Brit actress Zoe Telford discusses Greyhawk : the council estate drama that’s a hit with the critics
Norwich-born Zoe Telford cut her acting teeth in British TV classics like The Bill, Soldier and Peak Practice , before becoming a household name with the role of Maggie in Teachers. Having enjoyed breakout Hollywood parts as Eva Braun in Hitler: The Rise of Evil and in Woody Allen’s Match Point, Telford once again set the small screen alight as Dr Sarah Sawyer in Sherlock, and is currently enjoying critical acclaim for her portrayal of Paula in the poignant new movie, Greyhawk. The independent film, a screenwriting and directorial feature debut for brothers Matt and Guy Pitt, follows the story of blind army veteran Mal (played by Alec Newman) whose dog goes missing on the council estate where he lives. Channelling British cinematic greats Ken Loach and Shane Meadows, the gritty drama depicts Mal searching for his lost companion, wherein he meets Telford’s Paula, who is one of the few residents prepared to help him on his mission.
“When we first meet Paula she’s had a rough ride; her husband’s left her and her
teenage son has fallen in with the wrong kids and is out of control,” explains Telford, who received a special commendation for the role at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where the movie premiered. “Speaking as a mother, I could imagine that must be a very difficult position to be in, if you feel as though you have no control over your children, and if they’re grown up. Mine are still very small, but her son is 15, and I imagine if you watch your child spiralling out of control when nothing you say or do is making a difference, that would just be a very frightening and saddening position to be in.”
The actress reveals that taking part in Greyhawk was a slight risk for all involved but one that paid off. “It was a bit of a punt really, because Guy had only done a few things, this was the brothers’ first feature; they’d done a couple of shorts and things like that, so it was a bit of a leap of faith really for us all,” she says. However, Telford was driven to take part due to the strength of the script. “Greyhawk has really terrific writing, when I read it I thought it was very very good and so met up with Matt and Guy,” she recalls. “Ultimately, I am just so pleased I did it. They did such a terrific job. Greyhawk is just one of those films that becomes more than the sum of its parts. We started with a very strong script from the writer, a clear vision from the director and we had a great young cinematographer called Evan Bolter who did some lovely framing so it looked great, and hopefully Alec and I served the piece as well as we could.”
Telford insists that while there is “not necessarily a love connection” between Paula and the lead, Mal, there is still a strong bond between the two characters. “I think she feels quite deserted and doesn’t really know who to turn to for help, then Mal turns up and suddenly there’s a connection; they form a kind of friendship. She’s got a fragile heart, but she sees that Mal needs help and she goes out of her way to help him. It’s a difficult relationship for them both to navigate.”
The emotional dynamics and slick cinematography has led to Greyhawk being hailed as “one of the most stylish films of the year” and looks set to boost Telford’s star status.
“It was one of the best things I’ve been a part of and I’m just so excited for Guy and Matt because they are going to go on and do terrific things. It’s just the beginning for them, and right now we are putting our heads together as we want to do something else as a team.”
Greyhawk is out on DVD now
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