Zawe Ashto
n is one of a number of the many young and impressive UK acting talents around at the moment. Coming from an education and working background steeped in the world of theatre, she made her big screen debut in the 2009 sequel to the rebooted St Trinian’s series. She current stars alongside British action hero Jason Statham and such acting heavyweights as Paddy Considine, David Morrissey and Aidan Gillen in police thriller Blitz.
Ashton more than holds her own amongst the film’s mostly masculine and testosterone-filled environment, and brings a much-needed human touch and vulnerability to proceeding in her portrayal of a young police officer whose once hard-living lifestyle outside of the force begins to take hold of her again. We managed to grab some time to chat with her recently about her work so far and what it was like to share the screen with ‘The Stat’.
HeyUGuys: Did you feel intimidated at all appearing alongside the likes of Jason Statham and Paddy Considine?
Zawe: The first day in rehearsal was just me and Paddy and as I arrived and saw him through the door, I couldn’t breathe! I would have probably fallen over had I not been standing next to a wall. It was a responsibility and I felt the pressure big time. What you soon realize though, is that everyone is just a human being and they were all really lovely people and supported me wholeheartedly all the way through.
HeyUGuys: It must have been interesting to play a character with a duel lifestyle. How much research did you do?
Zawe:I did a lot on all aspects of her character. I’m not a method actor so there was no crack cocaine around (laughs) After I’d learned I had got the role I threw myself into research for a month, which led me to a brilliant gentleman who works for a cocaine anonymous group and also runs rehab centers across the UK. I spoke to both ex-police people and addicts, and I also spent a lot of time in Brixton researching.
HeyUGuys: There’s a real honest and believability to your character.
Zawe:Thank you. I hope so. I hope people see that she’s relevant to all of the police figures in the film and their individual journeys. I hope people think its a little left-field – a human story coming through in an action thriller. All I can say is I’ve done the research and talked to the real people and it’s definitely a realistic storyline for cops and problems faced by them.
HeyUGuys: Your background is quite theatre-heavy. Do you prefer that world to work on the big screen?
Zawe:Theatre is where you prove your muscle as an actor. If you can’t do theatre then I don’t think you’ve stretched yourself to the point of no return (laughs). That’s the real deal – doing a show, night in, night out, four weeks rehearsal. That is where you really hone your craft. In terms of being in cinema now, I don’t want to be in too many places other than here, I think. Building up a momentum in film seems really important and I love working to improve my skills as a screen actor. It feels that I’ve thoroughly explored the theatre world and now its time to do the same with film.
HeyUGuys: Blitz has an ensemble feel to it, as does your previous feature. How do you find sharing the screen with a number of different actors? Do you think it’s more of a challenge than being out there at the front on your own?
Zawe:Again, talking about experiencing different worlds, I love being part of an ensemble. People are so much part of what I love about being an actor. Building relationships, on and off camera, and witnessing different people’s energies. I got a lot from both Blitz and St. Trinian’s for precisely those reasons. Now I’ve experienced the other side of it. I made a film last year where I’m basically the only character so that was quite lonely, but at the same time, amazing because you just go into another level of focus. It’s all on you so you discover another discipline.
HeyUGuys: Can you tell me a little about the film?
Zawe: It’s called Dreams of a Life and it’s a documentary feature as it’s based on the life of a real woman who died a few years ago. It’s constructed by interviews with people from her life, and then I play her from aged 20 up until the age of 38, which was which she passed away.
Blitz is on general release now and you can read our review here.
