The Emmy-nominated actor delves into why he is optimistic for the Scottish film and TV sector - and the importance of a kettle on location.
Jack Lowden is a stage, TV and film actor whose credits include Apple TV+’s Slow Horses — for which he has picked up a Primetime Emmy nod this year — Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, Yann Demange’s ’71 and BBC drama The Gold. He is also earning his filmmaking chops, starring in and producing horror drama Kindred and the late Terence Davies’ Benediction. Lowden is also a producer on Nora Fingscheidt’s Orkney-set drama The Outrun, starring his wife Saoirse Ronan, and will next appear in John Maclean’s Scotland-set survival thriller Tornado as well as part of the ensemble of James L Brooks’ latest Ella McCay.
What is your favourite Scottish film?
The original Whiskey Galore!. It holds a very special place in my heart. I only watched it about two, three years ago. It was just before Covid, and me and [Saoirse] flew to Barra from Glasgow and stayed in a little Airbnb with a peat fire and a DVD. We watched it in the most amazing setting. I also adore Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps. I love seeing Scotland in black and white. It looks even more made up to me.
What is the proudest moment of your career to date?
I did James L Brooks’ film Ella McCay this year, my first proper, big Hollywood film. I’ve loved his films and all the work he did with Jack Nicholson. I couldn’t quite believe I was being directed by the man that directed Nicholson.
What was your first screen job in the industry?
The Tunnel, a British adaptation of the Sweden-Denmark detective series The Bridge. I was shooting a film at the same time. I remember getting a car overnight from Dover to Blackburn to get on the other set, ’71, written by Greg Burke, a Scotsman.
At the beginning of your screen career, did you have any feelings of imposter syndrome?
Oh god, yeah. I was late to working on camera and on screen. I did a lot of stage from a young age and found it easy; that’s where I felt at home. When I went into film and TV, it’s almost a completely different profession and I found it difficult.
What and who helped you overcome the doubt?
I made Calibre. I produced a film [Kindred] but was also in it, and worked with Fiona Shaw, one of my favourite actors. The producing side was wonderful because it took the weight off the acting. I did a part for Steve McQueen in Mangrove, one of his Small Axe films. Steve took me aside early on and gave me one of these brilliant pep talks.
What was your first Scottish location shoot?
I did a film with Peter Mullan, Tommy’s Honour [directed by Jason Connery], about a decade ago. We shot somewhere around Longniddry [east of Edinburgh]. There was a big old house that looks like the house from Gosford Park.
What has been your favourite Scottish location?
We shot Mary Queen Of Scots in Glenfeshie in the Cairngorms. We shot in Glencoe. That was incredible. We stayed in Bridge of Orchy. That was daft. I loved shooting Calibre in Leadhills, way down the southwest side of Scotland. We got snowed in.
What has been the most challenging shoot?
We shot The Outrun in Orkney and the Isle of Papay [Papa Westray]. The director wanted a huge wind machine, and we couldn’t get it onto that wee island. Someone went, “We’ve got a wind machine,” and turned up with a wind machine about the size of a microwave. One of the crew had a leaf blower and we used that instead.
Which location has left the deepest impression, both in terms of natural beauty and an emotional connection?
One night, me and Saoirse were shooting The Outrun on Orkney. We were staying in a little place near the Ring of Brodgar [a neolithic henge and stone circle]. We were driving back and looking at the sky as we’d been told the northern lights would appear. The romantics in us told us to drive to the Ring of Brodgar. It was magical… Orkney is a special place.
What do filmmakers need to know about Scottish locations before shooting there?
You’ve got to find power, because you’ve got to have tea and coffee. It sounds very rudimentary but you have got to keep people warm and energised.
What excites you most about Scotland’s film industry?
The talent has always been there but it’s growing. It’s wonderful every time you hear about a film getting greenlit in Scotland.
Will there be more opportunities for native Scottish languages to be heard on screen?
I hope so. There are thousands of stories from Scotland’s history I am dreaming of telling and being a part of telling.
Jack Lowden was a Screen Star of Tomorrow in 2014. His film as a producer, The Outrun, opens EIFF. The second Screen International Rising Stars Scotland talent selection will be announced on Monday, August 19.
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