You’re relaxing by the pool, enjoying an ice cold beer and taking in the French sun when a group of lairy Brits turn up and destroy the vibe. It’s even worse when they turn out to be criminals, assassins and con men and bodies start piling up. Bloody typical, and exactly what happens in DEAD IN FRANCE, a thiller in the vein of French Noir with a very British twist.
Lee Cheney is an actor, writer and musician from Camden who stars in his first feature release DEAD IN FRANCE. THN has been speaking to Lee about his character Simon, his experience shooting in France, and the possiblity of Hollywood calling…
Thanks for chatting to THN, Lee. So, tell us about DEAD IN FRANCE:
DEAD IN FRANCE is a comedy thriller about hitman Charles trying to retire in the Cote d’Azur, but the headache of fellow hitwoman Clancy — executed fiercely by Kate Loustau — does not let the poor sod rest! He has to face a handful of real shady Brits along the way who cause all sorts of havoc for him, though Lisa — played by the amazingly funny Ceilia Muir — develops some affection towards him. I think he has some suppressed romantic values that Lisa craves as she doesn’t get them from her erratic punk scouser boyfriend played so well by Darren Bransford.
How does your character Simon fit into the mayhem?
Simon is one of the shady characters Charles has to deal with along the way… He’s a conman but genuinely doesn’t mean harm to anyone. He gives it all the large and gets lemon occasionally, but really he’s a big family guy and a softy at heart. He loves his half-brother Ray, played by the wonderfully wry James Privett. He’s also a bit of a donut who rates himself with the ladies — kind of like one of those Jack Russell’s who wants to hump your leg, bite your head off and give you cuddles all at the same time!
What attracted you to the role, and how did you prepare for it?
It’s funny you ask this because originally I was sure I’d be playing Clancy! In the script the character was male I’d already touched upon playing that kind of aggressive, unpredictable, jumped-up type before. In my head I was already thinking of watching Ben Kingsley’s mirror scene in SEXY BEAST over and over again for inspiration, but to my surprise I was actually asked to play Simon. I was like ‘erm, posh yacht broker? I’m from Camden!’, but then I realised I could have so much fun playing Simon and you’ll see why…
How was your time shooting the film in France?
95% of the movie was shot all around the Cote d’Azur and French Alps, with the odd scene in England. My time in France was absolutely incredible! I love France, especially the South, and pray I get to retire there one day. Brian Levine, who produced the movie and played hitman Charles, really did a great job and gave me an experience of a lifetime. But, I have to say I’m not into eating beef or carbs and I struggled with the baguettes and all the red meat! It resulted in me drinking Nesquik as a regular meal, and even that got nicked! I also got eaten alive by tiger mosquitos — we all did — those things were lethal!
How did you get on with director Kris McManus?
I had only met Kris once before filming and it was on a boiling hot Summer day about two weeks before production started… I had researched him though, and watched the trailer for TRAVELLERS [Kris’ debut feature film] and I was like ‘yeah, I really want to work with this guy, he’s sick!’ I have to take this extreme bum-lick moment to say Kris McManus is by far one of the most creative and multi-talented people I know. He really brought so much to life with DEAD IN FRANCE.
You’ve recently shot another feature titled WELCOME TO THE MAJORITY. Tell us about that…
WELCOME TO THE MAJORITY and DEAD IN FRANCE are two completely different films which only share two similarities: they’re both indie’s and I’m in both of them! WTTM has already begun its festival circuit and features me as a crazed psychopath who is in search of salvation… Anymore would be telling! It’s definitely one to look out for and Russell Owen is a great director.
So what’s next in the pipeline?
The future is just beginning. DEAD IN FRANCE is my first release so I still have the pending releases of WELCOME TO THE MAJORITY and an innovative, crowd-funded feature called THE COSMONAUT. I’m excited about that being completed very soon as there’s a great team behind the film with some amazing talent. Also, I’m currently in the running for a major Hollywood studio film… Fingers crossed!
The trailer for DEAD IN FRANCE includes cats being shot to death and condoms getting chucked in faces. What other nasty shit can we expect?
The film’s called DEAD IN FRANCE, there’s loads and loads of nasty shit to expect!
DEAD IN FRANCE is available on DVD now. Look out for THN’s review very soon!
