CHRIS FISHER TALKS ENDANGERED SPECIES

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

Debuting in 'Blue Crush 2' almost ten years ago, what do you recall from that first starring role?

My experience on 'Blue Crush 2' was nothing short of epic! I had only been surfing for a couple months prior to booking the role, and so stepping into that world was truly magical. Our daily training program included yoga, free diving and breath hold training, swimming lessons, dance lessons, gym, and of course a lot of surfing in between with some of the best coaches and mentors South Africa has to offer. Needless to say, it catapulted me into the world of surfing and I have not looked back, and we made a fun little film with incredible people in the most beautiful locations. Often felt more like a big roadtrip with good mates than work. Forever grateful for the experience.

What acting had you done prior to that?

Prior to 'Blue Crush 2', it was theatre theatre theatre, and after being spat out of the Rhodes University Drama department into the big wide world, I was keen to just suck up as much on-set experience as I could. I started doing commercials, worked as an animal wrangler, and did the odd short film. But my performance background is strongly rooted in theatre. My mother often reminds me that I sat through the entire length of Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’ at the tender age of three. My first acting gig at eleven came along quite by chance, I was headhunted very randomly by a casting director, who I met and thought I looked like the non-fictional character they happened to be casting for at the time. It was a docu-drama for Dutch television called ‘A Friend of Dad’. I have a copy of it on VHS (laughs).

Who were you growing up?

I was that kid who didn’t want to come down from the trees, or come inside when it started raining. Barefoot and running amuck, my siblings and I struck it lucky growing up amidst horse and flower farms, it is an upbringing I most certainly don’t take for granted. I wanted to be a Marine Biologist but I definitely felt an inclination towards the performing arts from an early age.

Looking back, who have been the biggest influence for you?

I spent two of my high school years at a British International school called Al Khubairat, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I chose drama as a general certificate of secondary education and was truly inspired by my teacher, John Pugh, who now runs The Acting Space in Dubai. His teachings were rooted in the love of the craft, not only as a way to tell powerful stories, but also as a means to develop empathy for, and acceptance of the people around us, their worldviews, backgrounds and life experiences.

Have you been able to keep working in Cape Town recently?

Yeah, it’s been a time of uncertainty in many respects for sure, but I’ve been able to get some work. We shot this little film in Kenya last year, ‘Endangered Species’, which premieres on Showmax Online May 28, and been exploring the online performance space a little bit. I’m also quite grateful for the down time though, firstly to work on other passion projects, but most importantly to have had the time to be utterly present in my daughter’s life, to me, that has been such a gift.

What do you do to ease the stress in difficult times. Have you had some time to reflect?

This time has offered a lot of opportunities for change in people’s lives. So many of my friends and colleagues have made huge transitions, some out of necessity, but I believe we’ve been gifted with a nudge to reassess our priorities and our habitual life patterns, to better understand our purpose and perhaps make the changes that have been irking us for years. (Laughs) to answer the question though, immersion in nature has always been an incredible therapy for me in stressful times. Fortune had it that we were able to spend the national lockdown in a little place called Nature's Valley on the Garden Route of South Africa. We haven’t left. Feeling too blessed to be stressed here.

‘Raised by Wolves’ landed in the fall, with your role in that as well as your past roles in series like ‘Black Sails’ and ‘Troy: Fall of a City,’ you have had the rare chance to develop characters over multiple episodes. Do you prefer this format or does a film role still have the edge since you usually have more prep time before filming?

There are many awesome things about working on a series, like the relationships and friendships made over long periods of time, the excitement of being part of the narrative as it unfolds and the ability to stay with, and embellish a character over the course of the season. Challenges do arise though, when you’ve bulked up your backstory based on the episodes you’ve read in order to give your character depth, and then the latest script comes out and your character says or does something that you feel is out of character. It takes a little bit of reworking the backstory every time and hoping it all makes sense in the final cut. From that perspective, I think I prefer the feature film structure. You can prepare the emotional arc of your character with a lot more clarity.

What's been the most rewarding role for you so far?

Playing Ben Gunn in ‘Black Sails’ was incredibly epic. Toby Stephens lead the cast with incredible passion, professionalism, humility and inclusiveness. The vibe on set was magical, even on the challenging days, there was always a healthy dose of fun and playfulness, which sets a solid platform for learning and growing as an actor. Also, pirates have always fascinated me, so being able to play in that world was such a treat.

Success can mean many things. For an actor, it might be about discovering abilities you did not know you had. Has that shaped the kinds of characters you are drawn to, and what usually attracts you to a role?

With every character you portray, there is a contextual world around that character that begs to be explored. Learning new skills is a big part of that, and is also one of the great gifts that this career offers. If a role requires the mastery of a new skill, I’m in! Bring it.

Does likability matter in a character?

Likeability of a character does not matter, no, it’s sometimes really fun to play a piece of shit-character. You’ll inevitably learn something about yourself, about others and the world. Every role we delve into is an opportunity to dig a little deeper into the human condition.

Many well known actors have had an inspirational role model of who they want to become. Brad Pitt, for example, always wanted to follow in Robert Redford’s footsteps. Do you have such an inspiration?

Just like our main man Leo, who has fully embraced the leverage he has earned to advocate for a healthier approach to living on this planet. This is the legacy I’d like to leave, playful authenticity and open heartedness in the way we interact with our surroundings. Going into the future, I hope to favour the roles that play in stories that inspire this.

How do you go about channeling emotions for a role?

I use various techniques depending on the role, the context and the emotional demand, but the common thread for me is the emotional prep on an intellectual level, knowing my character and his emotional arc back to front allows for authentic emotional channels to open up and easily flow in. like a tap, you should, theoretically, be able to turn it on and off with ease. If the prep work has been done well, the greatest freedom and creativity between "action" and "cut" arises from being able to truly surrender to your character. I believe this takes a life time to master. I’m pretty stoked to still be learning.

Would you consider yourself self-critical?

Self-critical? Per chance a softer way to put it would be self-reflective or receptive and open to change for a better me tomorrow (laughs). But yeah, a bit self-critical.

What is the best advice you have ever been given?

Just breath, just be.

Did you ever get a chance to talk acting with John Cleese while on the set of the 'Spud' film?

(Laughs) Unfortunately not. The little interaction I had with him was compromised somewhat by my complete lack of cool, totally starstuck! What a hero that man is.

People can binge a lot of your work right now, and I guess we should talk some more about 'Endangered Species' before we wrap?

Interesting that in these times the spike in demand for content has been practically quite difficult to meet. I love a good binge. ‘Endangered Species’, directed by MJ Bassett, tells the story of an American family on a holiday Safari in Kenya, who’s lives take a turn for the worse as they face the harsh realities of the African wilderness. I got to play alongside some really talented humans such as Phillip Winchester, Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O’Connell, Michael Johnston and Isabel Bassett. It should be a fun one, with an important message of conservation for our astonishingly beautiful natural world.