Tuesday 24 April 2018

Schon interview | georgina campbell

interview | georgina campbell

Georgina Campbell has been pretty busy these past years: whether starring alongside Idris Elba in Five by Five, sharing laughs and drama with her all-time icon Olivia Colman in Flowers and Broadchurch, or captivating us with her performance as the lovable Amy on Black Mirror’s “Hang The DJ”. But prepare to see more of the BAFTA-wining actress in Syfy’s new series Krypton, developed by DC’s very own David S. Goyer. Set two generations before everyone’s beloved Superman story, the highly-anticipated prequel finally premieres today, and centres on Clark Kent’s grandfather, Seg-El, and his fight to redeem House of El’s honour after being ostracized and shamed. Campbell plays Lyta Zod, Seg-El’s love interest and a fierce and compassionate member of the House of the Zod, part of the Kryptonian Military Guild and leaders in the defence of the city of Kandor. We catch up with the actress about what people can expect from the 10-episode series, POC representation within the industry, life after Black Mirror’s success and the UK’s acute problem with whitewashing period dramas.

Your most well-known roles are on the more solemn side of the spectrum. Is comedy something you’d like to explore further or would you like to be recognized for your dramatic performances?

I’d love to do more comedy, definitely. It’s a very difficult form of acting, though, and I’m not quite sure how funny I am, so it’d have to be a brilliantly written comedy! I’d say Black Mirror was definitely a step in the right direction, my Dad was relieved to see me smile in a role!

Speaking about your dad… in another interview, you mentioned that you wanted to be an air hostess rather than an actress and that your parents were the ones that encouraged you to follow this route. When did you know this was what you wanted to do for sure?

That interview was perhaps misquoting me a little. I wanted to be an air hostess when I was about 5 years old because I’d never been on a plane and I was curious! My parents did encourage me, yes, but the route into acting was by chance really, I was spotted on the street so they were very trepidatious. They encouraged me to get my degree as well and keep a grounded and smart approach to the industry, they’re both very hard working so they’ve definitely instilled a great work ethic in me. I’m very lucky to have them. I knew I wanted it for sure after about 3 years or so in the industry, so probably around the age of 18. It took me a long time to be honest with myself about that though, as I was scared of failing. The BAFTA was really the moment I realised I could do this as a full-time job and that I was actually any good at it.

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As you mentioned you studied Film at Royal Holloway. Do you feel your university background has informed your ways as an actress?

Definitely. I learnt so much at University about different directors and actors and really the art of the moving image. I learnt a great deal of history about the industry and the world through my degree. Film really is a beautiful medium — it covers so much from different cultures to different times, ultimately showing peoples differing experiences. Those years were very informative for me. I’d love to do a masters at some point in my life, I really love education.

Krypton is your first Sci-Fi project and, on top of that, it goes into the beloved superhero territory. How has that experience been like? Are you feeling the pressure?

It was really exciting to be on a job that was so spectacular — the set design, the costume everything about it is just beautiful and otherworldly. It’s been a fantastic experience and so informative, it’s miles away from the jobs I’ve done before. It’s been great learning new skills, in particular, I’ve been doing a lot of fight choreography and stunt training which has been [insanely] hard but just the most empowering thing! I’m not feeling too much pressure, I hope people like it!

Superman’s story is one most of us have grown with but we’ve never really delved into its backstory. Do you think this lack of “context” has played in your favour or against you when it comes to Krypton?

It’s great, it just means there is so much freedom! No-one’s ever seen this world before in such detail, there [are] no comparisons to make, which is a huge weight off the shoulders. The writers and creators of the show have really stayed true to the comics, whilst having fun with this planet with no boundaries. It’s great for an actor because I don’t have to worry about getting compared to someone else who might have defined the role in a previous show or film.

What can you tell us about your character, Lyta Zod? And what are you most excited for fans to see?

She’s a young woman trying to find her place on her planet, it’s very much a coming of age story for Lyta. She’s strong and fierce and incredibly complicated. She is part of the military guild, born of the Zod dynasty that we all know so well but she’s rebellious she feels she can’t live up to her Mother’s expectation and she’s constantly questioning the status quo on the planet. She wants equality for the citizens of Kandor, but she’s not sure how to implement that. She’s having an illicit forbidden relationship with the Seg-El in the show, they’re star-crossed lovers destined for other people but passionately in love. She has so much vulnerability and strength in her, it’s a lot of fun to play with.

King Arthur and now Krypton are the only fully American productions you’ve been a part of. How does it differ from the UK? Are you planning on making the jump to the other side of the Atlantic?

I would love to straddle both sides, that’s what most actors are doing or hope to do!

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You were the first woman of colour to win the TV BAFTA for Best Actress. How did that feel and what’s your opinion on POC representation both in the US and the UK?

I had no idea I was the first non-white winner of that award for a long time. Once I found out I was shocked but just hopeful that there will be more to follow and it’ll stop being something that people talk about as it’ll just be the norm. I think we’re all aware that diversity is an issue in film and television, it’s something that we’re definitely seeing changing. I would say the last couple of years have been so exciting with the developments we’re seeing, the success of films like Black Panther and Get Out show there is a huge audience for films with black leads. It can only be onwards and upwards from here. We need to keep working at it though, inclusivity for ALL ethnicities and genders and sexualities and abilities.

As you said, you’ve been really outspoken about the lack of diversity in film and TV — both from a gender and race perspective. What do you feel can be done to improve that? And what do you think the industry is doing right?

It’s as simple as getting different types of people in at every stage of production. In casting, in writing, in directing, in producing at every level just seeing people with different stories to tell and different ideas of what ‘normal’ is. I think in the UK we need to stop whitewashing period dramas and pretending there haven’t been different races in this country for centuries. As our main export, we really are leaving a massive part of British history untold and ignored which is a shame. The #MeToo and #TimesUp movements have been incredible, it shows a big systemic shift in how women are willing to be treated. It’s a really exciting time right now, it feels like people who have been oppressed and side-lined for so long are finally finding the courage to refuse to stand in the shadows any longer.

Ditto. Murdered By My Boyfriend, your breakout role, tackled domestic violence head-on. Is shedding light on social problems something you set out to do when picking what roles you go after?

I wouldn’t say that I specifically search out roles with strong social messages, I would say that they interest me so perhaps when I audition I get more passionate about those roles which result in me bagging the part. If you can send out a strong social message: great, but I also love cinema and television as a form of entertainment. It doesn’t always have to be carrying a strong message, it can just be a great story.

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You’ve played a multitude of characters over your career. What would you say has been your favourite role to date and why?

My favourite roles would be a toss up between Amy from Black Mirror and Ashley from Murdered by my Boyfriend for very different reasons. Ashley was so important because she was a real person with real family and friends, there were high expectations and I took that very seriously. Getting close to what she went through was heartbreaking and life-changing, it really impacted me in a massive way. I’m very grateful to have been a part of telling her story to the world. On the other end of the spectrum, I really enjoyed playing Amy as it was the closest I’ve ever played a character to myself and my personality. I’m definitely not Amy but it felt very freeing and enjoyable to put some of my mannerisms and eccentricities into her character.

Lastly, apart from Krypton, do you have any other projects in the pipeline this year?

I don’t know! I’m home after 6 months filming in Belfast. I’m enjoying being back with my friends and family, there [are] a few things knocking about but who knows!

“Krypton” premieres tonight, March 21st, on the SyFy channel in the US. The UK is still waiting for a broadcast date. You can also catch Georgina in the latest season of “Black Mirror“, now streaming on Netflix.

This Schön! online exclusive was produced by

photography. Ahmet Unver
fashion. Kay Korsh
talent. Georgina Campbell
hair. Ben Talbott @ The Wall Group using R+Co
make up. Afton Radojicic @ Stella Creative Artists using Björk and Berries
fashion assistants. Alana Flood, Clara La Rosa, Sharna Callender and Wilonawords. Sara Delgado

Discover the latest issue of Schön!.
Now available in print, as an ebook, online and on any mobile device.

by Schön! Magazine / March 21st, 2018

Tuesday 17 April 2018

Video: 'Krypton': Cameron Cuffe & Georgina Campbell Tell The Trippy Mythology Of Superman's Planet

Superman's Planet

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'Krypton': Cameron Cuffe & Georgina Campbell Tell The Trippy Mythology Of Superman's Planet

March 22, 2018 2:40 PM PDT

Cameron Cuffe and Georgina Campbell talk with Access about what to expect from "Krypton," which tells the story of two generations before the destruction of Superman's home planet. Watch Krypton on Wednesdays at 10/9c on SyFy.

Read more at https://www.accessonline.com/videos/krypton-cameron-cuffe-georgina-campbell-tell-the-trippy-mythology-of-supermans-planet/#DCUFWh2gh2TLP7Bk.99

Krypton Season 1: Georgina Campbell Talks Lyta-Zod

Posted by Dan Wickline March 30, 2018

Another week, another Decrypting Krypton video with host Matt Hiscox. This time they look at episode two and make references to the planet Detroit, how Seg (Cameron Cuffe) calls Earth and Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos) has to correct him. His guest host is Anais Lucia and they bring up the urn with the House of El symbol on it, hinting that maybe it’s not the ashes of Seg’s parents in there. I hadn’t even thought of that. And they bring up that once Seg got initiated into the Daron and Nyssa’s house, he would become Seg-Vex… and that’s not a very good name at all. I wonder if he’s now Seg-Science?

The episode has series artist Moritat talking about why he liked Brainiac (Blake Ritson) and there is a brief interview with Georgina Campbell talking about her character of Lyta-Zod getting her command pips and how she is going to be leading the search for the Black Zero terrorists/rebels. Black Zero is a group form the comics, specifically the World of Krypton series by John Byrne and Mike Mignola. They were a big part of the comic series and in blowing up Krypton. It remains to be seen how they will play out in the television series.

Krypton airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Syfy.

(Last Updated March 30, 2018 2:36 pm )

2016: Georgina Campbell: 'I wanted to be an air hostess, not an actor

Interview

Georgina Campbell: 'I wanted to be an air hostess, not an actor'

By Emine Saner

Television

At 16, Georgina Campbell hated auditions and never had more than one line in the school play. So how did she beat Sarah Lancashire to TV’s biggest prize? The rising star on lucky breaks and why there’s no shame in playing the girlfriend

@eminesaner

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Georgina Campbell. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

Last year, at the age of 22, and barely into her career, Georgina Campbell won Britain’s biggest TV prize for best actress. Not many people expected her to – she was up against Sarah Lancashire, Keeley Hawes and Sheridan Smith. And she was virtually unknown – her BBC3 drama Murdered By My Boyfriend, a domestic-violence drama based on a true story, was critically acclaimed but had nothing like the hype of Happy Valley and Line of Duty. But if you were one of the 3.5 million people who watched Campbell play Ashley – the young woman beaten to death by her abusive partner – with such restraint and realism, her win was no surprise.

What happens in the weeks and months afterwards? What sort of huge offers was she turning down? Campbell laughs, cupping her mug of Earl Grey in a cafe across the road from her home in south London. “Not much. I’m not batting away offers, no.” The effect, she says, has been to make her feel “a bit more secure”, but she also remembers reading an interview with serial Bafta-winner Olivia Colman – with whom she has worked, on the Channel 4 comedy Flowers and again in the forthcoming third series of Broadchurch – “and she said that after she won hers, she really didn’t get much work for a while. People know me a bit more, I get into the audition room more, which means I get more of a chance.”

Most of Campbell’s roles since her Bafta win have been smaller, supporting ones, usually playing the girlfriend. “Really good leading roles are few and far between, and there is so much competition because there are so many fantastic actresses in this country. I don’t think there’s that much to be said about going, ‘I’m a big deal so I’m going to be the main character in everything.’”

Campbell, right, in One of Us. Photograph: Mark Mainz/BBC

Campbell plays the girlfriend in One of Us, a new BBC four-part thriller set in the Scottish Highlands, but it’s more of an ensemble piece. A young couple are murdered in their Edinburgh flat. At first, it seems like a break-in gone wrong, but it starts to look as if the murderer has some connection to their families. The events that unfold are pretty implausible, but dark and gripping nonetheless.

Campbell was spotted in the street when she was 16 by Sarah Walker, the writer and director who asked her to audition for a part in her show Freak. She got it. Growing up in Dartford with her mother, a teacher, and stepfather, a bookbinder, she hadn’t particularly wanted to be an actor. “I wanted to be an air hostess, because I thought it was the most glamorous thing – and I’d never been on a plane,” she says with a laugh. At school, she liked art and textiles, and thought she might go into fashion. The extent of her acting experience was getting one line in the school plays, “and I would end up saying it really weirdly”.

Campbell with Royce Pierreson in Murder By My Boyfriend. Photograph: BBC

She says that when she got the role, she didn’t understand what it really meant at the time. “It’s so hard to get into this industry. There are so many people who are so talented, and they never get those opportunities. Being in the right place and someone giving you a push – I got that. And I was quite shy when I was younger, so the idea of going to auditions was not what I wanted to do at all. I hated it.” Her parents encouraged her, saying that if she didn’t like it, she could always stop. But the parts kept coming – including the usual TV apprenticeship roles in Casualty and Holby City – and she found herself enjoying it. After Murdered By My Boyfriend, she appeared in comedies such as the E4 show Tripped and Sky 1’s After Hours.

Roles for women, she thinks, are “getting a lot better, and I think people are always open to talking about things. There are roles I’ve gone for where it’s been written in a certain way. You read it and you’re like, ‘Well, maybe get rid of that, don’t do this, maybe do this instead.’ I think there’s always a way to bring something, even if it is just the girlfriend role. As long as you’re playing it with an idea of who that person is on their own, away from the male character.” Most directors are open to a discussion, she says. “And if it is a male director and writer, having a bit of female input is usually quite helpful.”

The main issue, Campbell says, is there are not enough female writers and directors. “There needs to definitely be more.” She smiles, raising her voice against the loud background chatter. “There are plenty of very good ones out there.”

One of Us starts on 23 August at 9pm on BBC1.