Actor Sam Gittins discusses his approach to bringing the character of “Andrew” to life, his experiences on the set of Sorority, and working, once again, with frequent collaborator writer/director, James Webber.
What drew you to the project?
Quite simply, and honestly, the chance to work with James Webber again. I’ve worked with him on many of his short films over the years, so when the opportunity came along to be a part of his first feature film, it was a no-brainer. I’ve never regretted working with Mr Webber, and I don’t think I ever will.
Tell us about the character of Andrew.
Andrew is what I would describe as a family orientated bloke, he isn’t a hard man so-to-speak, but he is working class and quite traditional in his views. He has seen his parents and family follow the idea of the nuclear family to the letter, and has always wanted that for himself. I think the loss of his child, and subsequently his relationship, pushed him into behaving really appallingly towards Harriet. But he’s not a bad guy at heart, I think his biggest fault is his narrow mindedness.
Andrew is a complex character. What did you do to get yourself into his headspace?
I drew on a lot of different people I know whom have had to grow up fast, and also I tried to see the world in a very singular, focused way. Beyond that it was a case of following the research path that James and I had set out, regarding the miscarriage, it was incredibly sad and a fairly painful experience, but it really helped get me into the right headspace.
You’ve worked with director James Webber many times before on his short film work. What was it like to now be collaborating on a feature?
The beauty of it was, James’ approach to Sorority was no different than it was to his shorts. He had the same intensity, but also the same sense of calm. He always sets up a great team on all his projects and, once again, they were all amazing to work with.