STACK NZ Dec #58

DVD&BD FEATURE

visit www.stack.net.nz

Taking on the role of a young, brassy, artfully sneaky Long John Silver, Aussie actor LukeArnold has found his stride. He spoke with Zoë Radas about earthy new pirate series BLACK SAILS.

L uke Arnold’s first foray into the filmworld came via a community theatre production of Romeo and Juliet ; his sword fighting and fencing instructor recognised the 17-year-old’s enthusiasm and asked him to help out in a much larger production. “[My instructor] got a job on [2003’s] Peter Pan, ” Arnold explains. “He brought me down to check out the set, and by the end of the day I had a full time job for the next 10 months.” That job was anAssistant Swordsmith, andArnold coached the young actors on set (including Jeremy Sumpter, who played the titular role) whilst learning “how a film set works, how it was all done.” While those skills certainly helpArnold’s portrayal of the resourceful and cocky seaman John Silver in Black Sails , a certain kind of ‘functional fitness’ is also required for the character’s realistic portrayal. John Silver is ripped: not because he goes to the gym, but because he lives an intensely physical life and doesn’t eat a modern, fatty diet. “There’s a lot of pull-ups, push-ups and things that are body weight oriented, which definitely serves all the rope climbing which we do in the show,”

garnered much positive attention for its use of traditional, historic instruments such as the hurdy gurdy – a stringed device that looks a little like a violin, and produces sound when the player turns a hand-crank. “Definitely with our show, it’s great to have someone who also understands the specificity of making music that not just suits the show, but feels authentically part of that time. I think we couldn’t have had a better score for our show than what Bear’s come up with.” In looking at the source material for Black Sails – Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1883 novel Treasure Island – it’s fascinating to see howmany pirate tropes and clichés have come from just that one work of fiction, and howmany of those were John Silver’s (such as the parrot on the shoulder, and the missing leg – although Silver didn’t have a peg leg, but a crutch which he “managed with wonderful dexterity”). As the series is set 20 years before Treasure Island , it’s possible we might see how Silver morphed from a young able-bodied seaman into the cunning creature we know from Stevenson’s novel. “I’m sure there are definitely plans for it with the writers,” Arnold hedges, “but you want to earn those big moments.We’re hoping to get to do the show long enough where you can really start linking Black Sails to Treasure Island . But you don’t want to get too caught up in the beginning; it’s about defining our own universe, and we’ve got a long way to go.” As John Silver is a character who is already incredibly well known, and Michael Hutchence’s life was so thoroughly documented, Arnold does hope to next tackle a character whose tale isn’t already part of popular culture. “Absolutely,” he says warmly. “I seem to have come off pretty well, really; it’s kind of scary when you play a character that people already have an expectation for. And from the moment you get cast, people have the potential to

Arnold explains. “The gym that we train at in SouthAfrica [utilises] the training methods used for 300 , and the latest Superman. It’s just horrible stuff, which eventually you learn to love.” He does admit that the physical side can become addictive: “In season one we got very obsessed with this whole side of things, and I think we felt we’d taken it too far,” he says. “It’s always easy to get obsessed with those kinds of physical changes, but as the show’s gone on we definitely allow ourselves a few more desserts than we did in season one.” Coupled with his portrayal of Australian musician Michael Hutchence in the INXS telemovie NeverTear Us Apart , and his obvious love of Australian music (he mentions Nick Cave as being among his favourite artists), Arnold recently took delight in joining Black Sails composer Bear McCreary (whoseTV themes include The Walking Dead and DaVinci’s Demons ) during the recording of the season two soundtrack. “I love music of all kinds, and Bear is just a legend,” Arnold beams. “When [ Black Sails ] was first launched at Comic-Con last year... I met Bear for the first time. He invited me to come and see what they were doing in the studio. I only play a little bit of music myself but I have huge admiration for people who do. It was great to go in there and see the whole process. I mean, he’s a master.” The music for Black Sails was nominated for an Emmy earlier this year, and has

already knock you down from that point. So it would be nice not to push my luck, and play a role next that is completely new and original and doesn’t have that pressure.”

Black Sails: Season One is out on November 26

DECEMBER 2014 JB Hi-Fi www.jbhifi.co.nz

20