I recently got a great chance to talk with Anthony Head about Repo! A Genetic Opera and his character of Nathan Wallace, the Repo Man and here’s our conversation.

Jon: When I talked to Darren, he was saying that it was a constant uphill battle convincing everyone about Repo! What was it that got you involved?

Anthony Head: Um, somehow I’ve just been writing my chapter on a book. Darren wanted us to write about our experiences about making a cult movie. My experience, there was nothing uphill on my experience, there was no convincing on my part, I kind of came in on the end of the process. What ever uphill battle he had I think it’s because it’s either one of those movies people either love or hate. In my experience thus far it has mostly been a love. Have you seen it?

Jon: No, not yet. It’s opening soon near me. My friend will be seeing it opening night in Austin, Texas…obviously, I’m very excited as I’ve been doing all of these interviews!

Anthony: (laughs) Well, I hope you do like it. Like I said, in my experience you either love it or they don’t get it at all. His main problem, I think, was that he had to convince Lions Gate that this was a movie that they wanted to make and even to the end, I don’t think they realized it was a musical. They didn’t know what to do with it anyway. I happened to be in L.A. when they put the feelers out on me and they called my agent asking “How can we get a hold of Tony Head.” She said, “Well, he’s actually in town right now!” (laughs)

When I met them at the studio to sing, I don’t think it was a done deal. It didn’t take a lot of convincing for Darren. I think it was for Lions Gate, as they were looking at an English actor and they didn’t know my track record of what I can do. As it happens, musicals have played a large part in my career. In fact my first role was in Godspell. But you know they didn’t know that, if they didn’t see Once More with Feeling, they wouldn’t know that I could sing. But anyway, when I did my audition, Darren recorded it and sent them the tape and that afternoon I was at the pub, so it wasn’t too much of an uphill battle. From there on it, it was a question of ironing out the timing because I had another job and I had only like 2-3 days I could record in. Everyone was worried about that. I’ve been in studios off and on all my life so I didn’t have a problem getting back in. So I said, “Look, let’s do the heart of it later rather than earlier to let my voice get back in, um, accustomed, so I did some of the harder Repo! songs towards the end of the sessions. We ended up with like 3-4 days, but then Darren had to go up to Canada to start prepping. I went back to England to do another job.

So when I got to Toronto the tracks were semi-mixed. The first week it was just me and Alexa (Vega) and it was all of the stuff in her bedroom, in the Wallace house. Then we got into the full thing, we did rehearsals with the rest of the cast. Darren has the most extraordinary energy, the most wonderful exuberance; I don’t know what he is like on other films, but this is undoubtedly his dream and he had a rapid tenacity, it was absolutely wonderful to watch him. In rehearsal nobody was quite sure what to do and he would just say “how about we do this”. He would just create whole moves and dances; he had such a clear vision on how he wanted to photograph this. Jay White his DP, is just remarkable, it’s just a beautiful thing to watch. In writing this I’ve just been saying how he wanted to shoot this was with pools of light and darkness that we moved in and out of and that could be a recipe for a very dark film (laughs) you know (laughs).

As it happens he used this camera, Genesis, an HD camera, 35mm camera, I’ve seen it used it several very major movies, but not really to this effect. He used it really as an effect camera, so some of the artwork is absolutely stunning! I’ve have not seen it used to this effect. It was just a blast! If there’s anything I could say, I’ve said it a couple of times, I saw a rough cut that Darren sent to me on a DVD and a bit of the timing was off and this and that, but as I was watching it on the small screen, I recalled going to Spain at this festival and watch it on the big screen with full sound and it was just spectacularly beautiful. I can only urge people to go see it in the theater. For two reasons: the more people to go see it, the more cinemas it will open in and it’s very much a question of trial and error with Lions Gate as they are still unconvinced. I think they’re becoming more convinced as there’s more positive reviews and positive feedback. Nonetheless, it is a question of trial and error. It is very much an indie film fighting for its life and its longevity. The other thing is it’s worth watching in a movie house; I would be very happy to go back again and again, it’s one of those movies where it’s all happening so fast you miss little bits and pieces. So many details and so much to see, as Darren keeps saying it isn’t a movie, it’s an event.

Jon: In the interview I had with him he kept saying that.

Anthony: I think he was very pleased with that… (laughs)

Jon: Bousman said he cast you because you could portray a father figure one moment and a monster next. What was it about Nathan Wallace, your character and where did you dig to get him like that?

Anthony: Well, unfortunately, I have to say that it must be a part of me. That’s the thing about being an actor; you must draw on what you know. We all got those elements in us and it’s a part of us that we can kill. I would find it very difficult to kill another man or woman, anybody particularly. But if they threaten my children, I might find that those areas you don’t necessarily use everyday, but its part of our psyche, it’s the human condition, it’s so complicated and so exciting and all of the rest of it. When I was doing my audition, someone on the table said that this is a great role for an actor because it’s two people you’re playing, two people completely. To add to the complication, Nathan Wallace shot his father; he had slightly his own agenda, protective but nonetheless it was quite distracting. When he becomes Repo Man, he sort of dresses up, kind of a showman, that’s his job as he disembowels somebody, it’s a bizarre showman mode with a little dance. (laughs) Quite a bizarre little dance actually. (laughs)

It’s, you know, he has to recompense himself somehow, not so much as justify his existence but distance himself from it and to the victim. Which as an actor, is a great thing to play, somebody who is tormented like that, it’s fascinating. Probably where Darren saw that was in Giles on Buffy, as Giles was a father figure to Buffy but at the same time he had this dark side. You knew if he finally switched into it, he was nasty. I think it was something Joss Whedon saw in me, somewhere along the lines and I had fun playing with it. He’s the only person; Giles is the only person to kill in cold blood. That’s something that was fun to play.

Jon:  You have a music background especially with Music For Elevators your band, and have done a few duets before again notably in Once More With Feeling, how was it working with Alexa Vega, who doesn’t have that type of history with music?

Anthony: She was a dream. I remember when I went to do my audition Darren said let’s do “Legal Assassin” and “I Didn’t Know I Loved You so Much” and he said they could get Alexa to do it with me. I said, “Oh, okay” because she was already on board and the next morning we did “Legal Assassin” and I asked “is this where Alexa is coming in?” And Darren went, “oh, um, no, no” and then said “hang on a moment” and picked up his phone and called her and woke her up! He said “Hey! Anthony Head is here, do you want to come down and audition with him?” Bless her heart, she got in her car and came, singing her heart out. That was it; she just stepped right up to the plate, so it wasn’t hard developing a father/daughter relationship with her. She was a joy to work with, an absolute joy.

Jon:  Did you wear the Repo Man suit and how was that, or was there a stunt double for that?

Anthony: No! (laughs) There was a stunt double for basically a drop that they did and they wouldn’t let me, but I really wanted to. You won’t see it because it isn’t in the movie and we did two fairly protracted fight sequences…I don’t know, they may make a Director’s Cut at some point or DVD extras. I did have a stunt double but in the end I had to do it. I basically had to do it because I moved different than my double. That was fun; you know I got to beat someone up with an amputated leg-

Jon/Anthony: (laughs)

Anthony: but not mine, I would hate to do that! By and large, I did it, but it was more about Repo, his presence, his costume, Alex Kavanagh designed it and was very open with me. We talked about it extensively and worked through the needs, the sort of what it needed to look like. It needed to be practical, drawing on Nathan’s medical background, its part assassin, part surgeon. It was great fun working through this bizarre piece of merchandise. If the film is successful, someone is going to make the costume I’m sure or action figure.

Jon: That would be great! You already have an action figure as Giles, I believe.

Anthony: I got one as Giles and I got one from the film I’ve been doing over in England which is Merlin. It’s just been bought by NBC.

Jon: Oh, good. I heard the BBC were originally doing it…

Anthony: Yeah and NBC is, I think, going to show it on Sundays. It’s a very, very, cool show and it’s gone down really well here and we just had our pictures taken for the action figures. So, if it goes for a second season there will be action figures before Christmas.

Jon: Finally, the musical genre has been exploding as of late, with Dreamgirls, Sweeney Todd, Mamma Mia, and of course Repo! amongst other, it feels like the 1940s again. What do you think is the cause for the return of the musical?

Anthony: I don’t think musicals ever went away, and as I said, the film companies are still shy of them. Sweeney Todd had no music advertised in the trailers, so people are nervous on how audiences will act. I think when audiences are persuaded to go see a show, they enjoy it enormously and I don’t know how true it is, but I heard that people sort of got up and left during Sweeney Todd when they saw people singing. I don’t know how true that is.

Jon: At my screening, nobody did.

Anthony: Good! (laughs)

Jon: Exactly, I loved that film.

Anthony: But I think with something like this, this is very rare, I have not seen anything like this before. It’s like a protracted music video but with heart, soul, and a story. You just get caught up in it, the narrative drive of it just doesn’t let up and it’s fascinating. Because of its collective mix of musical styles, you never get tired and it’s not like “oh, it’s another song” like watching something like the Phantom of the Opera. It’s got a real hard rock drive, but with a weird mix of Sarah Brightman and Paul Sorvino doing a really classic tenor and it’s fascinating. It all fits. Whether it’s like the ‘40s, or we’re getting back to the ‘40s and a taste for music, I don’t know, but this is definitely outside of the box. It’s not one of those where you say “ahh, it’s a musical like Mamma Mia!

Consequently, it’s probably not for the Mamma Mia! audience. Which is a shame, because Mamma Mia! has made millions at the box office but at the same time there are, I still haven’t seen it I must admit, there are those who feel like they need something more. I hope that this will gives it to them.

Jon: Well, I can’t wait and I really want to thank you for your time this evening over there in England to talk with Killer Film.

Anthony: Thank you. Bye, now.

Repo! is out now in very few cities, so if you’re lucky enough to see it do. By doing that, other people might just have the chance at catching this unique film in the theaters. Keep it here on Killer Film for more coverage on Repo! If you have seen it, tell us what you think in our comment section!

Tags: alexa vega, Anthony Head, BBC, Darren Lynn Bousman, Dreamgirls, Joss Whedon, Legal Assassin, Mamma Mia!, Merlin, Music for Elevators, NBC, Once More with Feeling, Paul Sorvino, Phantom of the Opera, Repo! A Genetic Opera, sarah brightman, Sweeney Todd