Mhairi Calvey uncovers her character ‘Emma’ in Juliane Block’s 3 Lives

indieactivity: How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition?
Mhairi Calvey: ‘3 Lives‘ was originally set to star Thora Birch but due to scheduling conflicts she had to drop out of filming. I had previously worked with the producers in another movie called ‘Abduct’ which I was the lead in. They showed the director Juliane my show-reel among the other short listed actresses and Juliane sent me the script and asked if I would be interested. They were only two days from shooting when they contacted me and I only had the chance to read the script through once before flying to Germany to start rehearsing.

indieactivity: What part of the story challenged you when you read it? What drove you to get on the project?
Mhairi Calvey: There are some very tough scenes and it’s a dark thriller. The dialogue at times is very difficult and there was a nasty rape scene but because I was working with a female director and experienced actor I felt very safe and it was tastefully done. What attracted me to the project was that it was different from most thrillers, the twists in the script come as a big surprise and my character isn’t all that she seems. It was also a chance to do an action packed thriller.

indieactivity: You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Mhairi Calvey: For me it doesn’t matter what size the project is , if it’s TV, theatre or film. I love creating and telling stories that interest me and give me the opportunity of learning and exploring something new. Independent film has always offered me the chance to play roles outside of my comfort zone and I think that is something every actor wishes for.

3 LIVES – Trailer from Juliane Block on Vimeo.

indieactivity: Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
Mhairi Calvey: Since I was only cast two days before the shoot I didn’t have much time to prepare so I had to really trust that Juliane would guide me. My character has two sides to her and one thing that Juliane asked me to do was only portray one of them. She didn’t want me to hint in my performance that I have another personality. This isn’t something I would normally do as normally it’s nice to let the audience get little hints to help them solve the story but in this case it works really well.

indieactivity: How did you create your character from ground up?
Mhairi Calvey: Normally I do a couple of months of research to build a role but in this case I had not time so I had to relate to my own experiences and draw from my own emotions to play her.

indieactivity: As main cast on the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Where you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
Mhairi Calvey: As any actor playing the lead means that you have to hold an audiences attention from beginning to end. You have to be interesting and know where to take the story. Luckily I worked with amazing co-stars and they helped me to achieve that. I was more nervous on this project than on others because I had no prep time which is a completely new experience for me but it was a brilliant challenge and I learnt so much from it. The film was hard to shoot mainly down to the weather that we had, there was constant storms and we were in the Harz Mountains in Germany.

Mhairi Calvey as ‘Emma’ and Martin Kaps as ‘Jamie’ in ‘3 Lives’. Directed by Juliane Block

There were times our sets were flooded out and we were really battling the elements. A lot of us had to have trips to the hospital because we were getting so many stings and bites from all the nasty bugs. I got bad mosquito bites which were then really badly infected when we did the water stunt scenes. My legs swelled to twice the size and I had puss oozing from them. The hospital told me that I shouldn’t go near water until the infection was gone but we had too much to film so you have to just get on with it. I didn’t want to let down the team so I would wrap my legs in cling film under my costume to keep it as dry as possible.

indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you made on set during production?
Mhairi Calvey: My character gets very victimised throughout the film and is the only women in the script but I wanted to make sure that she wasn’t portrayed as weak. I wanted her to have elements of bravery but with out it being in the audiences face. So I chose subtle ways to show it which I think comes across in the script too.

indieactivity: What did you take away from the film production?
Mhairi Calvey: With every production I learnt so much but I think for me the biggest lessons I had was that I can perform a role under pressure with no prep time and that passionate people can work well together under really hard circumstances.

indieactivity: What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Mhairi Calvey: What I like most about Juliane is that she is incredibly determined, we were up against a lot and she had to deal with some very tricky situations. She never let emotions get the better of her and she kept everyone’s moral going. She kept strong and there was nothing that was going to stop her from achieving her goal.

indieactivity: What is next for you?
Mhairi Calvey: I am attached to some really wonderful productions which vary in huge ways. I have a great action film lined up with a director I have been wanting to work with for a while, a Victorian period drama which has been developed from a book and a Christmas movie with Julianne. I am also writing a short film which I hope to shoot this year and a feature film in script development.

indieactivity: What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Mhairi Calvey: I would advise other actors to make sure they are always physically and mentally prepared. This was a very physical film and we were working long hours in freezing conditions and spent all day wet, covered in mud and cold throughout the shoot. You can only take something like this on when you have really looked after your body. Preparation meets opportunity.

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