Tremendous range is a serious actor’s currency.
And Welshman Iwan Rheon has certainly shown that from his deliciously evil portrayal of Games of Thrones’ torture-loving psychopath Ramsay Bolton (2013-2016) – arguably one of the show’s greatest villains – to Motley Crue’s droll and physically challenged lead guitarist Mick Mars in the new Netflix movie, The Dirt.
Based on the hedonistic, hard-partying L.A. rock band’s 2001 biography of the same name, The Dirt starts streaming Friday (March 22).
“I like to play as many different characters as I can, and yeah, it is pretty different,” says Rheon with a laugh of the two roles.
“I like to challenge myself. Hopefully, (in the future) I’ll be doing something interesting, find another weird character to play.”
We caught up with Rheon, 33, from L.A. recently.
Q. How are you feeling about GoT wrapping up after its eighth season which starts April 14?
A. I’m excited to see what happens. I’m very interested to see how they’re going to wrap it all up. But the thing about the show, once you’re off, you’re off, so I get to enjoy it as a fan now. So I’m looking forward to watching it with everyone else when it airs.
Q. I’ve heard that you’re close with Kit Harington who plays Jon Snow, the character you originally auditioned for. So has he offered any clues about what happens?
A. I haven’t actually haven’t seen him in a while. But I wouldn’t ask. Kind of an unwritten thing. And also, I don’t want to know. It’s nice to be surprised and get to enjoy it myself.
Q. Do you have a favourite in terms of who you’d like to win the game and take the throne?
A. I think it’d be nice if (Jon Snow) won. I think he’s probably the nicest person in that world. So yeah, I guess we’ll see. I’m sure there will be a couple of twists.
Q. Ramsay Bolton made such an indelible mark as a character. Do you still make appearances at GoT conventions?
A. Yeah. I do a couple. Obviously, it was just wonderful to be part of something that’s so big, so successful and was just so well made more than anything. I really enjoyed doing it. I’m very grateful for the opportunity.
Q. You’re a musician yourself so did that give you some advantages in playing Mars in The Dirt?
A. I mean, I’m alright. I’m nowhere as good as Mick Mars. Also what I’ve always played is also slightly different style of guitar (acoustic folk) I suppose but I knew how to play guitar and that was really useful. I think Mick probably was quite a force in terms of the fact that he was a fantastic musician, as well as he was probably the best musician in the band. So he was the wise, old owl bringing his vibe to the crazy (group.)
Q. Were you a Motley Crue music fan before making this movie?
A. Not really no. I was aware of them and I knew their songs and stuff and I had heard about their reputation but I wasn’t a huge fan generally of that genre to be honest. So it was kind of cool getting to learn the songs. They’re really hard to play because Mick was such a good guitarist. But, yeah, I really sort of fell in love with a lot of the songs. You can’t help it really when you’re playing them with the boys. To replicate playing them live in a movie with all the lights and the costumes and the wigs. It was so much fun to do that.
Q. Mars, who comes across as the group’s accomplished but quieter centre, could have disappeared in the film but you steal scenes as him due in no small part to his sense of humour. Was that important to portray?
A. There’s actual footage of them speaking about this where the band is saying how funny he is. He used to entertain them and make them laugh even though he did his own thing.
Q. Was the key to playing Mars getting to meet or talk to him?
A. I never met him. I spoke to him on the phone and we pretty much talked about guitars and amps. ‘What amps are you using?’ It says a lot about the kind of guy Mick is. He’s a true musician through and through. Speaking to him about it was great. He was very encouraging. And his wife made me a replica of the T-shirt that he used to wear, ‘Don’t Touch Me. I’ll Kill You.’ He wanted to get that in the film so he sent that over to me which was really cool.
Q. Mars suffers from arthritis known as Ankylosing Spondylitis which he’s described as “quick-drying cement growing on the inside of your spine.” How did you portray that physicality?
A. How he describes that (in the book) is very insightful, his wonderful imagery, which is really good for actors. It’s certainly the way I work or the way my brain works or whatever to sort of spark my imagination. When you read his parts and how he just sort of fundamentally just wanted to be in a band his whole life, that’s what he was so focused on, and nothing would get in the way. And then he gets diagnosed and he’s worried that he’s not going to be able to play the guitar anymore but he overcame that. It’s an amazing story.
