Edward Speleers
Spotlight By: Benjamin Lee
It's every young actors dream. You're an unknown, picked from 180,000 other wannabes to take on the lead role in what is being touted as the new Harry Potter. Oh and you get to share most of your scenes with a sword and a dragon.
For Edward Speleers, that dream is a reality. The 19-year-old British actor was plucked from obscurity to play the lead in the new big-budget adventure Eragon, based on the international bestseller. He plays the title role, a lowly farm boy who discovers his destiny is to overthrow an evil king, with the help of a dragon. It's a $100 million movie which Fox hopes to turn into a blockbusting new franchise but Speleers admits it was never something he prepared for.
'I was minding my own business, being a regular British schoolboy' he recalls 'And I was told to go to this audition. I wasn't expecting much, really just having a laugh and I was given a script. Then I had a second audition and thought hang on! Ten days later I got the phone call that I got the part'. Although he wasn't expecting it, Speleers admits it's 'a dream come true'.
The film sees Eragon go from a regular kid from a small village to a warrior, thrown into sword battles and fighting evil. It was a role which was a challenge, physically. 'It was a pretty demanding role' he admits 'I'm a physical guy. I used to be landscape gardener so I was used to lifting things around and being physical. I'm not quite as good-looking as Jesse Metcalfe though!' But it wasn't his physicality which Speleers thinks won him the role. 'I think they saw a vulnerable kid that they could turn into a young man'
It's the journey from boy to man which Speleers thinks distinguishes Eragon from the numerous epics it's being compared to. 'I don't think that amongst Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings or Narnia there's a real coming of age story' he believes, 'I mean there's obviously the hero and the villain but this is about a guy from a humble background who's taken with his best friend and how they grow together to overcome hardship to become heroic figures. It's a development story'.
Shot in Hungary and Canada, the film gave Speleers a chance to do a job other teenagers would dream of. 'I remember being in Vancouver on the back of a horse galloping through a river on a gorgeous summer's day' Speleers recalls, 'And you sort of think I'm getting paid for this! This is insane!'.
One of the major hurdles for a fantasy adventure such as Eragon is that for an actor, it involves a lot of CGI work (which translates to a lot of lonely days in front if a blue screen). 'It's a challenge' he admits, 'When I first started it was painful. You know you're talking to a tennis ball and you think this just isn't working. You have to let your mind do the work. I think you can certainly embrace it and make the challenge more agreeable to yourself and you can enjoy it'.
The major CGI of the film is of course the dragon, voiced by Rachel Weisz, someone who Speleers was excited to meet, even if it was just for one day. 'We spent a day in Los Angeles not that long ago' he recalls, 'She's first-class. We were improvising some of the flying sequences and I was nervous. She just started and I went with it. She picked me up and we were tussling each other and just had so much fun'. From being a 'regular British schoolboy to tussling around with a Hollywood actress' 'So yeah I called just about all of my friends after. I actually called my girlfriend first! I think she was more jealous than angry!'.
Although it's nearing the film's release, Speleers admits he still hasn't seen the finished product, but then it's not something he's itching to do. 'I'm not a big fan of myself!' Speleers confesses, 'I don't like watching myself so I'm always going to be critical. I've only seen large chunks of it so far but it's a beautiful story and I think a lot of people can relate to it'.
As with it's fantasy-based peers, these days it's all about the sequels. 'The plan is to make the trilogy' Speleers admits, 'The second one's there waiting but we've got to see what happens. It all depends on the success of this one but I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into something different'.
Despite being on every poster and billboard and trailer around, Speleers isn't having any trouble with recognition just yet. 'Maybe it's because I've been so airbrushed on that screen that actually in real life I'm a real dog!' he jokes. 'It's surreal and kind of daunting. But I remind myself that if it does become crazy and if people are knocking at my door then I think there are ways of avoiding all that. That's not what it's about for me - the fame aspect'.
For Edward Speleers, at the age of 19 he's on the brink of stardom. One of the biggest films of the season under his belt, Hollywood is there for him to grab. He may not be looking for fame, but fame is certainly looking for him.
