved with this project and what was it that appealed to you about John Wrathall's script?
I got involved with the project after I met the producers at a screening of my film Ghosted at Bafta in London. Once they had seen the film they immediately approached me and sent me the script.
When I read the script I thought that it was a great premise and the idea of these two characters could be really interesting and to work on the dynamic of these two characters would be a great challenge and really fun.
My first conversation was with the producer and I said that I really wanted to do it but I wanted to change quite a lot of the elements of the script. So that meant that I would do quite a heavy re-write as I wanted to change the ending.
A lot of the film was also set in the woodland and set during the day but I wanted to change the script to introduce these industrial locations half way into the film as well as shooting half of the film at night to really represent the transition that Tim’s character Roy goes through.
I wanted to just generally pepper in more of the comedy and give the characters more body and add in some eccentricities. John’s script was great to begin with and had a great plot and storyline but I just wanted to elevate it from being another run of the mill independent movie to something really special.
I wanted it to show a darker and different side to the North East and also to also make this British crime drama a bit different.
- There are some great names on the cast list including Tim Roth and Peter Mullan so can you tell me a bit about the casting process and what you were looking for as you were casting these roles?
They are great characters in the script and after I had tinkered around with them I really wanted to get actors who could have the flourishes that each character demanded.
We looked at lots of people but I was in the mindset that I wanted both roles to be filled by high profile actors. I am a massive fan of both Peter Mullan and Tim Roth as actors as well as in their directing work and the idea of having them work together was great.
It turned out that they share the same management team as the lead actor in my first film John Lynch and once she had heard we were making another film she put Tim forward and suggest Peter. I couldn’t have asked for two better or more prolific actors to be involved with this film.
- Tim Roth and Peter Mullan are incredibly experienced actors so how did you find working with them? And what did they bring to the table as you were developing these characters?
I have been asked whether it was daunting to work with such experienced actors on only my second film but I personally didn’t feel like that. When you are making a film you are all just one family all striving for the same thing.
I like to have a lot of input from the actors because I really want to know what they are thinking about the characters and about the story.
Peter, Jack and I workshopped a few of the scenes that they were in together and we developed the scenes that way. Tim and I also talked at length about his character.
We were all in Newcastle for four weeks and we did a lot of bonding and we all worked as one team. Tim and Peter were very understanding of my vision and they really did do an amazing job.
- This cast list is a balance of experience and new talent as Jack O'Connell and Talulah Riley are on board as well. Both are tipped for big things so how did you find working with them?
I have always been a massive fan of Jack’s as he is such a charming and natural talent. I knew that he was someone that I needed for the role of Adam as the character is naive and at times annoying but I really didn’t want the audience to be isolated from the lack of empathy for him.
I wanted something that would keep them involved and that is rooting for this young guy who is unwittingly being dragged into a conspiracy. For me Jack had all of those natural qualities; he can be a little bit cocky and a little bit annoying and yet he is incredibly charming.
- How have you found the early response to the film?
According to the distributors and the PR company it seems to be a good response but I haven’t had chance to read any reviews yet. I think it is an interesting take on this type of movie as we see so many crime movies that are based in the UK that run along the same lines and use the same themes - I do get a bit fed up with it (laughs). It was quite interesting to try and put a new take on it.
This movie is about a lost soul in the form of Jack who is looking for a role model while Tim’s character is looking to redeem himself from his past endeavours.
So it was set to a backdrop of the crime genre but in reality it is a story about second chances for both of them; that is what I thought the film was about more than being just a gangster or crime film.
- The Liability is only your second feature film so how have you found the transition from TV and shorts?
I think the hardest thing about making the transition from short films to feature films is having the stamina to work continuously on something that takes a lot out of you both mentally and physically.
Luckily I was a camera operator on a lot of feature films and that did give me a lot of experience. For me it was almost the same as I love filmmaking and it is something that is a huge passion of mine.
Making a feature film is just like shooting a longer short film (laughs) and the a main difference is that you have to be able to think over a much longer period; one day you are shooting scene seven in a location and then two minutes later you are shooting scene two hundred and twenty six.
So you really do have to have a good grasp on the arc of the characters and where the story is going and coming from - it just takes more time to prep for it I think.
- Finally what is next for you - is feature film where you are planning to stay?
Absolutely. I don’t have any particular genre that I want to work in as I am open to all different stories. I am currently writing a sci-fi epic about the dissolution of society and civilisation.
I am also working on a dark neo-noir set in contemporary London as well as working on a few projects for some people in the States as well. So there are lots of things going on and I am keeping busy (laughs).
The Liability is released 17th May.