The Mighty Dragon podcast Victoria Thomas

Mark Wingett

After my recent interview with Maria Austin, where we discussed Mercy, a film about life as a pig in a slaughterhouse. I decided to reach out to her co-star, Mark Wingett, who portrayed the slaughterman.

Mark, a familiar face on our screens for over 20 years as The Bill’s Jim Carver, got his first break as Dave in the British cult classic movie, Quadrophenia. Dave was Jimmy’s best friend, the one with the cool hat who ultimately betrays Jimmy at his lowest point by stealing his girl.

As a first job, this is quite an achievement. Mark was one of the youngest in the cast, he was just 17 and fresh out of the National Youth Theatre when he was cast. Now with a career spanning over 40 years, it was an honour to talk to this much accomplished actor about his career and dip into his personal life which involves scuba diving and biking with the Tokyo mods!

Mark reminisces about his first day on set and how many egg sandwiches he had to eat! We talk about the success behind the movie, Pete Townshend’s genius musical score and the admirable vision of the director, Franc Roddam. A director who took chances when selecting the actors and stuck to his interpretation of the story.

The bond between cast members is still as strong as ever, with Mark describing them as family. The cast have all had such illustrious careers including Phil Davis, one of my favourite actors. At the time of filming, Sting was launching his music career and Ray Winstone had made his third film in that year.

Mark mentions that Ray Winstone was always destined for greatness, I can’t help think that happened to Mark too.

Head on over to The Mighty Dragon blog for my interview with Marise Alvarez.

https://themightydragon.blog/2022/07/16/the-mighty-dragon-podcast-with-marise-alvarez-obiwankenobi-nyche/

I am delighted to announce that actor Adrian Schiller joined me on the podcast to discuss his time on the hugely phenomenal The Last Kingdom series.

Followers of The Mighty Dragon Instagram account know that I have recently binge-watched the entire five series. So I am completely over the moon that my favourite bad guy from the series, Æthelhelm, is part of this interview collection.

Adrian discusses Æthelhelm, his favourite parts of his character, his motivations, and how the character immersed itself into The Last Kingdom. But were Athelhelm’s motivations misjudged?

Doting grandfather or evil mastermind? We discuss this and more, on The Mighty Dragon.

Maria Austin

British actress Maria Austin is currently starring as the title character, Mercy, in the film of the same name on Apple TV. I am absolutely delighted that she is part of the interview collection here on The Mighty Dragon.

The life of a factory farmed pig. Mercy’s tragic journey, as she leaves behind her own family and encounters those whose job it is to end her life.

If you haven’t seen it, then prepare yourself for a dynamic, unforgettable performance from this talented actress. Alongside Maria in Mercy is Mark Wingett, Quadrophenia legend, who plays the slaughterman. Maria tells me what it was like working with Mark on this chilling story.

It’s out now to Rent or Buy – here

Youssef Kerkour

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon returns to The Mighty Dragon with another great interview.

This week, I am speaking to Napoleon’s right-hand man, Marshal Davout. Or should I say Youssef Kerkour who portrayed this infamous soldier otherwise known as The Iron Marshal. Davout himself was a highly acclaimed general, being present at most of Napoleon’s battles. Devoted, driven and resilient, I can’t help but think Youssef was the right actor to portray him, as he has these qualities himself.

Napoleon isn’t the first time Youssef has worked with legendary director, Ridley Scott. He was also in House of Gucci, portraying Nemir Kirdar. We talk about Ridley Scott’s style of working, as well as Youssef’s preparation for his roles.

I am convinced that Youssef is the most prepared actor on set, cleverly adopting psychological practices to immerse himself in the role. His British and Moroccan heritage has given him access to many great parts, but we talk about how he “niched down” on his Arab heritage to gain even more exposure.

Jimmy Dunn

Frasier is taking over The Mighty Dragon once again.

Today’s guest is actor and stand-up comedian, Jimmy Dunn. Jimmy plays Moose in Frasier, the firefighter who captured Olivia’s heart in the Christmas special.

Jimmy gives a great behind-the-scenes glimpse into the world of Frasier. The supreme writing, the professionalism on set and what its like working with Frasier himself, Kelsey Grammar.

Jimmy didn’t have to go far for the inspiration for Moose, he brings so much of himself to every role. With firefighters in his family, they must be very proud that he portrays these heroes on a set based in Boston.

I have a lot of respect for comedians, they have the hardest job in the world to make people laugh. It was a pleasure to find that Jimmy is very much like Moose himself.

A proud Bostonian, we talk about his stand-up inspirations and what impact they had on American stand-up. We touch upon stand-up internationally too, with hopes of Jimmy taking his comedy overseas.

With a plot twist in the Christmas episode, we hope to see more Moose in season two!

Tune in now!