WITH JUST THE RIGHT BLEND OF INNOCENCE, HEART AND EXPERIENCE, ALFIE WILLIAMS STOLE THE SHOW AS SPIKE, IN THE MOVIE 28 YEARS LATER – THE THIRD INSTALMENT OF DANNY BOYLE’S GAME-CHANGING APOCALYPTIC FRANCHISE. NOW THE 14-YEAR-OLD RISING STAR, FROM NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, IS REPRISING HIS ROLE IN THE FAST SEQUEL, THE BONE TEMPLE. BEFORE THE BRUTAL GORE-FEST STARTS ALL OVER AGAIN, HE FOUND SOME TIME TO TELL US WHY HORROR MOVIES DON'T ACTUALLY FRIGHTEN HIM, AND WHO HE'D LOVE TO SHARE THE BIG SCREEN WITH UP NEXT.
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What can you tell us about The Bone Temple? I read that you’re about to have an encounter with Jimmy Crystal, which becomes a nightmare you can’t escape!
Spike is forced to join a gang of psychopaths led by Jack O’Connell’s character, Sir Jimmy Crystal. He must find a way to escape before they hurt someone he loves. It’s a very gory and brutal film, action-packed, great story and lots of interesting characters.
Have you enjoyed being part of the community? The franchise has got such a cult following, and everyone’s already excited for this sequel.
The fans are so great. I get a lot of fan mail from people, and it’s amazing seeing how much these films mean to them. I guess I'm just happy how much people appreciate Spike as a character. I feel a lot of people understand him and are as excited as I am to witness his journey.
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Seeing everything that goes into making these movies, does it make you want to go to the cinema more and experience the action with an audience, as opposed to streaming them online?
Of course it does! It’s always been better to see something in a cinema. You feel more immersed, and it’s a collective experience. Now people just have everything on their TV. It’s not all bad, though, as TV is an incredible medium for certain things, but cinemas have always been better for movies. It’s just a shame not as many people use them these days. You know what they say, use it or lose it!
Exactly. So, just how does a 15-year-old cinemagoer from Newcastle suddenly find himself hanging out on the big screen, starring alongside Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes and Aaron Taylor-Johnson?
Yeah, it’s so crazy at times. I don’t know how I deal with it. I think once you know them and realise they’re normal people just like you, the nerves go away a bit. But it’s always there.
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You must have loved that it was filmed up in Northumberland! Did you give the cast a "crash course" in Geordie slang while filming?
I’m lucky it was filmed in Northumberland because on the weekends I could go home and see my family. Also, some of the locations we were filming in were really beautiful. I remember Aaron talking to my dad a lot, as my dad has a very thick accent, so it was a lot of help to him.
These kinds of horror films are not for the faint-hearted. Were you ever genuinely a little scared in some of the scenes you shot, or grossed out, or just super chill? Also, were you allowed to watch horror movies growing up?
I never really felt scared. I found most of it cool rather than scary. Sure, there were times when you felt tense, but that all added to the scene. The scene where Spike is being chased through the train by Samson… that was the most adrenaline-pumping scene for me, but also the most fun. My parents were quite chill with letting me watch horror films, and that’s why I’m desensitised to everything, I guess. I’d say my favourite horror film is John Carpenter's The Thing. It’s such a classic. Kurt Russell is great in it, and the fact that it’s all animatronics and prosthetics makes it so much better. I’m not really a big fan of CGI. It feels kind of empty at times. But hey, at least it’s not AI, now that really sucks! [Laughs]
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Well, at least your voice hasn't been used as an AI announcer on the buses yet, which has happened to other actors as of late! Speaking of buses, what was it like seeing your face plastered across them and billboards after the last film was released? Are you secretly excited for the day you finally become an action figure or have a star on the Walk of Fame?
It’s the weirdest thing when your friends send you pictures of you on their local bus. And the billboards are crazy. I never thought that would happen in my life. Having an action figure would be so awesome, but I'm a long way from having a star on the Walk of Fame!! You've got to earn that! I would love to have one someday, but there’s plenty of work to be done yet.
So, what's the dream role?
My dream would be to play Billy the Kid in a remake of Young Guns. It's one of my favourite movies, so that would be awesome!
What about actors you admire – aside from your dad, actor Alfie Dobson?
There are plenty of actors I’m inspired by. I’m a huge fan of Bryan Cranston. I’d love to meet him one day. J.K. Simmons is another actor whose work I really admire, and Andrew Garfield too…. he’s brilliant. Fingers crossed, I get to share the screen with one of them someday.
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I’m imagining your life right now is all fancy hotels and premieres. But what normal teenage things are you doing?
Yeah, life’s been quite weird, but when I’m alone and not acting or doing my studies, I spend most of the day playing guitar or video games.
You’re currently filming the supernatural thriller, Banquet. What can you tell us about that?
I play a character called Callum in Banquet. I can’t say much about it, sadly, but he’s very troubled. I worked on that with the amazing Meghann Fahy and Corey Mylchreest. It’s a horror/ thriller with drama elements. I can’t wait for people to see it, as it’s something very different for me.
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Interview by Kate Lawson
Photography by Diego Hernández
Fashion by Steven Huang
EIC Michael Marson
Casting by Imagemachine CS
Grooming by Richard Wynne-Ellis at Joe Mills Agency using Woolf Kings X, Kevin Murphy and Lab Series
Stylist’s assistant Francesca Ward
