TEEN actor Troye Sivan doesn’t mind being semi-naked in front of the camera, kissing gorgeous girls on cue or belting out the high notes on demand as he does in new coming-of-age comedy Spud.
But when time arrives to put on the waterworks and muster heartfelt emotion, the 16-year-old panics.
Western Suburbs Weekly chatted about on-screen fears with the rising Perth star who catapulted into Hollywood as young Logan in X-Men Origins: Wolverine in 2009 and now stars as an adolescent introvert battling the everyday trials of his first year at boarding school.
“I find it hard to bring out my feelings because I’m not 100 per cent confident in my acting yet,” Troye shared.
“I’m foremost a singer, discovered on YouTube by an acting manager. I’ve never even been to a drama class so serious performance terrifies me.”
Luckily, the modest Perth lad had film and television royalty by his side to help lessen the burden.
Stepping in as mentor both on an off screen was Fawlty Towers funnyman John Cleese.
“There was a weird parallel going on: as Cleese’s character (The Guv) was taking John Milton (aka Spud) under his wing and showing him around the school, Cleese was taking me under his wing and showing me around the set, explaining the tips and tricks of moviemaking,” Troye revealed.
“You have to listen closely when he’s talking because he’ll just drop advice in mid-conversation.”
Since filming Spud in South Africa (Troye’s birthplace) in 2010, our young performer has been working on his music, writing original songs with a London producer. He hopes to start filming Spud 2 this year.
- Spud is screening at Grand Cinemas Warwick from April 26.