David Jonsson, Vivian Oporah And More On Charming Brit Rom-com 'Rye Lane' On Hulu

Blavity

Watch David Jonsson, Vivian Oporah And More On Charming Brit Rom-com 'Rye Lane' On Hulu - Blavity on Dailymotion

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00:00 Um, first off, David, I'll start with you first.

00:02 Um, I know that this is your feature debut, actually,

00:05 and, you know, most people know you from "Industry,"

00:07 which is a show that stresses me out so much all the time.

00:11 Um, what was it like diving into a character

00:14 that, you know, is very different

00:16 from what people -- most people would know you from,

00:18 from "Industry," but, you know, I do think that Dom is,

00:21 you know, kind of stressed as Gus, but in different ways.

00:24 But, um, what was it like diving into a character

00:27 that's different from what most people know you from?

00:29 -Oh, I mean, uh, thank you.

00:31 I'm sorry that it stresses you out so much.

00:35 It does that to people, doesn't it?

00:36 You know, no, like, you know, for me,

00:38 it was -- it was, um, without sounding odd about it,

00:41 but I think that's the kind of act that I --

00:44 you know, as a young actor, that's what I want to do,

00:46 is do roles that feel entirely different

00:49 from one to the other, and, um, no --

00:51 no two things should really be too similar,

00:54 especially now I'm -- I think I've got time

00:56 to, like, turn the dial and switch it a bit.

00:58 So it was a joy to dive into something, you know,

01:02 uh, from the industry, which is like a high-finance drama

01:06 to, like, a romantic comedy set in Peckham.

01:08 And both of those two worlds,

01:10 I don't think I really exist in,

01:13 but that's what's nice, to be able to, like,

01:14 dive in as an actor and -- and find that.

01:17 So, yeah, awesome.

01:18 -Yes, yes. And, Vivian, for you, um,

01:21 Yaz is a character that is so, you know --

01:23 She's -- Once we first meet this character,

01:25 she's so curious, but she has this, you know,

01:27 sense of impulse at the same time.

01:29 And as the film goes on, I feel like you get to,

01:31 you know, peel back more layers and, you know,

01:34 learn about her motivations and things like that.

01:37 So what was it like to dive into a character like this for you,

01:39 as well as what do you think are some differences

01:41 and similarities between you in real life and this character?

01:45 -Um, yeah, I think you're totally right.

01:47 Like, she's super curious, almost childlike in her curiosity

01:50 and her impulsivity.

01:52 And I initially was like, "The girl is crazy."

01:56 Like, when I read it on the page, I was just like,

01:57 "Is everything good, sis?"

01:58 Like, and then I think, you know,

02:01 it's our job to humanize people

02:04 who we might not immediately understand

02:05 when we read them on the page.

02:07 And I was like, "Why would someone want to be

02:08 this much of an escapist?

02:09 Why would someone want to be this much of a hedonist?"

02:11 And when I started to understand the reasons why

02:13 and where the insecurities came from,

02:15 then I was just like, "This is why she's so curious

02:17 for the world, because she's constantly searching

02:18 for something other than herself."

02:20 And I empathize with her on that.

02:23 And then I'm able to sort of juggle both of, like,

02:27 sort of, yeah, the way she is.

02:30 I think, you know, she has, like, a passion and zest

02:32 for life, which I love.

02:34 I think I share.

02:35 I don't think it comes out in the same way for me.

02:38 I think I'm a bit more grounded.

02:39 I'm just a bit, like, quietly enjoying life.

02:41 But she's like, "I love things," which is adorable.

02:45 But, yeah, yeah.

02:48 - As someone who went to London for the first time last year

02:52 and I was obsessed and I've been trying to get back since,

02:55 I love that this seemed to be so important

02:57 that this was set in South London, in Peckham and Brixton.

03:01 Why do you think, what was the importance for you

03:03 to have that lens on this film?

03:05 Because, you know, ideally, you know,

03:07 it could have been anywhere,

03:08 but it was chosen to be in South London

03:11 and have this really Rileyne vibe.

03:14 - Yeah.

03:15 I mean, yeah, 'cause it was set,

03:16 it was originally set in Camden,

03:18 which is also, you know, a great place.

03:20 But for me, I think I just know it, you know?

03:23 I'm originally from Manchester.

03:25 I moved to London when I was 12.

03:27 And I lived in South London,

03:32 and, you know, it's the place that I know.

03:34 I walked around with my grandma

03:36 and, like, learned about where to get Jamaican spices

03:39 and where to get plantain and, you know,

03:42 where to get an Afro comb, you know, all around Brixton.

03:45 - Yeah.

03:46 - So it's a place that I feel incredibly connected to.

03:50 And, you know, Peckham I moved to

03:52 when I went to university.

03:53 And again, it has that,

03:54 it just has that thing where you wander around

03:57 and there's so many wonderful, like,

03:59 little pockets of different cultures and people.

04:02 And it's a great place.

04:04 And I think it's often been shown on screen as a sad place.

04:09 And actually, you know,

04:10 it can be hard living in areas like that.

04:12 It's definitely not been easy for me the whole time.

04:15 But for me, you know,

04:16 this is about one good day in South London.

04:20 And I think it's really important

04:22 to show the positives of that area.

04:26 - And what was it like having two protagonists

04:30 in this story who, you know, were in this, you know,

04:34 it's kind of like a rom-com trope sometimes

04:36 to have people that are vastly different

04:38 but somehow they're drawn to each other.

04:40 But I feel like these two characters,

04:42 they really find themselves in similar situations.

04:45 And that's kind of like how they are drawn to each other.

04:49 So what was it like having these two characters,

04:51 the fact that they are black,

04:52 the fact that they are dark skinned

04:54 and being able to have this connection

04:56 that we sometimes really don't see in rom-coms?

04:58 - I guess the thing that's quite nice is that in London,

05:01 it's this weird little bubble and everyone kind of,

05:05 you know, I guess when you live in a certain area

05:07 and you know certain people of the same age,

05:10 you kind of know each other through friends.

05:12 And I always really liked the idea that, you know,

05:15 Yaz knows Dom through a friend

05:18 and they probably went to the same gig once

05:20 and they've probably been to the same restaurants.

05:23 You know, they're not people that live on two sides

05:25 of London and are completely different.

05:28 One from like a posh family and one not, you know,

05:30 it's not that thing.

05:31 I find that a bit boring to be perfectly honest.

05:34 I quite liked the idea that this feels quite real, you know?

05:38 And so it was just about, yeah, I think the thing that,

05:43 I guess the thing that makes this feel slightly different

05:45 is these two people are like people

05:48 that I think I would just meet in a pub.

05:51 And it's as simple as that.

05:54 They're relatable, real characters.

05:57 They are quite different, but they're not different

05:59 in like a Romeo and Juliet way.

06:01 - Yeah, yeah, yeah.

06:03 Gotcha, gotcha.

06:04 Well, thank you so, so much for chatting with me

06:06 and I cannot wait for more people to see this amazing film.

06:08 - Oh, thank you so much.

06:10 - Thank you, of course.

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