The new comedy drama HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE is a glorious coming-of-age story with the ever reliable Sam Neill as a curmudgeonly farmer, Uncle Hec, in the New Zealand countryside who reluctant takes on board a runaway delinquent. Ricky Baker, and the two form a close bond whilst on the run from the child services.
As Ricky Baker, Julian Dennison provides the perfect child foil to Neill’s excellent performance. Born in 2002 / 2003, he has already won a Best Supporting Actor nod in the New Zealand Film Awards in 2013 for his debut in the film SHOPPING. Film and TV Now were invited to meet with the energetic and enthusiastic young actor to discuss his current role and other aspects of his career.
When were you first bitten by the acting bug?
I was nine years old, when I did my first film SHOPPING. I attended an open casting session which was at my school and got a call back. I also did a commercial with the director of this film and that’s more or less where it began.
You must be blessed to be able to have achieved success early with your award for SHOPPING and go to work on a film with the acting veteran Sam Neill, who has appeared in so many great movies over the years. How was it working with him and how did he help in your development as an actor?
It was great working with him. He’s a very down to earth person and not the Sam Neill of JURASSIC PARK. He taught me one thing that he was taught, which is that acting is simply pretending to be someone else.
The film captures the innocence and confused naivety of childhood and coming-of-age with your character Ricky Baker speaking before he thinks and getting Neill’s Uncle Hec character into even more trouble in their adventure in the wild. What was your own childhood like and what aspects of Ricky’s character can you identify with and how different is he to you?
I liked playing him. He is a very confident person , whereas I tend to be a bit confident, but as the film progresses I become more so.
You spent what appears to be a lot of time on location, with rural settings and buildings and you also get a chance to shoot guns and drive a truck. What training did you receive and what limits did the film-makers impose on you?
We spent a lot of time in the New Zealand bush, which was awesome. We were taught a lot about gun laws and safety and spent two hours a day going through the use of the guns and how to load and prepare them. We were shooting blanks all of the time.
In terms of driving, I did ask but never actually got to drive the truck in the film. We were hooked into a rig where the controls were used by a driver.
What do your family think of the film and how supportive have they been of you in your career?
My family all love the film, including my cousins and uncles and have been amazingly supportive. Even on this trip to London, they have been with me.
What is your favourite film?
I love Marvel Films and when I was a kid I wanted to be a Marvel superhero. One of my favourite films is WHALE RIDER, about the little girl – and of course HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, which I love not just because I am in it, but because of the story as well.
How has shooting this film affected how you live your life? Did you get plenty of opportunity to continue your schooling and what are your favourite subjects at school?
Well my mother was effectively my tutor during the film on this film. She helped me a great deal with my Maths and English. In terms of my favourite subjects, I like Business Studies, as that gives you skills that you will need in the future.
Has working on the film given you the desire to develop any particular talents behind the camera like Jodie Foster did and if you were going to do anything like that, where do you see yourself in time?
I am concentrating on acting at the moment, but who knows?
Are there particular parts you’d like to play in the future?
It would depend on the script and the part, but I don’t know at this point.
