Mandy Griffiths
Released in Theaters, VOD and iTunes June 26 from Starz Digital, writer/director Jay Martin’s “7 Minutes” tells of three desperate young men that are forced to commit a brazen robbery, a seemingly simple plan – in and out in seven minutes – that quickly escalates into a dangerous game of life-or-death.
One of the film’s stars, Aussie actor Luke Mitchell (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D”, “The Tomorrow People”) speaks to Mandy Griffiths about the stylish, fast-paced crime thriller.
Congratulations on the film! I really enjoyed it and thought it had a great energy. What attracted you to this film? I understand you booked it pretty soon to arriving in the US?
Thank you! I loved style in which it was written. I thought it was really interesting to freeze time during the heist, to reveal more information about the characters through flashbacks. And yes, “7 Minutes” was only my 2nd American project after the pilot of “The Tomorrow People”. I arrived in the U.S in January 2013, shot “The Tomorrow People” pilot in NYC in March and then shot “7 Minutes” in Everett, WA in May.
How did you go with the American football side of your character? Pretty different to Australian sports!
Yes, it’s very different to Aussie sports but I’m a sports guy. I love most sports, so it was pretty fun for me learning about American Football. I bought a football in NYC whilst filming The Tomorrow People pilot, so that I could get as much time with one as possible. And then I think on about the first or second day after I arrived in Everett, Rick Rosenthal (the Producer) gave me a ball that was signed by Joe Montana and it was personally made out to me! So I was pretty chuffed about that and I think that’s why Rick organized it… to really get me excited.
Your character isn’t in a great place in the film, what is your method to get into that headspace?
I’m not sure I have a method! I think it just comes down to empathy and really understanding the character. Why he was in that situation and what are the influencing factor that lead him to make the decisions he had.
What was your favourite scene to shoot? The whole heist sequence was exhilarating! We really just had to throw ourselves in there and commit. It was pretty crazy.
What was it like working with Kevin Gage – Heat is possibly the Citizen Kane of heist movies 🙂 I just re-watched Heat again recently and it is just SO good! And Kevin is so great in that movie, like he is in 7 Minutes. He’s a really solid actor and a force to be reckoned with. He can be very intimidating! But also he’s a really nice guy and down to earth.
Any memorable moments from filming?
The whole shoot was really great, but getting to meet and work with Kris Kristofferson was a real highlight. Also, the football sequence was pretty awesome because it was a night shoot and half the town came out to be extras in the stands, as well as 2 local high school football teams and their coaches volunteered to be apart of it. It was a really cool atmosphere.
Was there one film in particular that really inspired you to pursue acting, or has it been something you’ve always wanted to do?
I love movies and I love going to the cinema to see a movie. That whole experience for me is one of my favourite things to do. But getting into acting for me was more about self-improvement and getting out of my comfort zone than anything else. And then the more I did, the more I liked it and the better I got and so it just snowballed from there.
What’s coming up next for you?
Well, I have just been promoted to Series Regular on Season 3 of Agents of SHIELD, which I am VERY excited about. I’m heading to San Diego Comic-Con next week for the first time and then we start shooting Season 3 not long after that!
Thank you so much for your time!
You’re very welcome.
