We can only hope this sentence won’t age badly, but here goes nothing – Cleo Bernard’s thrilling I See Building Fall Like Lightning is destined to be a massive hit in the UK. There are a few films that can grasp the struggle of a young working-class community without becoming clichéd Oscar-bait (or, here, Bafta-bait), as many critics would have it.
In Bernard’s social drama, we follow a group of best friends whose love and empathy are put to the test. Becoming adults in a world so unsuitable for new generations isn’t something they had dreamed of. Gradually, Dickensian great expectations are exchanged for struggle, frustration and, ultimately, disappointment, while the pureness of youth is swapped for depression, addiction and infidelity. Would their friendship survive as the whole fractures?
On one of the Cannes beach terraces, I met cast members Anthony Boyle, Lola Petticrew and Jay Lycurgo to discuss their chemistry, acting choices, surprising themselves on set and letting go of their characters.
The Cold Magazine: [Noticing Jay Lycurgo’s phone case, has a football card with Lionel Messi inside of it] You’re a fan of Messi?
Jay Lycurgo: Huge fan, he’s the best.
Anthony Boyle: Messi is our fan. Came to the premiere yesterday evening, said he loved our film. Supported us from the very beginning (laughter).
CM: Walk me through your casting process. Did you have any chemistry checks? Anthony and Lola have known each other from before, but Jay is like a new addition to this equation.
AB: Yes, that’s right, we’ve known each other since we were eleven! We both have a rich screen history, but also an off-screen relationship, so I suppose that intertwines. We’ve been through so many weddings, funerals and births, and we are really close to each other’s families, and that gives some sort of understanding. It tends to be awkward when we meet on a set and suddenly act like we are husband and wife, and we have to shoot a sex scene. But, because we’ve known each other for so long, we can get vulnerable and are able to create a safe space.
Lola Petticrew: I feel absolutely the same. It’s a little bit of a cheat code…
AB: Like on PS5: X, X, ↑, R2, ↑!
LP: Working with Anthony is an absolute privilege, but meeting the rest of the lads – Jay, Darryl McCormack and Joe Cole – has also been great. We all share a similar sense of humour, and that makes things fundamentally easier. We also have made some long-form improvisations to build a shared history, so when we enter the scene, we are all properly informed about our characters, their backgrounds and past. It only gave additional layers.
JL: I’ve known Daryl and Joe before, but had no chance to work together before. These guys are real names in the industry, so I have to admit it all was really exciting for me back then.
CM: Was it difficult to say goodbye to your characters? It feels like you got really close with them.
JL: I was really happy to let my Oli go. Becoming and then being him was really intense. When we were working on our characters, I initially felt it’s gonna be quite easy to become this guy. But then, this element of addiction enters the conversation, and that has made me feel rather insecure while filming. Oli is always on, and I’m a more laid-back person, to tell the truth.
CM: Did you find ways to let go?
JL: It was just a natural thing. The best advice is to sleep a lot, see mom and dad, and check in [laughs].
CM: What about you, guys?
AB: I think I’m pretty good at leaving my characters. I don’t really take it home after the shoot. I kind of need to shake it off whenever it feels like it. Action, character, cut. And that’s it.
JL: And, you were going on to something straight away afterwards as well, weren’t you? I guess you didn’t have a choice.
AB: Yeah, I was playing someone else after. And sometimes that helps when you’re in such a specific and rough world like this one. Having to leap to something completely different is a blessing. It’s like a smooth transition.
LP: I feel like I’ve gotten a lot better at it. I now think I can compartmentalise it very well. When everything is done, I can’t find a way to let the parts that want to stay with you, and they eventually remain in whatever way they need to. Ultimately, you’ve got to be able to fill your dishwasher and prepare yourself for anything.
CM: I was also wondering about this idea that actors nowadays, just like your in-film characters, are struggling with finding a sense of self-worth. Did you think about those parallels between what your characters and young actors are going through?
LP: I was more thinking about the parallels to my and Anthony’s upbringing and real life. I was more thinking about the working-class people in these communities that sort of suffer when their resources are being stripped from them, and their lives are being peddled about them. That was the first thing that came to my mind.
AB: For me, it was mostly about the people in the areas we were portraying. I don’t really think about actors that much; it’s not something that’s in my head. I’m thinking about the plight of the actor, thinking about real people and their situation.
JL: I feel like what was shown with Oli was quite an unconventional storyline of an addiction. It wasn’t this theme that, by the very end, he is “still struggling and fighting.” Endo wrote him differently: by the end, that’s what it is. There is hope, especially when his back is against the wall. He’s living in a working-class environment, and there aren’t any resources for him. He’s got to find it his own way. Having his mates around him to support him, it’s important for Oli to actually get better.
CM: Whenever you play such complex characters, do you bring any personal response to this process? Do you pity them? Or are you trying to be there for them?
LP: I think Shiv and I are very similar in the way that we think about the world and the way that we think about social politics. In terms of judging her decision-making, I don’t think that is something really for an actor to do. I believe you should stay away from it completely. All you play is the person in the situation, and the judgment that they’re making [here: to survive, for example] is at that time. It’s up to the audience to make the moral judgements.
AB: I echo what Lola says. Even if you’re playing someone horrible, you need to kind of love them and not even understand their decisions, but just totally commit to it.
JL: One of the hardest things as an actor is finding absolute truth and vulnerability. I don’t think that every actor wants to show their scars and their demons. Here, this film was very humane, and we just had no choice. We had roles we had to really go for.
JL: It’s like the real stuff of life, isn’t it? It’s all about finding the absolute truth.
CM: Did you have an “oh, this hits home” moment while shooting the film?
AB: There’s a scene we did with Lola in which we’re arguing with each other in a bedroom. The argument we were having there felt pretty real. There’s also another scene on the balcony which also hit home. It felt like I’ve had those nights with my friends.
LP: That’s true. Quite often when we work together, there are days that you go onto set, and you realize how sort of magical it is that not only do you get to be on a film set, but you get to be doing it with your best friend. There are a lot of times when I’m working with Anthony that feel really unique to me because it’s a kind of special situation to me.
JL: Can I be honest? I think the first week, I was terrible in my head. I felt so insecure, and it took me a minute to settle there. Then, when I did the Oli birthday scene and he’s dancing, that was the first day of the second week of shooting. And I just love dancing.
CM: From that point, it was alright?
JL: Yes, since then, everything felt good. From this point, I was just fine.
