Mhairi Calvey is a Scottish Actress who made her acting debut at age 5 playing Young Murron in Braveheart. She studied at the Guildford School of Acting earning a BA (Hons) in Acting. Mhairi has played roles in Fear The Invisible Man, The Eastern Front, and Robert The Bruce.
She won Best Newcomer at The National Film Awards. Mhairi’s production company is Dream Reel Entertainment. She went on to direct, write and produce her debut short film Gaslight. Mhairi Talks about her work on Fear The Invisible Man.
indieactivity: Introduce yourself, the story, the film by title
Mhairi Calvey (MC): My name is Mhairi Calvey. I play the role of Adeline Kemp in Fear The Invisible Man. The film will be released in the UK and US on June 13th. The story is about a young British widow Adeline Kemp. Who shelters an old medical school colleague, a man who has somehow turned himself invisible.
The Official Trailer for Fear The Invisible Man
As his isolation grows and so does his sanity fray. He schemes to create a reign of wanton murder and terror across the city. And she’s the only one who knows that he even exists.
What was your experience like working on the film?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): I loved working on this project. It was all about new challenges for me as an actress. A lot of the scenes were between me and the Invisible Man. The scenes are dialogue heavy and we had a fabulous actor in Joseph Tregear who was the body double. There were plenty of moments where I was alone with Joseph, reading lines behind camera. So, it was the first time in my career that I haven’t had another actor to play off.
The other character is invisible, although, I can hear his voice. I wouldn’t have known where he was in the room. So, Director Paul Dudbridge asked that I keep my eyes moving, glancing around as though she is trying to work out where he might be. Which was surprisingly hard, because as an actress, especially in film, you always have an eyeline.
The end action scenes were really fun to shoot. Almost every part of it was shot on a green screen. Or VFX, which meant I again had nothing to play off. So, Paul would be off camera shouting, ‘a fire explosion has happened to the right of you’! ‘A lantern has been thrown at your head’! ‘A gun has been fired at you’! Then all those things were added in CGI afterwards. So on set it was just me in an empty room using my imagination. Running and jumping in a corset was another skill I had to pick up quickly.. haha.
How did you get cast?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): I was actually cast by the producers early on. I was in Germany shooting another film with them and they sent me the script with a straight offer. Which is a wonderful gift as an actress to get without auditioning.
When it came time to find a director I mentioned Paul. I had worked with him on a series he did called ‘Horizon’. And the episode I shot was a period drama with VFX. So, I knew this would be in his wheelhouse. Plus, we had been searching for the right project to do together. Fear The Invisible Man incorporated everything we both love, well rounded female character, VFX and Victorian drama.
Tell me a bit about your character of Adeline?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): Adeline is a woman before her time. She is strong, forward thinking and academic, all things that in the Victorian era women were restrained from being. One of the things I love about her is her fight against society and how society judges’ women. I think that this is such an important topic and current, which is why people will hopefully connect with her.
I love that she doesn’t want to be placed in a box. That she doesn’t give up on her dreams. Also that she wants to help others, though she has her own struggles. Struggles with money and the loss of her husband. If she were around today, she would have been a doctor or politician.
During the film production, what scene (that made the cut) was the hardest to shoot? And why?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): I think for the whole team the hardest scene to shoot was in the city hall when Adeline visits the mayor, when she leaves, she is walking through the building discreetly talking to the invisible man but there are people all around her and extras.
Plus we were on the steady camera and the scene moved over two levels, so there was a great deal of choreography involved and the dialogue had to be delivered on specific times to match the camera teams angles, it was very technical. It was right at the end of the day as well, so we had to shoot fast.
What do you think the hardest part of independent filmmaking is?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): Lack of time is the biggest challenge, when you are on a lower budget your shoot time is less, what would normally be a three month shoot end up being a month so everyone has to work quickly. I always make sure I learn the entire script before coming to set so any changes are easy to keep up with. Everyone has to get the job done right with as fewer takes as possible, so you have to give your very best on take one because you might only get one more take after that.
What do you hope audiences will get from your film?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): I hope that people just enjoy it and have fun, it’s an easy family friendly film so I hope that they just see it has a relaxing chilled out experience with a bit of light humor.
What other projects do you have coming up next?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): I be working on a new medieval horror to shoot in Scotland. I can’t wait to start it. Because it really challenges me physically, and I will be learning some really amazing new skills. I do have another project which will be out soon. I can’t say anything about it yet and I am also producing a Western over in Spain.
What are you looking for in future productions?
Mhairi Calvey (MC): I would love to do a contemorary TV comedy series. I have never had the chance to do comedy and I love watching them, it’s such a gift to make people laugh and I would love that opportunity.
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