Ever since she first appeared as flame merchant Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones, Bella Ramsay has never had any intention of being typecast or pigeonholed into any particular role.
From her stardom as survivor Ellie in The Last of Us to her role as a pregnant prisoner in Time, Ramsay has proven to be a versatile actor, lending herself to every project she stars in. I’ve proven that over and over again.
But even for someone with enough skills, a non-verbal role in director Sparky Tensko’s Villainous can be seen as a challenge. And that’s without the small problem of working with a mother (who is not an actor).
Shot over two days with no dialogue, the short film stars Ramsay as Georgia, who must navigate the territory of a cave-dwelling dragon while protecting a young child (Ira Gee).
Commenting on the cyclical nature of revenge (those looking forward to Season 2 of The Last of Us are sure to revel in its core message here), the villain features the creation of a terrifying CGI dragon. We made use of staff who were unemployed during the coronavirus lockdown, including artists who work with us. It’s a shame for a bigger-budget production that gave Ramsay a chance to shine with some important debuts.
there are no words
“The script was just exciting,” Ramsay said of his initial reaction to the project, adding, “I think it was the first time I’d played an older role.” [character], an older person. ”
Ramsay continued, “The idea of having a little sibling was really amazing. Isla, who played the younger sister, was absolutely phenomenal. It was very educational to watch.” [her]. I thought the idea was really cool, Sparky thought it was great, and it all happened by accident. ”
As for the lack of dialogue, Tensko has no qualms about what he felt was the “natural” choice.
“Given that Isla’s character is basically wild and doesn’t necessarily have language, the idea was to create some distance between the characters. There’s no need for Vera’s character to talk to her,” Tensko explained. do.
“Then they might not be able to overcome their differences and communicate about what they have in common. That’s what I’ve always thought. In the end, anger wins.”
Ramsay felt that the villains had their own challenges, but the lack of dialogue was irrelevant.
“When I first read it [the script]I didn’t even think about the fact that there was no dialogue,” Ramsay reveals.
“As Sparky said, it felt so natural that I didn’t feel like it needed to be. Then it felt just as natural on set. When the house was on fire and I was just watching that burning… Watching it go was definitely a challenge. One of the things I found. [really difficult]Acting-wise, it’s just stopping and crying. ”
family values
In the scene where the house burns and the tears flow, an interesting extra, Bella’s mother, Kate Ramsay, disappears from view.
“I think we were considering the idea of having someone else cast it. Between the casting director and I, we thought: [Bella]Georgie, my agent, they just said, “Why don’t we let Kate do it?” She will be there and it will be a non-speaking role,” Tensko reveals.
“They asked me if I didn’t mind, and I said, ‘No, no, of course!'” So I was really happy about that. ” Ramsay interjected. “Honestly, it was very, very strange for me. The level of pride that I felt. I was so proud of her because she was so nervous and she just did it right. I just wanted to make sure.”
“I thought that by having her do my hair, makeup and costumes, I might have gotten a glimpse of how she felt about her work. I was so proud of her and Afterwards, I reassured her that she had done a good job.”
Tensko joke, “I never had to worry about her getting this role, but I always thought, ‘Please, let’s not light her on fire.'”
Unlike the big-budget, month-long shoots of HBO series, short films, as the name suggests, are short in nature.
Ramsay, who is in Canada filming Season 2 of The Last of Us, said of the difference between that experience and others: “I think the most difficult thing for me when it comes to short films is going in and out. We arrive on set and in two days everything is done. The relationship develops. [while] When you’re on set, you quickly make friends with people. Usually, after spending a few months or weeks with such people, they become real family.
Ramsay further added, “So the idea of having to go in and out and build a relationship as quickly as we did eight months of shooting, and then have to say goodbye within two days, that’s always an interesting thing about short films.” I felt like I lived it out fully and I felt like I did a good job. That’s one of the problems. But it was really great.”
And what next? As well as returning to Ellie’s well-worn shoes, Ramsay is also working on her writing career, which she has been doing for a “long time”.
Director Tensko is in a similar position, and for a director whose staff credits include everything from Guardians of the Galaxy to The Little Mermaid, Villain is potentially just the beginning. do not have.
“I’ve been doing festivals for a year, but I couldn’t sit at a desk and put words to paper. I’m working on things like contemporary drama and teleportation mystery and fantasy. So here are some things I’ve been desperately waiting to get out of my head.”
Villain is now available to watch on YouTube. Then be sure to check out 2024’s biggest movie release dates.