Today we welcome into the studio, British actress Emma Fletcher. Emma graduated from the prestigious acting school East 15. Since this time, she has had an illustrious career in both tv and theater. Television roles have seen her take the lead in various independent feature films and documentaries, for both cinematic and televised release. Emma has also worked on a number of high-profile commercials. Her television credits include the role of Queen Elizabeth for the television series Queen Elizabeth: Mystery Files and as a teacher in Obi Emelonye’s multi-award winning feature The Mirror Boy, which broke records in UK Odeon cinemas.
WW: Welcome to the studio Emma
EF: Thank you for having me.
WW: BayView have just released Dracula: Rise of the Vampire on Warner Bros’ US platform Fandago at Home and on Amazon UK. You play the vampire hunter DCI Jessica Murray. Tell us about this project.
EF: I was invited onto the project by director and writer Dean Meadows, during its early inception. I hadn’t worked on a low budget feature previously, so I was a bit nervous to accept the role but when Dean presented me with the sides, I instantly fell in love with the character. Dean’s a great scriptwriter, so I knew the project would end up being picked-up. I realised very quickly, that working on a low budget project was going to be a personal challenge, as the turn around is very fast. Everything is done in pretty much one take, as you are always fighting against the elements; such as natural lighting and time of day. As everything runs so quickly on a film of this nature, you don’t always know if a shot is a close up or a wide due to time constraints, so I really saw this as a great learning curve, to just go with the flow.
WW: You filmed in Devon. There is a lot of talk currently, that Dracula hails from there originally.
EF: Yes, that’s right. It’s previously been thought Count Dracula was conceived in Transylvania but there’s now plenty of discussion online, headed by the scholar Andy Struthers, suggesting the concept was actually based in Devon.
WW: What was it like filming in Devon?
EF: As mentioned above, the turn around was very fast. Devon itself is absolutely beautiful. We were quite lucky with the weather most days, however, in typical British fashion, we got drizzle on the very first day of filming, which of course, just had to tie in with all the outdoor shots. We filmed in a vacant hotel in the heart of Devon. The hotel was situated on a hill and had the most stunning views of the surrounding woodlands. The location itself, was very haunting; the owner had positioned figurines around the vicinity, which served as an ‘art walk’. In the moonlight, the outlines became creepy figurines, which freaked out the entire cast and crew!
WW: You’ve worked on a number of high-profile projects since graduating from acting school. Can you tell us about one of the most memorable projects you’ve worked on?
EF: One of the most memorable projects was my role as Queen Elizabeth in The National Geographic’s series Mystery Files. What made the role so memorable was the costume. The wig alone, took over three hours to prepare and position on my head. It was actually the same wig worn by Cate Blanchett in her role, of the same name. The outfit was magnificent and incredibly heavy to wear. It was utterly bejeweled, which completely weighed it down. When I required the restroom, it took two guys just to lift the train to walk me to the facilities! Once I was in the outfit, I had to stay in it the entire day, as it was too difficult to keep taking it off. It was very funny actually, as during lunch, everyone on set was snapping away on their cameras, saying ‘Oh look! Queen Elizabeth’s eating a sandwich!’ We filmed in North Wales, so the scenery naturally lent itself to the script.
WW: Another of your films, Black Mail, is also showing on Amazon UK. You play the Head of the Metropolitan Police in this feature.
EF: I seem to have been cast as police woman a lot recently but I’m fine with that. In fact, I’ve really enjoyed the roles. Black Mail is a cyber criminal movie based on the director, Obi Emeloyne’s personal experience – embellished slightly for the screen. I worked with Obi on The Mirror Boy back in 2011 and really wanted to work with him again. I was actually meant to work with Obi on his feature The Last Flight to Abuja the following year, alongside Hakeem Kae-Kazim, however a war broke out in Nigeria at the time, so I was unable to move forward with the role. When I received the phone call from Obi offering me the role in Black Mail, I said yes before I’d even read the script. Obi is such a lovely director to work with. He’s achieved a lot since he broke into film and I’m so proud of what he’s achieved as a Nollywood director. Obi had great success with his first feature The Mirror Boy, which is now studied in film schools in the UK, for its breakthrough success from a Nigerian to Western market.
WW: You also appear in cameo roles in a few other features, currently screening on Amazon and Netflix.
EF: The Mirror Boy originally screened on Netflix. Black Mail is currently showing on Amazon UK. Yes, that’s right, I also appear in one of the first scenes in the movie The Smoke, with my good friend Frazer Hines and in one of the final few scenes in the new feature Ibiza Dark. I think the Mystery Files series is still floating around as well and has now moved to The Smithsonian Channel.
WW: As well as carrying out a number of high-profile theater roles, you’ve also carried out a large number of television commercials.
EF: My first agent used to refer to me as his ‘Little Commercial Queen’, as I kept getting booked. You name it, I’ve endorsed it!
WW: What’s next for you?
EF: I’m currently in discussion in relation to a few roles. One that has just been officially announced, is my attachment to the project Imagine… if She Did? The film is based on an imaginary scenario, in relation to John Lennon’s life. It’s based on the newly released fictional novel of the same name, from international Emmy and Rose D’Or award winner Keith Badman and Peter O’Brien and is currently in development.
WW: You recently won an award yourself.
EF: Thank you for mentioning. Following on from an audition, I was placed forward by founder and director Paul J Lane and producer Katrina Ross, for an IMDb accredited award, for the longstanding I Am Film Festival. I received an Honoray award for Best Actress. It honestly came as a complete surprise and meant so much to me, to know I’m now being recognised by my peers.
WW: Thank you for meeting with us today.
EF: And thank you once again for having me.
WW: You can find out more about Emma Fletcher on her IMDb page: www.imdb.com/name/nm3008438/