Being a superstar appears to consist of three essential elements. Hard work, ridiculous talent and a truck load of luck. Troye Sivan has all three, and is beginning to make his mark on the entertainment industry.
This once tiny guy, who has grown significantly taller since filming ‘Spud: Them Movie’ at the begging of this year, is polite and friendly but most importantly he seems to be really passionate about what he’s doing.
I sat down with him, and chatted about his first lead role, on screen kissing, his singing and his love of Creme Soda.
Yes I am well aware that there is one annoying strand of hair across my forehead, the messed up do is a result of a lot of traveling.
It’s been a long time coming. Talks of the book about a boy’s journey through his first year at Boarding School being turned into a movie were almost instantaneous. Spud had begun to gather a cult following, smashing South African records, but it would be a few years before production on the movie could finally begin. After a six month country wide search for the main characters the movie began filming in March 2010 and it is now finally here.
Spud: The Movie follows John Milton, a first year at a private boarding school in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands. It’s about fitting in, girls and the harsh world of high school.
The movie is based on one of the most beloved South African books of all time, no matter how much thought goes into it; it’s not going to please everybody. There are moments were you will grin from ear to ear at the perfect way something was captured just as it was meant to be, and there will be moments were you will cringe in horror as something is done in the opposite way to what you imagined.
Donavan Marsh, director and screenplay writer, has focused the story on Spud, as it should be, but most of the crazy eight don’t get the opportunity to fully develop as characters. This is a painful necessity when turning a book into a movie. You simply don’t have time to develop all the characters. In a quest to squeeze as much of the book into the movie as possible one horrific change was made that may upset some, and had a journalist in the row behind me muttering about how that was never meant to happen. To fully enjoy this movie you’re going to have to see it as a separate entity from the book.
John van de Ruit, the book’s author, puts it perfectly, “…my advice is to forget about comparisons and relish the film for what it is: A beautifully shot but simply told story of a boy seeking acceptance from the mortifying chaos that surrounds him.”
Troye Sivan is simply astounding in this film. He tells an entire story with one look and masterfully stands his ground with John Cleese. I simply can not picture any better person for this role. It’s Troye’s likeability and the ease with which you empathise with him that holds the entire movie together.
John Cleese has never been seen like this. It’s a complete pleasure whenever he opens his mouth to sprawl out a ramble of insults, however his role is far more dramatic than expected and he executes it beautifully.
The backdrop of Michael House is nothing short of breath taking. Expertly captured, it seems to play a character itself, adding an authenticity to the film.
Although I found myself internally struggling not to judge the movie against its source material, overall I enjoyed it. I smiled, I laughed, and there were moments where my sinuses started acting up.
This movie is a must see, and may just have the potential for a stint overseas.
SPUD will be rolling out its world premieres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban this November according to the following press release we received today.
John Cleese, lead actor, Troye Sivan and the Crazy 8, local cast and crew as well as the author, John van de Ruit will kick off in Johannesburg on the 13th November. Cape Town will follow on Wednesday, 17th November and the final premiere will take place in the hometown of both the book and most of the filming – Durban – on Friday, 19th November with various cast and crew in attendance.
MTN South Africa has once again made these events possible through their commitment to the local entertainment industry.
“MTN is proud to be associated with these prestigious South African events. We are passionate about supporting South African talent, and SPUD gives us another opportunity to do so.” says Megan Ashman, General Manager at MTN.
SPUD takes place in South Africa during the early 1990s and chronicles John “Spud” Milton’s first year at an elite, boys-only private school. Cursed with parents from well beyond the lunatic fringe, a senile granny, and a dormitory full of strange characters, Spud has to forge a new life for himself in this foreign and sometimes hostile environment. Surrounded by names such as Gecko, Rambo, Rain Man and Mad Dog, Spud takes his first tentative steps along the path towards manhood. Armed with only his wits and his diary, Spud takes us from illegal night swimming to the cricket field, from ghost busting to teacher baiting. He also invites us into the mind of a boy struggling to come to terms with a strange new world; a boy whose eyes are being opened to love, friendship and complete insanity.
Production of the film got underway at Michaelhouse in the KZN Midlands earlier this year and features some of SA’s leading talent including Troye Sivan as Spud, model and actress Tanit Phoenix as Eve, stage and screen star Jason Cope as the vindictive housemaster Sparerib and veteran British star John Cleese as The Guv.
“With only days left to signing off on the completion of the film, we’re looking forward to turning our attention to the premieres, which are building up to be quite epic.” comments producer Ross Garland.
SPUD is produced by Rogue Star Films and BLM Productions and will be released at cinemas nationwide on 3 December 2010 by Nu Metro Films.
Update: Today (2 Feb 2010) Troye confirmed the news in a new video. Watch it here: twitvid.com/DAAAF
Today (29 Jan 2010) Troye Sivan let the huge news slip on his official Twitter account. http://twitter.com/troyesivan18 The post promised big news and featured a link to a twitvid. The video announced his signing on as the lead of Spud. Just moments later, the video and the post were deleted.
This is fantastic news. Casting an unknown actor would have been an extreme risk, but casting an up and coming talent who can sing, and has proved himself a great actor, is a smart move. You can see Troye as Young Logan (Hugh Jackman’s character at 12 years old) in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.
Predictably there will be an argument over casting international actors over South African actors, but if the producers want this movie to do well overseas they need star power and talent. Don’t panic, most of the cast will be South African. The Spud pre-production crew are still undergoing an extensive talent search across South Africa to find the best possible cast.
It’s worth noting, Troye was born in South Africa before his family moved to Perth, Australia
Review
SPUD will be rolling out its world premieres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban this November according to the following press release we received today.
