Gareth Turkington is an Irish actor of theater, movies and voice acting. His filmography includes various projects as well as the world-famous series «Shadow and Bone» where he played the role of Heartrender Felix. Read about his acting journey, future projects, favorite book in the Grishaverse series and other preferences in our interview.
Hello Gareth! Tell us please when did you decide to become an actor and why? What inspired you to take this step?
— I am actually a third generation performer, with my great uncle and father both actors before me. My mother was also a costume maker for theatre, so the entertainment business has always been in my life. For as long as I can remember, I have always loved creating and playing with different characters and worlds, so it only seemed natural to try to do it for a living!
What profession did you dream about as a kid?
— Tough question! I'd love to play Cassidy in "Preacher" by Garth Ennis.
Are you currently in the theater or are you focusing on starring in movies?
— I’m not in the theatre just now, but it is my first love! I cut my teeth on the stage and there is something special about that connection between you and a live audience. Having said that, lately I have been doing more screen work, which is rewarding in so many other ways. There is a different skill set needed to play to an audience of 2000 on a stage compared with an intense and intimate scene filmed in extreme closeup for a movie, and both are enjoyable challenges. To be honest, I’m not fussy – I’ll act on stage, screen or wherever there’s a good story to tell.
What is your favorite role which you have played?
— I played a Victorian engineer called Robert Morgan in a horror/mystery play called The Silhouette in the Smoke that I absolutely loved. He was a troubled soul affected by alcoholism and, outwardly, not a very nice man to deal with. I loved exploring his motives and what led him to behave the way he did.
I find “bad guys” (for want of a better word) far more enjoyable to play, as they are always far more interesting than the squeaky clean hero!
If you could play any existing character, which one would you like to choose and why?
— Acting was always up there, but I did want to be a racing driver too. Or an archaeologist!
You're a voice actor as well. It's great that you get to touch on acting in different aspects of it. What do you voice most often? What do you enjoy dubbing more?
— My first love in voice acting is animation and comedy. There is a freedom to voicing children’s animation where you can aim for a purer distillation of a character – if a character is written as a coward, for example, you get to lean into that feeling and make them the most scared character that ever existed! Conversely, it’s then all the more rewarding when that character shows growth (being brave, in this example) as the swing is so pronounced.
What about the most memorable role in your filmography?
— It has to be Feliks in Shadow & Bone. I love that guy! Netflix spared no expense in faithfully creating Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse. I knew from early on that I was part of something special. Again, Feliks is a “bad guy”, and it was a lot of fun developing his character to justify his at times questionable actions.
How does it feel to play a character with superpowers?
— Great fun! Feliks is a Heartrender, the most feared class of Grisha, and he was considered a particularly mean one at that, so it was fun inhabiting that aura of fear and awe. “With great power comes great responsibility” as Uncle Ben says – Feliks didn’t seem to get the message! We had an amazing fight team who did a great job training us and teaching the choreography for Feliks’ big fight with Inej in the final episode, and it was a fantastic feeling when it all came together.
Have you read the books of the Grishaverse universe? If so, which one did you enjoy the most?
— I have read them all, I’m a proper convert! My favourite would have to be Six of Crows because of the incredible world of Ketterdam that Leigh created. The characters are all great and the stories most compelling; each Crow has a rich backstory that you want to dive into.
In what projects will we see you in the future and could you tell us about them?
— I have a really exciting feature film in the pipeline. We were scheduled to begin shooting in November ’21, but Covid had something to say about that, so now we are trying to get everything in place for a new shooting schedule.
What do you like to do in your spare time? Do you have any other hobbies?
— I’m a big gamer, both videogames and board games, so a lot of my time is spent playing them with my wife and friends. I’m also a sports fan, particularly Formula One, rugby and football. I’m an Arsenal fan, so this season has been great so far!
We saw a video of you playing the violin. Where did you learn this? Are there any other musical instruments that you can play?
— It's actually a viola, not a violin. I learnt it back when I was a kid, but stopped playing it ages ago. That video is actually from the day I first picked it up again after twenty years! I also like to play around on the guitar.
Do you have certain rules of life that you adhere to?
— Life is lived outside your comfort zone – you learn far more about yourself as a person if you stretch yourself and try things you normally wouldn’t. A friend of mine told me this a few years ago and it stuck with me ever since. There is so much to experience in life and we only get one chance at it, so get out there and give it a go!
Your favorite movie?
— "Some Like it Hot".
Your favorite TV series?
— “The Office” (both US and UK versions). Oh, and “Father Ted”!
Your favorite book?
— “The Lord of the Rings”. Special shout out to “The Stand” by Stephen King as well.
Your favorite quote?
— “I used to be with ‘it’, but then they changed what ‘it’ was. Now what I’m with isn’t ‘it’ anymore and what’s ‘it’ seems weird and scary. It’ll happen to you!”
Grandpa Simpson.
Your favorite singer/band?
— Foo Fighters.
Your favorite song?
— “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters, or Jimi Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watchtower”.
Your favorite season?
— Autumn/Fall.
Marvel or DC?
— If I had to choose I’d go for DC because Batman is a badass.
What's your Hogwarts House?
— Ravenclaw.
Do you have any pets?
— I’ve got two cats – Stinky and Floof! They’re furry idiots and I love them.
