Irish-born actor Ciaran Hinds is surrounded by a strange air of sophistication in everything I’ve seen him in. No matter what sort of character he’s playing, he gently demands the respect of everyone around him. He’s much the same way in real life. Hinds keeps to himself and values his privacy, living with his long-time partner, French-Vietnamese actress Hélène Patarot, and their daughter in Paris. The actor sounds very much like his soft-spoken private character in “The Woman in Black.”
“The character that I play, Samuel Daily, meets [Arthur Kipps, played by Daniel Radcliffe] on the train and understands he’s very young,” Hinds said in a recent interview. “[Arthur] doesn’t know where he’s going and I know the history of the place. [Samuel] just decides to keep an eye out for him without exposing the history of the community that he’s going into. In a way it’s a paternal relationship.”
Of course, Hinds doesn’t have the emotional baggage his character in the movie does.
“You have to understand that [Samuel] is in denial as well,” the actor explained. “He hasn’t fully faced up to his own grief and history. It’s not as if he is fully forthcoming with everything. It’s almost like [he’s] a guide but at the same time looking for help as well.”
The commercials and trailers for “The Woman in Black” advertise what quite possibly could be one of the greatest gothic haunted house movies to hit theaters in a very long time. The film was produced by Hammer Films, a studio known for its six-decade legacy of bringing old-fashioned horror period pieces to the silver screen. Hinds opened up about what we can expect from this film:
“It’s more of a spine chiller. [It has] an atmosphere that is created by what goes on rather than the things that go bump in the night or the sudden tension, although there will be moments of that in the story because you don’t know what’s behind that door. You hear a sound and then maybe there’s something, maybe there’s nothing, or maybe it’s your imagination. It’s quite psychological but things do manifest themselves in it as well.”
Hinds briefly worked with costar Daniel Radcliffe before on “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.” He shared a scene with him as Professor Dumbledore’s brother, Aberforth. Radcliffe is playing a completely different part in “The Woman in Black.” He’s older, a widow, and has a young son. Hinds talked a bit about the differences of working with Radcliffe then and now.
“Daniel is such an openhearted person by nature and very committed. I can tell … he’s very committed to what he does and very interested,” Hinds said. “This is a great thing for him. He’s got to hold this thing on his own. He’s the protagonist and you see it through him. He’s got to go through the whole emotional journey of it. He’s grown up more. He played Harry Potter from the age of 10 to 19 and now he’s 21. He’s now becoming fully adult and [is] well capable of taking on that responsibility.”
Ciaran Hinds will next be seen onscreen playing the Devil in “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.” I’m sure he’ll be a rather polite, gentlemanly version of Lucifer. I can definitely see him in the role of the deceiving fallen angel always looking to make a deal for someone’s immortal soul.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
Christopher Lee Returns for ‘The Wicker Tree’
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‘Underworld Awakening’ Soundtrack Filled With Goth Metal Goodness
Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.
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