Sean Pertwee

Dog Soldiers

Interviewed by Anwar Brett

Was it hard working with special effects stuff that would either be added in later, or even stuntmen in werewolf costumes?

It actually wasn't that bad. I've done green [screen] stuff before, which is a nightmare. There was the odd bloke on stilts but they used virtually no CGI in it at all. I'm still into that "Evil Dead" thing of 'in camera' effects. Even if it looks like a bloke in a costume, it's real, it's there, and it's dirty. That always works better for me.

Poor Emma Cleasby is the sole woman caught between all you guys in "Dog Soldiers". Was that tough for her?

I did feel very sorry for Emma. We decided that none of us should fancy her character in the movie, and we'd just tell her to get out the way all the time. That was because we didn't want to go down that route where a girl comes into the mix and all of a sudden all the guys are fighting over her. It's not really the right time for all that. I suppose she must have found it quite difficult but she was cool.

"Dog Soldiers" uncannily predicted the result of the England-Germany result and the match actually forms a part of the plot, but was it shot before the game was even played?

That was surreal. I was doing Cold Feet at the time, and I was at Manchester Airport when the match started. I actually missed the last 15 minutes, but I managed to get a message to the pilot saying it was essential that I knew the score. He announced it to the whole aeroplane as we flew out of Manchester.

People may be surprised that the film was shot in Luxembourg, not Scotland. How was it for you?

Luxembourg is the perfect place to work. You work very hard. There are a couple of good bars and clubs, you get your one day off, and bish-bosh. Plus it's only an hour away.

Some of the films you have starred in took a while to find their audience, but have become cult movies. Is that satisfying for you?

It is really, and that's why I like "Dog Soldiers". If it hits, even if it doesn't hit straight away, people will see it and have a laugh. It'd just be great if people went to see it and took it for what it was.