OVER THE FENCE

AT AN AGE WHEN MOST PEOPLE ARE STILL FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY WANT FOR BREAKFAST, CHRISTIAN CONVERY HAS ALREADY BUILT A CAREER THAT DEMANDS EVERYTHING FROM HIM — EMOTIONALLY, PHYSICALLY AND OCCASIONALLY IN THE PRESENCE OF CREATURES THAT EXIST SOLELY ON A COMPUTER SCREEN. IN THE END OF OAK STREET, DAVID ROBERT MITCHELL’S WILDLY IMAGINATIVE NEW FILM, A FAMILY DRAMA COLLIDES WITH SOMETHING CONSIDERABLY MORE TERRIFYING: DINOSAURS. AT ITS CENTRE IS A YOUNG FAMILY CAUGHT IN AN INCREASINGLY SURREAL FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL, WITH THE 16-YEAR-OLD ACTOR SHARING THE SCREEN WITH A-LIST TALENTS LIKE ANNE HATHAWAY AND EWAN MCGREGOR. IT’S THE KIND OF HIGH-CONCEPT PREMISE THAT COULD EASILY TIP INTO PURE SPECTACLE, BUT THE FILM KEEPS ITS EMOTIONAL STAKES FIRMLY IN VIEW — GIVING CONVERY THE CHANCE TO BALANCE PHYSICAL INTENSITY WITH THE VULNERABILITY OF A TEENAGER COMING INTO HIS OWN.

Left T-shirt **Eckhaus Latta**
Right Sweater **The Elder Statesman**

The End of Oak Street is such a unique movie! What excited you about joining the film?

What really drew me in was that, at the core of this crazy dinosaur movie, you have a family drama with characters that you actually care about. I think David [Robert Mitchell] did such an incredible job of fleshing out these characters and creating a family dynamic with actual problems that families are facing internally. As an actor, I knew I'd grow from this because I'd have to manage physical commitment with vulnerability and create a real '80s teenager.

And then there’s the opportunity to work with Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor! Was that intimidating at first? How did they make you feel on set?

Seeing that I had to work with Anne and Ewan was obviously very intimidating. But when I actually got to set, I kind of threw my inhibitions out the window because they were awesome, genuine people who love movies as much as I do. I felt right at home. It was a great, conducive environment for me to learn.

Left Full look **Casablanca**
Right Sweater **The Elder Statesman,** denim **Diesel**

What did you observe from them? What were the biggest lessons you took away from watching them work?

I remember at the table read, just after it ended, Anne was having a discussion with the cinematographer, the director and a couple of producers. I just remember the plethora of questions that she was asking — not just about herself and her character, but about the filmmaking process as a whole. She was so invested in all aspects of the movie, and that was really inspiring to me.

It shows that, to be the best actor you can be, you also have to be a filmmaker. You have to have knowledge of all parts of the process to give yourself your own basis to work from. I learned that from Anne and Ewan. Seeing the way they committed to their roles physically and emotionally was something I took from them and put into my own performance.

Let’s talk about dinosaurs. Did you do a lot of research about them for this? And do you find it difficult to act opposite creatures that aren’t actually there?

Yeah, I had to do a lot of research and preparation. For example, there's a dinosaur in the film called the Coelophysis. I believe I said that correctly! [Laughs] I had to understand what that looked like, and then I also had to understand what the Allosaurus looked like, because those two are vastly different. It's important that you're looking at the right height and that you understand how fast they're really moving. A lot of research was key to making our performances authentic.

I also have a lot of experience with talking to nothing in front of me. All these shows I've done with animals [before] require a lot of effects. I've worked with a VFX tiger, a VFX bear, dogs, cats, deer — everything. I really have great experience with animals and fake VFX animals on set. So to me, this was just another repetition of that, except it was on a much larger and more epic scale.

The film is steeped in '80s culture. What did you find most interesting about stepping into that era?

I definitely had to do my due diligence because the '80s are a very important time for a lot of people, and it's very important that I portrayed it accurately. A lot of it was my own research — listening to music from the time, reading news articles from the era. This specific '80s teenager is getting older and growing into his own person, fighting for his independence and masking his vulnerability.

You also got to do a lot of your own stunts. What was that experience like?

A lot of what I had to do was jumping over fences. That's kind of a joke throughout the set, because the number of fences we had to jump while filming this movie is ridiculous. It's set in an '80s neighbourhood, and they built a lot of fences back then, man. But yeah, it's not just that I had to run away from dinosaurs. I got pinched by that car in the chase scene in the garage. I had to jump over cars, I had to get beaten up, fighting everything.

Which stunt are you most proud of?

I'm really excited about the fight scene where I get beaten up, because a lot of that was rehearsed weeks out, making sure that the punches looked authentic. I also had to jump from a roof in this movie, trying to get into the portal at the end. It was a cool physical challenge for acting, because I had to act like I had a broken leg. That also took a lot of research in itself. I had to do scenes where I'm in proximity to dinosaurs being attacked, while also trying to act with a broken leg at the same time.

Jacket **Manic Diaries**, denim **Eckhaus Latta**, shoes **Dsquared2**, jewellery **The Archive x Yana**, sunglasses **Ahlem**

You’ve already worked with some extraordinary actors and filmmakers. Who are the people you really look up to in this industry?

I've gotten to work with some really excellent actors. Christoph Waltz was a huge inspiration for me when I got to work with him on Frankenstein. He'd been in the industry for so long, and it took him, I think, about 30 years to really have his big break. Stories like that are super inspiring to me.

Finally, what's the film you can watch over and over again and never get bored of?

City of God is my all-time favourite film. I've watched it about eight times, I believe. It's a beautiful film directed by Fernando Meirelles in 2002, and it takes place in the Brazilian favelas. I think it's just a beautiful story where you have two kids from the same environment who take different life paths. One becomes part of a criminal empire, a villain, super violent, and the other wants to become a photographer and tell stories, make it out and do the thing that he loves the most. These characters are just done in a way that you really are rooting for both of them.

It's beautifully written. The pacing is incredible, the editing is on point, the music is phenomenal, and the acting is as authentic as ever. I just think it's a culmination of the best of the best. It's very rare to watch a film like that these days. I think it's a film to be studied as an actor and filmmaker.