Interview with Actor & Producer Nathan Head

Nathan Head (Photo by Ben Ives)

Nathan Head originally took acting classes while he was at school but he studied Design at College and University, with the intent to go onto a career in either Graphic Design or Production Design. This career move did pay off, albeit briefly, Nathan Head worked with the Jim Henson Creature Shop during their UK Gallery Tour and he designed some stuff for some big companies.

After a while of regretting his life path, Nathan Head finally decided to get back into acting and took acting classes at the Actors Centre and attended regular acting workshops while working in local independence productions and fringe theatre to help build up his credits and establish himself as a performer on the entertainment scene.

indieactivity: What is your filmmaking process?
Nathan: I don’t adhere to a specific technique, in any strict sense. Sure, I have certain rituals that I do when taking on a new role, but it’s different for each new job, depending on what’s required.

Fantastic time with everyone’s favourite Goa’uld @SuanneBraun at @walescomiccon give her a follow and check out her new projects coming in the new year pic.twitter.com/7H7Ep21OWA

— Nathan Head (@nathanhead) December 3, 2017

indieactivity: Tell us about the work you have produced?
Nathan: I’m probably best known for playing killer clown Trinculo Moreau in the 2014 horror film Theatre Of Fear, which was in the UK top 40 film charts for two weeks when it came out. Recently I starred in the 2017 film Hellraiser with 88 Films (which is currently nominated for BEST THRILLER at the National Film Awards), and I was Heinrich Berger in the third entry to Sony Pictures’ Robert The Doll franchise, which charted at number three in the UK DVD charts and was also released on Sky Cinema in the Sky Store.

I’ve acted in lots of other things over the years, but predominantly in the horror genre, oddly enough. I’ve just wrapped on a Dinosaur film with Sony Pictures, I play a fun little character called Dominic. Sadly I can’t say much about that film until it’s released later this year, but it’s called Primeval Predator and it was directed by the brilliant Andrew Jones, who I’ve worked with previously on Theatre Of Fear and The Toymaker.

Nathan Head starred in THEATRE OF FEAR. (Photo by Craig Thomas)

indieactivity: Do you take courses to improve your craft?
Nathan: I don’t think we should ever stop learning, even the most experienced and successful actors in our industry continue to take classes and coaching. I’m reluctant to admit it’s been over five years since the last toolbox workshop I attended, but I intend to rectify that in the coming months and stretch myself a little.

indieactivity: How do you combine acting and producing?
Nathan: Well they are two entirely different careers, for my acting career I have my agent and myself submitting myself for castings, I attend auditions and network. For my producing career it’s a different logistic entirely, and I try not to let the producing side take over the acting side, I’m an actor predominantly. Don’t get me wrong, some of the films and TV shows I’ve produced have had moderate success, a feature film I produced a few years ago got signed to BayView Entertainment for release in North America, and I still get handsome royalty cheques from other things I’ve produced in the past. But like I said, I make acting my priority and I try not to let producing take over, I like to see producing as a side-line that I do between acting engagements, to keep me busy

indieactivity: How did you get into the film business?
Nathan: It’s hard to say, it’s all so long ago. Looking back, I suppose my earliest roles I obtained via networking on MySpace with filmmakers and agencies. I worked on a few low budget films and did some bit parts in a few TV shows, the roles grew in size and those bit parts started to become featured parts and after working on the cult BBC science-fiction show Doctor Who, I went on to star in the five-star comedy play Battered Egos at the Salford Arts Theatre.

Nathan Head (far right) – A publicity still with Edward Furlong (centre)

The recognition from this 2008 performance led to me getting my first professional acting agent and then being cast as the antagonist Raymond Korkinsky in the award-winning comedy film Mark Macready and the Archangel Murders. The Archangel Murders was labelled “British independent film at its best” and became an overnight success, it got a limited UK cinema release supporting Someone’s Knocking At The Door over the 2009 Hallowe’en weekend as well as having scenes broadcast on Sky Television and later being shown at the prestigious 63rd Festival De Cannes in 2010. This all helped give me a foundation for my current career.

indieactivity: How do you create character?
Nathan: It really depends on how it’s written in the script, once I’ve digested the lines and I’m off-book, I tend to record myself repeatedly and play it back, trying to imagine this person as “not myself”, sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t, but it all helps me familiarise myself with the character without it simply being Nathan Head saying the words.

indieactivity: What writing tip or idea can you give young actors?
Nathan: It’s very clichéd but my main piece of advice for young actors is to stick with it. I know everyone says that, but trust me. I’ve seen many actors come and go over the years and the ones that vanish are the ones who gave up, simply because it had been a few months since their last gig, and they stopped acting. You really do have to be dedicated and stay with your career choices and see it through, your time will come and you will reach your goals.

Nathan Head (Photo by Don Jackson-Wyatt)

indieactivity: What is is like working in the filmmaking business?
Nathan: Working in the film industry can be very trying and draining but it’s totally worth it for the end result. It can be unreliable and inconsistent, but the unpredictability is what keeps things fresh.

indieactivity: What do you want to change about the film business?
Nathan: The main things that I’d like to change are actually slowly happening, so there’s not much I could change. I would originally say that I’d like more fresh faces and non-names to get opportunities to work in mainstream TV shows, but that is happening, the casting directors are getting more diverse in their casting choices and you see some fantastic new talent on TV these days.

The other thing I would have suggested to change would be for major motion “Hollywood” pictures to be shot in the UK, giving British talent a chance to work on larger productions, but again that’s slowly happening more and more anyway. Some of the biggest Hollywood franchises are now shot in the UK, which is fantastic.

indieactivity: What do you want to be remembered for?
Nathan: I’d like to be remembered for anything really, it’s just nice to know that my work is out there and hopefully enjoyed for years to come.