Skellig Press Pack: John Simm
		Publication	Sky Press Office
		Text by	Sky
		Date	20 February 2009

Character

I‘m playing a character called Dave who is Michael’s dad. He’s like a young - well, I wouldn’t say he was cool but he’s a really optimistic bubbly nice guy. He just finds himself in these circumstances where he’s trying to provide for his family and trying to do the right thing. And then tragedy hits with the sickness of his baby daughter. He kind of loses the plot a little bit but comes through the other end.

Taking the role

When I read the script I thought the story was a really lovely, charming modern day fairytale that wasn’t condescending in any way to children, it was quite dark in a way. I hadn’t read the book, so when I read the script, the story really stood out.

You’ve got to find a little bit of yourself in every part you play. I’m playing a dad of a young boy, and I am a dad of a young boy. It is playing yourself a little, you bring a large element of yourself to it. It makes it easier if it’s closer to home, acting wise it’s much easier. There’s a scene where I have to break down in the garden as I’m worried about the little girl, and so it helps being the father of a baby girl too.

Empathy

You have to make it real for yourself. If you’re supposed to be upset, you have to go to a fairly dark place and think how you’d feel if that happened to you, or if you had a similar experience. I had a similar experience where my boy was quite ill, it’s not very nice to remember but it helps, and it keeps you in a real moment.

His own kids

I’ve got a little boy, Ryan, who’s seven. He’d be really in to it. I’ve also got a young daughter. This is one of those things that they’re going to love when they get old enough to watch it, which is a lovely thing to be able to do as an actor. Tim Roth was saying last night that his kids are going to love it, too. Actually, I’ve got to get some brownie points back with my son because the last time he watched me in anything, I was the Master in Doctor Who. That was one of the main reasons I did Doctor Who in the first place, to please my son but it was funny – because the Master was an evil character my son just did a big semi-circle round me when I took him to school. So now I’ve got to try and be a good guy. Hopefully he’ll like Dave a little more.

Skellig

I don’t really see him in the film but I’ve seen drawings. He’s a tramp with wings really. Just grim, could be anybody - it could even be in Michael’s imagination. It’s quite dark this film. For a start a baby gets really ill and then Skellig, he’s not like this cuddly little man at the bottom of the garden - he’s not Stig of the Dump or anything like that. He’s like a horrible, trampy kind of cracked-skinned guy who’s really rude and not very nice at first. His wings are dirty, not fluffy and white. I just think it’s a really charming idea but it will also be quite gritty - it won’t be sugar-coated in any way. Kids tend to like that. It’s very similar to a Roald Dahl story, like a modern day fairytale.

His co-stars

Bill is great, he’s old before his time, he’s a good actor and he has it all naturally and instinctively. He’s a terrific little actor, his attitude is great, it’s a big part for him and he’s in pretty much every scene. I’ve worked with Kelly before, she’s a great actor and a wonderful person so it’s been a joy. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it, working with her makes things easier.

Pan’s Labyrinth

It’s a little bit like Pan’s Labyrinth. This guy could just be a tramp, and it could all be in the kid’s head. There’s a dark element, and it’s not a normal kid’s film, it’s got a bit of edge to it. The baby could die, which is really heavy. Like Pan’s Labyrinth, it’s got that gritty real life element going through it. Even the fantasy element is still pretty gritty, it’s not sugar coated in anyway which I really liked.