1. Magazine copy by George Wetton
Selective quote: “This characterfinds braver acts later on in the film and that level of
hypocrisy in comedy is something which I feel George strives for in the writing of the
novel.”
Peter Harding discusses his personal opinion and why he felt anxious playing his
character, Steve Target, along with sharing who his favourite character is.
Headline
Reliving the 80’s through the eyes of someone who doesn’t know why they are there. This is
what happened to St Hill’s student Steve Target as he battles the mysteries behind his
identity crisis, along with the uncovering of many murders around the streets of York. Steve
and his friends, Chris Bond and Lauren Pike all work together to uncover the mysteries
behind the disappearances. This comedic horror deals with a lot of dark humour earning it
the rating of an 18. The reviews written so far have been successful and the filmhas been
highly complimented. George Wetton’s direction of making the audience not know if they
want to laugh or cry is a comportment which makes this film very unique. The film has been
critiqued for dealing with issues of dyspraxia and religion rather well; two themes that
aren’t normally seen together in this genre. Whilst it may be set in the 80’s, this film delivers
the promise of change, tackling serious issues which were prominent in that decade, and
the showing of strong character development is something else which this film has managed
to do successfully well. Here today we have an exclusive interview with Peter Harding, the
star of the Targetzone franchise, as we discuss the main processes and complications behind
the filming.
Blood Moon, the film adaptation of the first book in the franchise, will be released on May
18th with screenings at all major cinemas.
So, first of all, what was your thoughts when you were handed the script tostart with?
“I thought it was an interesting one. At least I hope I did or else I wouldn’t be having this
interview, (laughs) it was certainly a bit by bit process. The writer and director, George, had
pitched me the idea at a very early development stage and whilst I had read the book, I will
admit to being a little unsure and self-conscious about the casting. My original casting
choice was the role of Brick but after seeing my audition they knew that I was better suited
for the role of Steve, which I felt flattered about.. but it also came with a lot of pressure. I
felt like it would be such a big gamble because it’s a franchise and hopefully there’ll be more
films than just this one. I didn’t want a huge part. Plus, there’s the fear of being type cast
but I am so glad I accepted it and I can’t wait to hopefully do more.”
When you said, you had originally auditioned for Brick was there any particular reason? Is
he your favourite character? If not, who is your favourite character?
“No, he’s not my favourite character but I felt like his part would have been the most fun to
play. To start off with I didn’t think I had the skill and the ability to play such a complex
character like Steve. I actually never read the books until I heard about the audition from my
agent. Halfway through the book, I had already realised that Lauren is my favourite
character. I love her no nonsense attitude. However just because she doesn’t suffer fools
gladly, doesn’t mean she can’t be a fool herself sometimes. We see a lot of smart egotistical
female fictional characters in film and TV. What George has tried to through making a
2. character like this, is not make female authority a joke but make the character a lot more
relatable. She’s strong… tough and out of all the characters, she’s the one that can defend
herself the most. However, that doesn’t make her a genius. George has done a good job of
swapping the stereotypes and making them work even more in my opinion. I think Beth
(who plays Lauren) did an excellent job and that tough side was shown well on the screen.”
What was your favourite scene to shoot?
Whilst I can’t give too much away because the ending is very important, the ending was
definitely my favourite. I love the physicality and doing my own stunts as that is very
important. You see a lot of action characters being replaced by stunt doubles. Sometimes it
can be very obvious. So, I want to stay in the character and do my own stunts a much as
possible. I also had a lot of fun, filming the cricket scenes. I am a huge cricket fan and
rehearsals felt like we were actually playing the game, despite remaining as professional as
possible. Playing a character that suffers from a coordination problem such as dyspraxia and
then having the challenge of finding enjoyment in cricket; I think it’s an interesting concept.
The character can skateboard which is one of the only things that he can control but his
enjoyment for cricket is challenged because of the condition that he suffers from.”
What was the hardest scene to film?
“The hardest scene to film for me personally was the soliloquy that is played halfway
through the film. The scene can be very demanding and pretty much sums up the whole film
apart from the ending because that’s not happened yet. I felt it very pressuring and because
George likes to film in one continuous take, which I think does work really well, when it
comes to script learning and constantly being on top of the character it was quite
emotionally exhausting. The monologue came after the scene which was filmed with the
other two characters, which resulted in the scene being a lot longer than I was initially
expecting.”
Your hometown was originally York wasn’t it but I understand you haven’t been down
there for a while? What was it like going back to see it all?
“Oh yeah it was brilliant. I thought it was a huge coincidence that the main location setting
was York. The filmdoes a good job of exploring the important and instantly recognisable
sights that tourists often see. It was very interesting to see the locations on screen. Seeing
places like the bar walls, Minister and Clifford’s Tower, you really get that sense of the
geography on the screen but the experience was very surreal. I missed it.”
I’ve heard your direction has shifted a little from acting to filmmaking. You’ve stated in a
previous interview, that this encouraged you be more interactive with how it looks on
camera. Could you talk more about this?
“Yeah absolutely. I think it was mostly through George’s direction that I felt engaged with
his continuous shots. Having seen the film ‘1917’, I found that the concept of the camera
following the characters and having no cuts made you really feel like you were in that world
and it felt a lot more engaging. Something which I think George has captured very well in
this film. It’s not just the camera work that I admire though. It’s also the cinematography.
The practical camera work I found very inspiring but I also like looking at the editing. The
monochrome style of including hues of red and blue from selective colour is something that
I have never seen before.”
3. Even though it was quite an anxious role to have taken on and the character is very
different to most characters that are in the film, do you see similarities between the
character and yourself?
“Good question. Like you say he’s a very different and complex character. I think he does
have an overwhelming socially awkward trait to him which I found the easiest to play
because I can be somewhat like that myself. I didn’t live through the 80’s so seeing all the
sets and props, I has the same sense of amazement that Steve has. There definitely is an
overwhelming factor, not just to Steve’s character, but to everything that is going on such as
for example the cars used on set, the clothing, the hair! When making something look like
it’s set in the 80’s you don’t want it to come across as too cheesy, but you need to amplify
those qualities that tell you what time period you’re in, so that both the actors and the
audience can understand the era. There is also the trait of not knowing what’s going on. This
is definitely something which I relate to immensely no matter what I am doing.” (Laughs)
When you are thinking of the 1980’s, what are the first things that you think of?
“Well the first things that come to mind when I think of the 1980’s is Rubik cube’s. Because I
wasn’t born I the 1980’s, there’s no personal memory there for me to recall. One thing that
this film has done, that the book did quite well but not on the same level for obvious
reasons, is bring the music to life. There is a lot music from bands that I currently enjoy such
as ‘The Jam’ and ‘A-ha’ playing on the soundtrack. This was music that despite not growing
up in this era, I listened to a lot through my parents playing the music. There’s a lot of
references in there that make you feel engaged in the world.”
What are your opinions on character development in the film? Do you feel like they got
through a lot of it?
Yeah absolutely. Hopefully if this film is a success, then you can see the further development
of these characters. I think it’s just essential to stick with one film at a time. I do however
think there is a fair bit of character development in this film. It’s almost an introduction to
the world. The best part for me is humour and how you can play around the development of
the character using this. You have one scene where the character is hugging their friend,
saying you’re my best friend; we’ve already been through a lot, type of scenario, and the
next scene where they are talking about going to their deaths, which leads to one of them
cowering out and stepping back from that “we’re all in it together” bond. This character
finds braver acts later on in the film and that level of hypocrisy in comedy is something
which I feel like George strives for in the writing of the novel. Overall there’s a lot more
personal conflict; it’s not just about solving the case. It’s about getting along and working as
a team.”
What are you most proud of now that it comes to finishing the film?
“I feel the thing I feel most proud about is the level of effort not just from the cast but the
crew too. I feel like visually they have tried their best at making this as much as a success as
possible. I also don’t get too involved with it, but the marketing has been done very well
with this film. I feel like despite playing such a challenging role I was able to play that
character with an air of believability. Whilst I can’t fully judge myself as an actor, and
sometime don’t have the self belief in my ability, l I have had some nice comments on how
believable the role is and how well I played the insomnia side of the character.”
4. Now I’m guessing that you have already read the second book, just in the expectations of
a sequel. The main antagonist deals with an identity crisis in a similar sense as Steve does.
If you could pick someone for the role of this who would you pickand why?
“Well I don’t think that I am the best in making these sorts of decisions. I would leave them
to the director. But if I did have a say in the casting I would go for Anthony Hopkins. I don’t
know if I am being too ambitious with that decision but having read the second book, I think
he would establish the tone of it perfectly well. He matches the description and his sinister
performance in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ (1991) was outstanding. So, I really feel like he
would excel in the role. “
Well that’s everything. Thank you for giving us the chance to interview you.
“Thank you for having me. I hope you enjoy the film.”
