The fabulously scary, Curse Of The Witching Tree is released on Monday 18th May and we are delighted to share an exclusive interview with Lawrence Weller. Weller’s portrayal of the cursed Jake Thorson is central to the film and it is remarkable that such a powerful and multi layered performance has been delivered by such a young actor. David Martin puts the questions to Lawrence…
“Hi Lawrence and thank you for agreeing to chat with me today. The Curse Of The Witching Tree is a tremendous horror film and I particularly enjoyed your performance. Can you tell me how you became involved?
I performed in a local amateur production Sweeney Todd as Tobias at my local theatre in Rochester, Medway Little Theatre. James Crow came to see the show with James Sibley who plays the policeman in the film. They thought I looked like a good a option for the role, and I got asked to audition for Jake. I auditioned a week later with the scene about Game of Thrones with my mum, and I got the role!
Jake is a young boy who has to come to terms with a lot of difficult and traumatic feelings. With the loss of his father and alienation , bullying at school. How did you prepare for such a challenging role?
I prepared by thinking what would Jake would do as a normal boy. Thinking as Jake helped me understand how to play him. I also used my own emotions that I have experienced, such as being bullied. It was my first time doing a film, so it was a lot of hard work, but it was a lot of fun too. I was really nervous at first, but got into it with everyone’s help.
One of the elements that seems to work so effectively with the film is your close relationship with the other cast members, you really seem like a believable family unit. What was your experience with working with the the cast?
I got along well with the cast as I spoke with them before filming. We all met at the read through, and everyone was really nice. Lucy Clarvis and Sarah Rose Denton helped me with my acting, as they were more experienced. They helped me to relax which made it a really friendly environment.
What was James Crow’s direction to you for Jake. How did you get into the characters mindset?
We spent a long time on Jake trying to get his emotion right. We did a lot of takes! James allowed me to get into the role by listening to my suggestions too. I even got to add a few lines. We always spoke through each scene. I have a fair bit in common with Jake. Liking Game of Thrones, being bullied, and liking three sugars in my tea like Jake.
You are a very talented actor , what other roles interest you and can you tell me what other projects you have planned?
I hope there is a witching tree sequel as I’d like to develop Jake as a character in the sequel. I want to see a darker side to Jake and how the curse has affected him. As other films go i’d like to do some comedy or fantasy based films.
Thanks for your time and I would love to keep in touch”
Curse of the Witching Tree is out on Monday and you can preorder your copy from Amazon or pick up a copy from Sainsburys and Asda in the UK or from Walmart and Target in America. Curse of the Witching Tree is also available to download from iTunes.
Follow David Martin on Twitter at @VentSpleen2014
Images Courtesy of Ian Carter and IMDB
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