Scott Wright on his action film debut, working with Jason Flemyng and more (exclusive)

So this idea of ​​Stoicism was new to me and interesting to explore. What attracted you to this concept as an actor?

Well, we just wanted to make a film… you have to make a film that appeals to people, so we had to make a film with some action. We didn’t want to make just any action movie, so we came up with the idea of ​​the philosophy of Stoicism. Then I came up with the character. He’s not quite there as a person because he’s completely different. He has his philosophy and is not a normal person. He is a man of high moral values, but he is a good man. He’s not even an anti-hero, he’s a good man who has a belief and his belief is stoicism.

He is also a man of few words, and when he speaks, it has meaning. What was it like playing someone like Aurelius?

[Laughs] I really liked that and there are fewer lines to learn. It was good. I had the idea of ​​coming to him and giving him a Celtic, Nordic, Danish accent that wasn’t quite my own. I watched films with Mads Mikkelsen, and as an actor you imitate people a little. I didn’t base the character on him, but that was a starting point, a softening of his accent. It was great. It was last year when we shot it and it was really, really fantastic. Since I come from the soap industry, it was great to be able to empathize with the role. You don’t have time for soaps.

This is a very down-to-earth film, but Aurelius is almost reminiscent of Terminator. Have you specifically looked for inspiration somewhere?

I mean, when you mention the Terminator, maybe subliminally, there was an element of that. He is not emotional at all. After he gets beaten up and shot a few times, there’s probably just a part where he screams and whistles. The Terminator is a really, really good reference for that.

As a producer, did you do a lot of research in terms of exploring this Stoic world?

We had the idea where I live. Me and Jon Eckersley sat down and he has an interest in it. I had studied it quite a bit and I also noticed that some people in our current history who are into Stoicism are Bill Gates, the man who runs Amazon. There are a lot of people who live by this moral code. I’m not saying I’ve tried to live that way lately, but it’s a pretty good way to live life that way. I’ve read very detailed books, so it’s very, very interesting.

What were the challenges and experiences of being an executive producer on such a project after a long acting career?

You know what it means: If you’re an actor, you come and have to learn your lines. There are actually no other components. You come and do a good job. To do this we had to find the locations. Luckily, I have a lot of good friends who have big houses. We were very lucky because a friend of mine had just bought a house in Wales for a few million pounds. As you know, a few million pounds will go a long way in Wales. It’s not like London! That was very simple.

I think the challenge was all the little things. The insurance and later when you finish a film, it’s about things like deliverables and all those things. It’s very, very complicated. I’m proud of both of us because when we started we had no idea [Laughs]. We knew how to make a film, but we didn’t know what would happen afterward. We learned on the job and are so proud we included Saban. They are amazing. It was a dream come true. When we started this, we had no such expectations. We just wanted to make a quirky little film that would appeal to some people and be good to watch within the budget we had. Now we have a global distribution thing going on, which is amazing.

Speaking of Saban, you’ve released a lot of great action films. So it must have been so exciting to bring this to a much larger audience?

Oh, it’s amazing. It’s amazing. I always try to meet my expectations [Laughs] But like I said, we far exceeded our expectations. Whatever happens, the movie is a good movie. It will appeal to many people, but the whole world will see it, exceeding our expectations. I guess we were probably expecting to release it in the UK, but releasing it in America, where there’s such a big market and such a big audience, is a dream come true, it really is.

You have a great supporting cast, but having someone like Jason Flemyng who has connections to so many cult films. What was it like bringing him on board and how excited were you about it?

That’s right, Josh, you’re asking the right question here. Overall, that was my favorite day. The whole business is about contacts, so we can reach out to agents and maybe they’ll listen, maybe they won’t. We could pitch the idea to some actors I had worked with before. I did James Cosmo from Braveheart through his agent because I don’t have his numbers, and he declined. Maybe he would have said yes if he had known I was doing it, but we found Jason through another producer who was friends with him. That’s how it worked, but when his name was mentioned I had pitched some actor friends for the UK. A lot of people would know you, but I think they wish they had done it now [Laughs]. When Jason’s name was mentioned I thought, “No, you’ll never get Flemyng.” I’m a big fan and I think he’s a great actor. He has worked with Sean Connery, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt. You just don’t get better.

I was just incredibly excited, and when he said yes, I still didn’t believe it until the day he showed up. He just showed up and I said, “Wow, that’s Jason Flemyng, that’s great.” It was great and it still puts a big smile on my face even now. To see some of the posters made with me. Bruce Payne too. I was a fan of his for years and I was always googling him and thinking to myself, “Where has Bruce gone?” I recently flew to Rome and spent three days with him because he currently lives there and I said to him: “Dude, I was a fan of yours in the ’90s.” He’s been stealing Passenger 57 all day, hasn’t he? Dungeons & Dragons and Absolute Beginners. I said, “I happened to be thinking about you all the time and now you are with me in my film.” We also do some good scenes together.

As the story progresses, things become increasingly violent and bloody. What was it like dealing with that side of things?

I didn’t do much of it except on stage. Before we started filming, I was doing a theater performance over Christmas and knew I had to get in shape. I was about a stone and a half overweight. In four weeks over Christmas, when everyone is partying, drinking and eating junk food, I’ll just go to the gym and go on a diet. When I showed up and said, Jon said, “Wow, what did you do?” I was like, ‘I know!’ That was an important part of it. We had a guy who was one of the stunt coordinators on Fast & Furious, so he did that… I don’t like drawn out fight scenes. They get really boring. We kept them simple. I’m not particularly good at remembering fight scenes or dances, so he made light of it, but after the film was edited, it works. Getting in and out was quick, so that was really fun.

I’m sorry to use the “f” word “franchise,” but that’s what it feels like The Stoic has franchise potential. Have you considered returning as this character?

Yes, 100%. There are references in the film. We originally wrote a film based on one of my ideas, and it’s referenced at the end when one of the girls asks him where he’s going after this. You’ve seen it, so I don’t want to give it away, but there is potential for another film and it’s already written. Due to budget constraints, we simply couldn’t do it at the time. We needed something that was more compact, so this is a bigger film, and it’s actually really good. There might be a way to do it now. We’ll see what happens next.

Now that you’ve enjoyed a taste of action, would you like to take on more roles like this and take your career forward in this direction?

Absolutely, without a doubt. Me and my daughter love watching action movies. We love horror films. I have a few ideas along these lines too, so it’s definitely something I want to pursue 100%.

You’ve mentioned Jon a few times and it sounds like this was a real passion project for him too. What was your dynamic like during its creation?

We are good friends. We argued often [Laughs]. After everything was said and done, we accomplished something. From a small town in the north west of England and then North Wales… getting the film out is a pretty big achievement and whatever happens to it, it’s really, really good. Me and him are like… you know the reference, like Jack and Vera from Coronation Street. Me and him have a little bit of that [Laughs] But there is undoubtedly a lot of love between us. We did something really good, you know?

Of course I’m also British and we love the soaps here. You’ve traversed Emmerdale and Coronation Street, but is there any chance of going back again?

I mean, you like the stability, the camaraderie and the teamwork. There are many exciting things to do outside. You never know. If not, we’ll move on to making other films, maybe Stoic 2, who knows?

Finally, what would you tell our readers to expect from Aurelius and this film?

It’s a film with action, whimsy and a bit of soul, and I think Aurelius is really… even though he’s a violent murderer, he only kills the bad guys [Laughs]. He has a really good heart, so I hope people who see the film like Aurelius.

The Stoic is now available digitally and on-demand.