Characters and Casting

For our movie we needed three central characters who would be a little more then average teens, that were involved in events they shouldn't be (robbery, selling drugs etc). We also would need someone who was older and much more involved in the criminal world. This would be the same person that breaks into their house at the beginning and is killed. One last character we would need would be the person who gives the teenagers their assignments and tells them what to do (basically their criminal boss). Before casting these roles we would have to know what we were looking for, in regards to who they are, how they look and how they act.
   First we looked at our central characters. The first, and most dominant, is Michael Bolt, aka Bolty. He is a 18 year old boy who was kicked out of school at the age of 13 for pinning a teacher to the floor with a chair. Ever since then he has been on a downward spiral into the criminal world, getting more and more involved with the nasty people that inhabit it. He is cocky and headstrong but loyal to his two closest friends.
   Next is James Kavangh. In many ways James is the complete opposite of Michael, despite knowing him since he was 3 years old. He is quiet and reserved, but underneath this is a violent, crazed young man, who when provoked will lash out at unsuspecting people. When thinking of this character, we took alot of inspiration from Jason Statham's character in 'Mean Machine'. If we had the chance to film a full length movie we could even include flashbacks to James' past explaining why he was secret maniac that he was.

   The last member of the main four characters is Nathan Rover. Nathan is 'the brains' of the group. He is logical and well spoken  but at the same time extremely sarcastic. The reason they are friends goes back to a science lesson 3 years before when Nathan used his brains to pull a prank on a teacher, which went horribley wrong, severing three of the teachers fingers. Ever since then they have all been best friends.
   The robber who starts the movie off breaking into the boys house had to be a hardened criminal. His name is Robert 'Tubby' Brown. He is the son of the cities biggest crime lord and a seriously mean piece of work. Usually people would stay away from him, meerley because of his name but he has the attitude and weight to back himself up too.
   The last character we had to think about when planning for our movie is the boys boss Alice Bower. Alice is a thirty-something good looking woman who met the boys when they tried to mug her at a cash point. Instead of reporting to the police, she hired them and has used them for her means ever since. She is much like a mother figure to the boys and looks after them, despite ultimately ruining their lives in the long run.
   Now we had to cast who we thought would play these roles well if this movie was made and released in cinemas. The first three characters were the hardest as there aren't that many young British actors that are well known, and we do not have time, or the resources, to have auditions.

   For Michael we decided on Joe Dempsie who played Chris in Skins. After watching this movie, it is clear to see his character is similar to what Michael is supposed to be and would fit very well. Next was James. James was slightly harder to find an appropriate actor, but after searching we decided on using Gerard Kearns. He has recently become a star after playing Ian Gallagher in Channel 4's Shameless. He looks quiet fraile and vulnerable but also has the acting ability to flip these qualities in his favour. I think this is one of our best decisions in casting and would hopefully make James Kavangh's character very believable.

   At first we considered using Nicholas Hoult, who also starred in Skins, for Nathan Rover but changed our minds. Nicholas Hoult, although appearing very intelligent, doesn't look like he'd be involved in the world the other two boys are. We wanted someone who was abit 'rough around the edges'. When looking again we didn't stray far from Channel 4 tv shows and came across Misfits. The character played by Robert Sheehan perfectly fits how we imagined Nathan. He is sarcast and cocky but also very smart. 
      The next two characters were much easier to cast as we could choose from a larger selection of actors, not just ones still in their teens (or appearing to be). Robert Brown would be played by  Tommy Lister, the giant bully from the Friday movies. His scary appearance would go well with how Tubby is supposed to be. Finally was Alice Bower, the boys mentor and boss. Straight away we had a clear idea of who could play this woman. Guy Richie's Rock n Rolla features a very sexy, yet powerful actress called Thandie Newton. It was obvious that she would be the perfect person to play this role if it was made properly.
   When we produce our final piece, obviously we wont have access to all these professional actors, so instead we will use our friends. Michael Bolt will be played by Luke Sansby, James Kavangh and Robert Brown will be played by Aaron Leverton-Ferrar, Alice Bower will be played by Grace Brown and I will play Nathan Rover.