“Technology has revolutionized current cinema and shooting style”

Ray Stevenson (Lisburn, 1964) a versatile British actor A cast that has carved out a solid career away from fame.

Is Ibiza your island of relaxation?

Ibiza is like a sanctuary you come back to, many say it’s the island of the party but for me the deeper part is more important, it’s a feminine island like Tanit, not a feminist. If you immerse yourself in the femininity of the island, it will allow you to understand yourself better, broader, deeper and more intensely as a man. I have traveled to many parts of the world, but nothing like this, neither Costa Rica, nor Mexico, nor Sri Lanka, nor Mallorca, or even Formentera. There’s a quality to Eivissa that will deceive you if you spend time exploring it.

Do you always pass by here?

I never know how long I’ll be staying, but while it’s good to go out and get perspective, it’s one of the airports I’m happiest in landing at. It’s not a perfect place, but that adds charm and makes it real. If you surrender, the island will give it back to you.

What projects are you working on?

I will be in Los Angeles for seven months to film ‘The Mandalorian’, a project by Disney, Marvel Studios, Star Wars and George Lucas. Also, another work with Rosario Dawson, where I played the villain in the movie, they created this character and offered it to me, I can’t say much because everything is top secret. Even reading the script is a secret, I could neither write it nor talk about it. They are currently focusing on the series.

How do you shoot movies or TV series today?

There is a different way of filming, no longer a green or blue screen in the background, technology has radically changed the way we do it. The innovation nowadays is to film virtually with a led digital screen where the background moves and follows you, you don’t have to move the lights because the screen illuminates you, it’s an amazing technological advance and I’m very interested in this new way to record. It’s more real because you’re surrounded by the movie itself, not a green screen background that will be replaced later with special effects, but you’re already inside the movie, which makes it more exciting and stimulating.

Is this your first time recording a scene like this?

Yes, the recording set in ‘Thor’ in Los Angeles was also gorgeous and had great footage in the background. Disciplines that interest me and that I am passionate about. Our aim is to captivate and we cannot forget it. Players go from some scenarios to others that are very different from each other. You never know what the acting will be like or what the production will be like until you dive into it. You have to open up and surrender. In my case, having a theater background, I really enjoy immersing myself in a character, both mentally and physically, and that makes my career very interesting. This makes up for the fact that I’ve been separated from my family and that I’m doing my job as a profession, not a career. I consider myself a privileged person and am so grateful to be working on something I am passionate about.

How was your working experience? Pandemic?

You are just trying to follow the rules so that the production can be done. We were in Prague and had to be tested three times a week just to be sure. If someone tested positive, everything around had to be isolated, which could make it very expensive. There were false positives and negatives that mixed things up a bit. In this case, everyone does their best to make everything successful. I hope we can get out of this situation as soon as possible, there are countries that think like this, and there are some that don’t. Let’s see if we can relax more.

Has this fact changed or affected the way you work?

Nothing changes, you just do a test before shooting.

You are a versatile player, but which genre do you like best?

You are constantly learning skills. A drama or tragedy can have a funny side because people have a sense of humor or even something funny can be something not so funny makes it real. All we do is raise the mirror to the human condition, neither more nor less, the audience can empathize or feel accompanied by what they see. I don’t care if the public likes my characters or if they like me or believe I’m doing a good job as an actor.

Don’t you love popularity?

I’ve never sought fame, I’m not in the context of popularity, I just want to be believable as an actress. Directors, producers, and other actors respond and respect this idea and go for it, but if it’s just popularity, no one wins and the story has no power.

Do you think television platforms will bring the end of cinema?

On the contrary, we thought that it would destroy the theater when the cinema came out, but it did not happen, the theater ceased to be cinematographic and became more intellectual, it was thought that it would end the cinema with DVD later. it was seen that the same movie was shown in the same cinema for four or five months, the demand increased and the concept of multiplex cinema, which allowed more people to flow, emerged.

Are television platforms a new revolution?

The platforms allow low-budget films to be released all over the world without the studios having to use American or German actors, but rather artists from all over the planet. The cost of special effects is very low, the series have a movie-like production quality. It’s also a great opportunity for young writers to tell stories and for older writers to be more creative.

Do you prefer cinema or television?

Television now has such a high production level that it is almost no different from cinema, the only difference being that you may have only one director in a movie and several directors on television.

Is it hard for veterans to find good roles now?

When there is a lot of money and everything has to be created in a very short time, you need professional people who can answer you and give you a guarantee.

Do you like playing the villain role in the movie?

Bad guys don’t think they’re bad, it’s just that the rest of the world just doesn’t understand their reality. When you read literature and villains, they present themselves as very strong-minded beings and have a whole host of entourage around them. The same thing happens in real life, as with Hitler, whose roots are in thinkers like Nietzsche.

Do you have a dream role you want to play?

I grew up watching James Bond movies and I wanted to play 007 when I was younger, but I don’t have any such dreams. I love the story and the characters like Marcus Aurelius. Like this new character I’m going to play, it’s just been written but you still don’t know what it’s going to be like until it takes shape and plays. I can’t imagine a character I haven’t met yet. Which character was the most important in your career? Titus Pullo’s role in the HBO series ‘Rome’ completely changed me because I learned so much about the character and myself. I started my career in the United States here since I was forty, which you should never have and I never moved to Los Angeles, which you shouldn’t either, I broke taboos because I jumped on my head and without looking. .

Worked with directors and actors recognized Is there anyone you want to act with?

I have worked with amazing people like Oscar winner Gary Oldman and Denzel Washington and humbly, they are hard working actors, they are real, they make mistakes, they correct themselves and they strive to be perfect, you know these types of people as soon as you see them. People think our actors are interesting, but no, we’re just normal people playing interesting characters. We are thought to be the best liars, but we are not, we are the best interpreters of the truth… and we are the worst poker players.

How do you see the social and economic moment in Europe?

We are in a moment of exposure, transition, learning and courage. We see the exposure of those who choose to do this systematically across borders and not doing it for the people. In the future there should be a government with the best resources, which are people. It’s a terrible moment because in our hearts we wish there was nothing, we knew there were problems but not like this. Managers fail systematically for generations, someone makes a decision and they are not right, if they fail they have to leave, there must be people who rule in a way that is sensitive to society.

And ukraine war?

They call it war, that’s all they’re communicating to us, but it’s a conflict that’s been hidden for years, and worst of all, people and civilians are dying from an economic war. As a society, we need to be aware of this. My father used to say ‘intelligence is not knowing the right answer, but knowing the right question’ and I always ask myself ‘Am I asking the right question in my business and private life?’ I ask. We need a correct structure and a union with the planet. Everyone gives their opinion and judges without putting themselves in the other person’s shoes.

Do new technologies play an important role in what we think and do?

Technology is a weapon they control, but imagine the minds behind it. We are all responsible for what will happen.

Celluloid world shocked by slap Will Smith Chris Rock at the Oscars, what did you think?

I don’t understand such humor at the Oscars. Is this the level of intelligence a person has to joke around in the middle of a ceremony? I don’t understand the reaction of slapping him, it’s not appropriate, neither of the two actions, where are the adults? All people who work hard to get an Oscar deserve respect, not a bullshit candle. News like this monopolizes all the attention, and other news that really matters disappears. The same thing happened with covid and the war in Ukraine. We must raise our awareness and open our eyes to humanity and the planet.