Actor Jim Sturgess, 32 has appeared in films including The Other Boleyn Girl. He has recently filmed Upside Down with
Kirsten Dunst and is the voice of Soren in the new animation Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole.
How do you prepare to be an owl?I had a go at flying and catching some mice.
Is it true you made a bit of a berk of yourself when you first saw the film?Yeah. It was my first 3D experience and I was floored. I couldn’t believe this was possible. Embarrassingly, I actually reached out trying to grab a big feather and then I realised, ‘Wow, maybe I shouldn’t do that’.
How did you perfect the character’s Australian accent?That staple diet of Neighbours and Home And Away. When I was younger, we all watched Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue . I did work with a voice coach for a while but I just sort of went for it. It was harder to find the youth in the voice than the accent but the accent sort of supported that. Australians sound so enthusiastic because they go up every time they talk, so that kind of helped with Soren. He was able to take the journey of being youthful and wide-eyed and coming into his own, finding the courage to become a leader, I suppose.
You’ve been a bit of a leader yourself since the success of 21 in 2008. How’s it going?That success brought choice and then I was able to make some of my own decisions, films I thought I would personally go and see. I think Fifty Dead Men Walking is the best film I’ve made but it’s not an easy subject matter to get to the widespread audience. I lived in Belfast with members of the IRA, playing this gritty kid who’s in such deep s***. That was the first time I felt like I was achieving what I wanted to achieve. And I worked with the amazing British artist Philip Ridley. He’s a playwright, poet and painter and we made a film called Heartless, which I’m so proud of. Through those films I was able to work with a director like Peter Weir on The Way Back [also starring Colin Farrell]. I was very conscious not to just be a movie star. I don’t think that’s very interesting.
Any psycho Hollywood stories you can share?Sorry, no. It’s all positive. I was thrown in at the deep end with Across The Universe. I was a British actor/musician just hanging around London trying to make some music then suddenly I was making this Hollywood kind of film, which was a bit of a mind bender. Then I was riding a horse and hanging out with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson [while making The Other Boleyn Girl] and that was a buzz, too. And then 21 was a Hollywood blockbuster, I suppose. I actually feel really blessed.
What drives you nuts about the US?I can’t stand the TV. They play the adverts so loud. It’s almost like the programme interrupts the advertisements. But I like US TV shows. The Wire, jeez, my girlfriend and I were obsessed with it. We didn’t leave the house until we finished the boxed [DVD] set. When they do it right, American shows are the best in the world.
You sang a lot of songs in Across The Universe. What’s going on with your music?I’ve written an album with my girlfriend (La Roux keyboard player Mickey O’Brien). We’ve called it Tragic Toys. I do the lyrics and most of the singing. I play a bit of guitar, piano and drums but my girlfriend is an amazing pianist and producer and puts it all together.
You might not hoot for real but do you tweet?I’ve just started using Twitter. Purely because other people were tweeting pretending they were me. At least if you get an account and verify it’s you, you’re in control of what you’re saying. I’ve also started to tweet poetry on it.
Legend Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole is in cinemas from today.
