Foxhole Spotlight: John Jesper
The cause...of Sylvie running away to Foxhole is the destruction of her abusive marriage. Here, John Jesper who portrays Nick, her controlling spouse, discusses his role within the thriller.
Interview by Cecilia Gragnani.
What attracted you to the story of Foxhole?
I love the horror/thriller genre and the script was well-written and the story engrossing. I wanted to keep reading until the end!
Tell us about your character, Nick.
Nick is the abusive and controlling husband of Sylvie, the protagonist. We see him in a flashback but his presence is felt throughout due to the awful and visible injuries he has inflicted on Sylvie.
John as Nick
What helped you get into character?
I use a text analysis system that I learned during my Meisner training, which helps me to get into the mindset of the character's feelings, POV and objective. Even with a character like Nick, whose behaviour I abhor, I have to be able to see his viewpoint and not judge him otherwise it's not possible to play him truthfully.
How did you find the filming process?
Very professional and efficient. The environment was relaxed and friendly and made the job easy.
Rehearsing with on screen wife Eleanor Brown
What was it like working with the rest of the cast?
I only worked with Eleanor, who played Sylvie, but she was brilliant. There was lots of communication and trust which is essential for filming a difficult and emotionally charged and distressing scene, like the one we did.
What was it like working with the director and the rest of Rianne Pictures team?
Brilliant. Caris is very collaborative and we had many discussions about Nick's character. On set she knew what she wanted and was able to clearly communicate this. It was very apparent the team were experienced, passionate about the work and made me feel supported. It felt like a very tight ship!
John with director Caris Rianne
What was your favourite experience of working on Foxhole?
The creative process of bringing a character from the written word on the page to a living, breathing human being.
What would you want the audience to take away from watching Foxhole?
Anything that causes separation in society, whether it be politics, religion or ideology is potentially very destructive.
What can we see you in next?
A couple more short films, 'Forever Young' that I shot last year, and 'Cold Shoulders' which I will be filming in February of this year.
You can follow John on Twitter @mrjohnjesper and see him in action in the trailer for FOXHOLE below!
