He’s worked with some of the best actors the UK has to offer, from Doctor Who’s David Tennant and John Simm to Gerard Butler, and some Americans as well, but does this perpetual baddie get any love? Well, maybe not looking like his character in 300. Is he just misunderstood? Taking a look back at his most well-known work (were those 300 abs CGI?) and the friends he made (or didn’t make) as well as looking to the future with his directorial debut in Break Clause, Andrew Tiernan took some time to answer awe-inspiring (well, maybe not) questions from The Last Doctor. Perhaps he can be the last Dalek? Or at least the Malcolm McDowell for the new generation.

The Last Doctor: As you know we are called The Last Doctor so I have to ask what was it like to work with the man himself David Tennant in The Quatermass Experiment?

Andrew Tiernan: We were doing a live TV transmission of The Quatermass Experiment, he was playing a doctor funnily enough, and it was just at that time that he found out he was going to play The Doctor. In fact, when he got the call, we were just about to rehearse a scene together on camera. I knew he’d got something big, so I asked him jokingly, “What was that?  Did you get the Batman role?” and he replied; “Kind of.” We did the scene and then he told me the news. Then we just carried on making Quatermass, he was totally into that at that time, as he was a fan of Nigel Kneale’s work, so it was a great honour for all of us to be working on that. But David never let the pressure of taking that role get in the way of his work at the time.

You’ve also worked with another man well known in the Doctor Who universe, John Simm. What is it like acting opposite a man who truly embodies every character he takes on?

Last time I saw John was a year or two ago when he was chasing after me in the street in Soho, shouting, Andy, Andy!! Needless to say, I wasn’t wearing Speedos at the time. He’d seen me in a play, I was trying to get out of there quick, but he dragged me back to the bar. Another great guy to work with.

As someone with a film studies degree, I also have to ask: what was it like working with Roman Polanski?

I loved working with Roman, he up’d my game, and I just wish that I‘d had more. You want to work with people like him forever. He has a great command on set and he knows what he wants and you trust that because he’s a true genius. In The Pianist he had me running round the studio before the scene and as I got to the door of the set, he’d be there grating ice on me for the snow effect, to make it look as realistic as possible. He was very much a hands on director.

After filming a movie like 300, what was it like to actually watch it? What was it like to see yourself with all the prosthetics?

I’d seen bits of the movie when they were putting the score on at Abbey Road, so I had a feel for the film and how it was going to look and was very excited about it. I’d also had the privilege of seeing the trailer online and other campaigns and they were very exciting to see, before it had even come out. It is a spectacular film, and it is cool to see myself as that character, sometimes I say to myself; “I swear I was in that movie, I swear”. It does seem to have taken a life of its own, and it looks so much different to how it looked on set. I never thought I’d be signing action figures of myself. Weird, huh?

Did you get a chance to read the graphic novel? If so, what was your impression of the visuals found there?

Oh yes. Many times. I had it with me at all times during the shoot. It was a great reference. I have always been a fan of Frank Miller’s comic work; Dark Knight Returns, Electra Assassin, Daredevil, the lot. Zack Snyder would have it to hand too as far as I remember. The artwork is wonderful. When Zack and I met, we looked through it together and he explained what he wanted to do.

I recently wrote a blog about the series premiere of Spartacus Blood and Sand, which utilizes many of the same visual techniques of 300. Have you seen it? Do you think these kinds of visuals are going to pop up more and more with the success of 300?

I haven’t seen that production. Those kinds of visuals are cool if used sparingly and not overdone. I find watching some movies you can always tell when the effects are utilized. 300 got it right in the less is more department and only using blue screen for the sky. But saying that, I really enjoyed District 9.

On another note about CGI; I’m always being asked of 300 if the six packs were CGI or myself for that matter. Just to set the record straight, the six packs were real, and I was not wearing a CGI suit like Andy Serkis wore in Lord of the Rings. I was in a full body prosthetic suit made up of over twenty pieces which had to be glued together, then spray painted, which required me to be shaved from head to toe, I had to endure 10-12 hour make-up sessions each time I was filming.  Believe you me, I wish it had been CGI!  And no, I didn’t sleep during the process. Ha ha.

The only part of me that was ever CGI’d in the post-production was the false eye, they had to match up its movement to my real eye. And that is the only reason that the special FX make-up was disqualified from Oscar nominations.

And because someone told me to ask you this: what was it like working with Gerard Butler?

You tell that someone, that he’s a…. Fine actor. I don’t recall meeting him much. I was so heavily sedated for the pain from the suit, so it’s a bit of a blur for me. I think he thought I was CGI most of the time. When I wasn’t in the make-up, I would go up to him and the guy playing Xerxes and they’d start to cry and call security, cause they didn’t recognize me. I had to calm them down, and once they realized it was me, they were okay, and they’d tell the guards to un-cuff me, but I’ll tell you one thing about him, he never allowed me to be a Spartan, couldn’t raise me shield high enough! I coulda been at the front of the Phalanx!

And how awkward was it to film the scene when Ephialtes first enters Xerxes’ camp?

I was covered in glue and foam for 30 hours during that time (after the application of 10-12 hours). Which I was I told doesn’t break any laws. But when you’re making a movie no one questions that. And if you do, they’ll come in with a big bat and make it awkward for ya…ha ha.

It was an odd experience having scantily clad women and men draping themselves around me, and that goat guy, he used to freak me out, he was like the devil or something. And watch out those goddamn monkeys bite. All I remember is that I was the centre of attention for that day and a few girls were being very friendly and kind, bear in mind I looked like Sloth from The Goonies. After we finished, I went into make-up to get the suit off, and when I leaving to go home as me, I saw some of the girls who I had been talking to all day hanging about waiting for their cabs home, so as I walked past I said “Hi!” and gave them a wave, expecting to have a little chat with them and I got the ‘Who the hell are you?’ look. I realized at that time, of course! They’ve never seen me out of the suit, so I just carried on walking.

It was quite a lonely shoot for me, as I didn’t have the camaraderie that the Spartans enjoyed, I was made to feel like Ephialtes, an outsider. But at least I had the prosthetic make-up boys such as; Shaun Smith, Leon Laderach and Lennie Macdonald, and my driver; Spiros, to keep me company. They all got me through that make-up hell.

You have now been in three shows that seem to have had every single British actor at some point: The Bill, Midsomer Murders, and Casualty. These shows also serve as staples of British drama and have been on for several years. What was it like to work on each show, with such a long history?

Everyone does those programmes at some point. It’s always odd as a guest on those shows because you come in for a week or two and then you go away, and you’re working with actors who have been there for years. It’s tricky, as you don’t know the characters’ back-stories too well, unless you watch it regularly, but you don’t want to offend anyone, but I’m always putting my foot in it and asking questions that I probably shouldn’t.

Is there a show you really want a shot at?

Not really. I would have liked to have done ‘The Wire’ or ‘The Sopranos’ but they’re finished now. I would like to do a ‘Doctor Who’ baddie at some point, but I haven’t been offered it yet. I could play a Dalek!

How’s your American accent?

It’s getting better all the time.

Tell us a bit about your latest projects, Luther and Stone’s War.

Stone’s War was a very interesting project and I would love to see it released. Apparently it’s now called War of the Dead. It was such a great project to be involved in; I just hope that they can sort out whatever it is that is holding up the release cause I’ve heard it’s very good.

I recently completed filming on BBC’s new crime drama Luther starring Idris Elba who played Stringer Bell in The Wire so I was quite excited about working with him. Then there is Bernard Rose’s film Mr. Nice which is due to come out next month, it’s being premiered at South by Southwest in Texas.

I have been doing some of my own projects.  I got into writing a number of years ago. I decided to get off my ass and start doing it for myself so I’ve gotten into production.

I’m just in post-production on my Directorial debut, a film called; Break Clause it’s a modern film noir thriller based in London in the lead up to the Olympic Games in 2012. I had a great cast to work with which included; Lorraine Stanley, Shona McWilliams, Richard Grimes, Joe Egan, Mark Wingett and Perry Benson.  Also Ace Bhatti, who is in the Sarah Jane Chronicles came in and did a bit for us. I managed to get Nick Reynolds (Alabama 3) and Ted Rose to create a score for it and it sounds brilliant. I pulled in a lot of favours to get people in, and they’ve all been great.  I’m very excited about Break Clause and getting it out there.

What is your opinion regarding the current vampire craze?  And how is Britain doing it better?

I like my vampires gritty, not glamorous.  Klaus Kinski and the original Nosferatu, the one out of Salem’s Lot, they were really scary vampires. I really liked Let The Right One In as it felt real. I have always been a fan of films like George A Romero’s  Martin and Abel Ferrera’s The Addiction. Is Britain doing it better? I should ask you that, I don’t really know.

Do you find that the supernatural and horror genres allow us to take a closer look at ourselves and what it means to be human?

No. I think John Cassavetes movies make us do that. I think horror, gore and shock is about escapism. It takes us away from the reality of evil in life itself. In order to feel fear while knowing you’re safe, maybe.

How do you go about creating the characters you play, like 300’s Ephialtes?

It depends on the part. Some research if required. Ephialtes just came when I was in the make-up. I didn’t think about it too much. Left myself alone, sometimes that’s the best way.  Sometimes you just feel the way the character does, with Ephialtes, I certainly felt rejected at that time and I don’t know if it came from people’s behaviour towards me or me just feeling like that because of the part I was playing and the script. Whatever it was, I used it.

Sometimes you can get weeks to months to prepare for a role, but what happens to me a lot of the time is that I’m called up at the last minute to play a part, so I get a few days notice.  The situation is usually this: they can’t get the actor they want to do it, or an actor has pulled out at the last minute, and sometimes I get that call.  And I have to pull it out the bag for them quickly.

Is there a type of character that you feel you’re strongest portraying?

Bad guys, loners, weirdoes. Ha ha. I’ve been typecast a lot as those types of people, so I guess that I must play them well. Though my friends think I should do comedy. I would like to play a normal guy a bit more often. I’ve always been known as a character actor and I like that best. I like to transform.

The UK is very different from the US when it comes to acting.  For example, most British actors actually study their craft.  What do you feel drama school study gives as actor such as yourself?

I studied at the Drama Centre London where John Simm trained. We were trained in an American way with Reuven Adiv who taught at the Actors Studio in New York, teaching the Russian Stanislavski method. Drama study set me up for the future definitely. Study throughout life is important too, be it reading, researching or even watching films. You never stop learning. I find that many US actors continue to go class even when they are well established, whereas a lot of British actors tend to stop after Drama School and maybe just read instead and do their own study.

What has been your most challenging role so far?

Life.

Andrew Tiernan Official Site