A lot of hard work and preparation went into the making of Obsessiveness. In fact it took several rehearsals and a lot of attention to detail, and that was in order to make the film look honest with the depiction of OCD. But there is a lot that goes into making it work, and you’ve already seen a few behind-the-scenes images but let’s learn a bit more with the people involved in making Obsessiveness.
Welcome to Part 1, where we speak to Simon (plays Ryan) and Gary (plays Harris).
Q: What made you want to get involved with the project? And how much were you aware of OCD beforehand?
Gary Vasey:
"I had never been involved in film making, so it was a challenge to undertake. I’m sure most of us have a little OCD in us. Seeing Simon act out Harry’s script, brought home how severe it can be. I hope just one sufferer who watches our film can get some comfort knowing they are not alone."
Simon Palmer:
"I was really attracted to the project because first of all it was such a great script. It was so well thought out, so interesting, so dimensional. It felt very real and very intimate. Also, the subject matter was something not a lot of people talk about, and is particularly very rarely portrayed on screen. So it felt very important to be a part of something that needs to be talked about and people do need to be aware of. One of the things that really stood out to me was when Harrison said that he wanted to 'change the perception of people who think they have OCD as opposed to people who actually do have OCD'.
It was a real eye-opener for me and it taught me a lot about the reality for those who have to live with it every day. From a technical standpoint I was really excited about the idea of shooting the film in one shot. I thought it was so clever and worked perfectly for this kind of story. For me, it really helped create the world the characters live in, in an immersive and deep way.
Also on, a personal note, I wanted to be involved because it was a very challenging character to play, in the best way possible. As an actor it was a chance to stretch myself emotionally and character-wise. There were so many complexities and nuisances, and I loved getting the chance to really get my teeth into a character like this. It was the type of role that I had never played before, it was a wonderful opportunity to embrace such a challenge."
Q: What influences did you bring to the character of Ryan?
Simon Palmer:
"For the character of Ryan, when I first read the script and when I got the part, I knew I had to do a lot of preparation before we shot it. I researched the condition as much as possible, I wanted to absorb as much information as I could to really understand this character and what they were going through. I watched a lot of videos online of people taking about OCD or showing their experiences with OCD. That was my foundation, then I linked it to the text, the emotions, and the intentions of the piece. It was a case of stepping into his reality, into his shoes, and seeing life through his eyes. I wanted to know what he was rooted in, what he was experiencing, even in an everyday situation.
Having to change my mentality and perception, but still be able to be emotionally connected with it and make it come from a very grounded and truthful place. I worked a lot of his mannerisms and his speech on how he would react in certain situations. One of my big focuses while playing this character was not only his external life but his internal life as well. For me that was what helped drive this character forward, knowing what he was feeling and going through at all times and how different or similar it was to what we were seeing on the surface. I wanted to make it as real and as authentic as possible, to get it right and do it justice. When we started rehearsing and while we were shooting it, once we added the movement and the dialogue together, it came together very naturally.
Particularly since we only had one shot to do it, I wanted to make sure I was completely in it and immersed in this character from beginning to end."
Experience Obsessiveness for yourself, for free on YouTube.
You can read Part 2 here: *coming soon*.
Alex Murray, the Head of Eyesight Productions
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