Robert Dukes on playing Tommy Ferriday in Patrick Ryder’s The Code

Robert Dukes as Tommy Ferriday in The Code (Dir. Patrick Ryder)

Robert Dukes has always felt an affinity for Anti Heroes: Han Solo, The Man with No Name, Robin Hood, to name a few. His striking frame and natural intensity have earned him roles both in film and on stage playing characters that you aren’t sure you should be rooting for…and yet still do. Most recently he has been cast as the charming yet dangerous antagonist in a British Thriller feature film, slated to shoot in 2018. He is also due to start work on ‘The Code’, directed by award winning filmmaker Patrick Ryder of Little Glass Films, playing a determined soldier in World War 2.

Interview with British Actor Robert Dukes

indieactivity: How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Robert: I had met Patrick Ryder (the director) on one of his previous shorts, ‘An Open Window’ where I had stepped in to play a police officer. We kept in touch and when The Code landed on his lap he gave me a call. I guess you could say ‘An Open Window’ was my audition, and of course Patrick had seen my show reel and other work. I like to think I’d still have got the role if I auditioned, but as with every audition, however much you think you’re right for the part, the decision always lands with the people on the other side of the table.

Robert Dukes Character Poster for The Code

indieactivity: As one of the main cast on the project, how did this ‘choice’ work for you?
Robert: Having the full support of the director without having to formally audition is a real rarity and a huge compliment. Patrick really takes time to get to know people he might work with in the future and as such is able to make bold decisions which his cast trust him with. I got to read the script and I liked both Tommy and William, played in the film by the brilliant Kevin Leslie, so when Patrick asked me to play Tommy there was no hesitation. I was thrilled to be a part of the team!

indieactivity: What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Robert: The topic. We can’t possibly understand what it was like for people who lived during the Second World War. The opportunity to explore that was something I’ve wanted for a long time, and Patrick is as enthusiastic as I am in terms of really digging into such a fascinating period.

indieactivity: You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Robert: For me it is all about the collaborative process. Everyone on the set of The Code wanted to be there and when that’s the case, it becomes a wonderful experience. Working on short films, you’re working on such a tight budget, under sometimes challenging conditions and under a great deal of pressure-when it’s with a dedicated, brilliant team like the one we had on this project, it bonds you quickly. I can’t wait to meet up with our fantastic cast and crew again, simply put, they became family in a very short time.

indieactivity: Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
Robert: The great thing about Patrick is that he gives us space to explore the scene individually and as a team. Patrick makes this incredibly easy, taking the time to ask us what we need of him, stepping aside when he sensed we knew what we were doing, but also moving the action along quickly enough that our performances never became stale. It is a really energising and exciting way to work!

indieactivity: How did you create your character from ground up?
Robert: Before starting anything on the character I actually explored the period first, I took myself off to the imperial war museum, to immerse myself in the world. I watched ‘WW2 in Colour’ on Netflix, I read as much material as I could get my hands on and I devoured ‘Band of Brothers’ to get a more dramatic read on events. For me it was important to explore why the war happened and how it impacted people before I could ever do justice to a character who was in the middle of it.

The family dynamic I mentioned earlier began before we’d even met because the other cast members and I would share what we’d seen and read. I really enjoy character prep and I start at the very beginning working out when and to whom they were born, what their life was like up till the point at which we meet them in the film. How would I, Robert, feel about these experiences? Where do we have symmetry? Where can I, on a very simple level, find elements of my own life that match with his?

indieactivity: As main cast on the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Where you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
Robert: It was a challenge that I relished because I felt we had a responsibility to do the subject matter justice on all fronts, the fear, the danger and the fact that at the end of the day, these were just ordinary lads trying to stay alive. Working closely with the guys on location in Carlyle was fantastic because it was so clear that we shared the same desire to make the film the best it could be. Everyone from cast to crew was so talented, it made difficult situations easier.

The location was almost a character within its own right, and that added so greatly to the experience. It really was as cold, wet and muddy as it looks (I almost lost a boot at one point!), the costumes and props were exceptionally authentic and thus weighed us down as real soldiers of the time would have been-all of that sounds terrible, but honestly it made filming so immersive that it was a joy for an actor to be involved with. We did our own stunts, and having never worked with explosives, it was a hugely exciting (and, at times, slightly scary) experience. Both Kevin and I were a little shaky after our very first experience of being nearly blown up…

indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you made on set during production?
Robert: There had been a way I’d been playing a certain moment since I’d learnt the script, but actually when we were on set and I was acting with the talented Christopher Mulvin-responding to his performance, the line became softer and I think actually gave something to my character I hadn’t even known was there. I love how that can happen, it always feels like magic to me when new moments emerge on set.

The Code Poster

indieactivity: What did you take away from the film production?
Robert: A few cuts and bruises, a feeling that as a team we’d made something really special, a lot of excitement about the finished product and a desire to keep the story going…

indieactivity: What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Robert: Patrick is so down to earth, he’s just as excited as we are to be working on these projects and he loves storytelling. His enthusiasm for these projects is infectious and his trust in everyone working alongside him is touching.

indieactivity: What is next for you?
Robert: Since The Code wrapped I got to play a really iconic role, as Bruce Wayne in a Poison Ivy Fan Film by Triskelle Films which is now in post-production. I’m currently working both as a producer and actor on a 1920’s period film which I can’t say too much about for the moment as it’s in it’s very early stages, but I’m exceptionally excited and can’t wait to release more details.

indieactivity: What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Robert: Be open to new ideas, don’t be stuck in your ways-do your prep of course, but don’t allow it to stifle your flexibility. Some of the best moments in films aren’t planned or scripted.