BULL's Neil Maskell demonstrates he has nothing to do with the roles he plays

Hello, my friends. Barbara here. If you're in the mood for a fierce British film, revenge thriller BULL is currently available in theaters and on demand and digital. Written and directed by award-winning writer/director Paul Andrew Williams (London to Brighton, Unfinished Song, The Cottage), it stars Neil Maskell (Kill List , "Peaky Blinders"), David Hayman (Sid and Nancy, Macbeth) and Tamzin Outhwaite ("EastEnders"). In the film, a decade after his disappearance, former mob boss Bull (Neil Maskell) returns to find his son and hunt down those who betrayed him.

I had the opportunity to connect via Skype with Neil Maskell who apparently had just as good a time in Antwerp, Belgium, as in Austin, Texas. I must admit that his attitude surprised me. Although I'm not one to assume that actors are like the characters they play, I somehow suspected that Neil would be a little more dark and subdued. Discovering how different he was from my expectations thrilled me, and I had a wonderful time conversing with him. Check it out.

BULL is one of those intense British films. How intense was the filming?

“Very. Because it was short and we had very little time to make a lot of movies. Also, there was a global pandemic going on, so we were all living in very intense circumstances. , we felt very lucky I think to be able to go to work and be around other humans because a lot of people couldn't but it was convenient in a lot of ways because it kind of made it immersive , and that energy kind of comes back into the movie, but yeah, it was a very intense experience."

Do you tend to prefer working on these kinds of fast and intense sets, or do you prefer shooting that can be slower paced?

"I like to work on fast films, indie films. That's kind of my buzz, if you will. I've done stuff where you have a bit more time, and that can also be interesting. A lot of camaraderie is built between shots when you drag a lot, but I like that kind of pace. And even though it was a challenge at times, and I'm sure at times, Paul was on the verge of a heart attack for the short time that we have. For an actor, that means you're running on an energy. There's no possibility of things falling and a lot of time going by, and that's when That's where you tend to get tired and start to lose focus. So it was a very focused shoot. I appreciate that. I find it helpful actually."

Your Bull character is quite extreme. It seems that you tend to play darker characters. Why? do you think these are the roles you've been cast in?

“I don’t know. People see me as crazy. And it really upsets my mom, a lot. I think my wife understands it a little better. mad with rage", but I'm definitely not angry that way. I'll avoid physical confrontation for great purposes, so I'm not particularly sure why, but it's clear that my face or something makes people think that I'm a crazy maniac. I don't know. (jokingly) It's kind of hurtful, if I'm being honest with you, Barbara. But it's fun to do, it's enjoyable, and also, on BULL, obviously you invest him with a lot of emotion and there's actually, joking aside, kind of a pretty dark core. What propels him is the love for his son, but you're right. That has tends to be the way I'm cast. I console myself by telling myself that it's better to be typecast than uncastrated."

It's true. I'd love to see you in something Monty Pythonesque, though.

"Well, I did a bit of comedy. I don't know if it's stuff that traveled particularly well, or definitely not stuff that travels in the United States maybe, but even in the comedy, I'm normally someone who's a bit crazy, so that's always it."

How much time did you have to prepare for the role, and what kind of things did you do to get into his mindset?

"I don't think I've had very long, a little time, maybe a few weeks. I always have this kind of long list of questions that I've been developing over the past...