In Conversation with Celine Buckens, Actor and Filmmaker
Sat in the back garden of a cosy Bethnal Green cafe, I share a patch of late afternoon sun with Celine Buckens, a Belgian-born English actor whose credits include Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, the Netflix teen series Free Rein, and the martial arts drama Warrior. Next month she stars in the new BBC One drama Showtrial, which explores media sensationalism and questions privilege surrounding a high-profile murder case.
Celine has recently made her way behind the camera - directing, writing, editing and co-producing the short Prangover, long listed for the Emerging Talent Award and nominated for Best Comedy Short at the New Renaissance Film Festival. It will next screen at Glasgow’s World of Film International Festival on October 9th.
As well as an interview with a working creative, this is also a long overdue catch up between old school friends. Our topics of conversation would be the same either way: movies, industry happenings and the joys of filmmaking.
How did you get started as an actor?
I started acting at age fourteen for War Horse, then I didn't work for seven years. I finished school and studied history at LSE, all the while still doing school plays and auditioning. I don't come from an artistic family at all, so I was kind of winging it. I started in the deep end and felt like I was totally drowning. I was about nineteen when I started acting professionally again, when in my second year of university, and from then, it's been pretty consistent. The first thing I did after that break was the ITV series Endeavour. It was a small part where I played a promiscuous nurse who seduces the older doctor.
No research needed!
Yeah, no acting required! Actually, it's a common theme in my career because after that I played a bitchy character in Free Rein. But a lot of acting was required for that because I had to ride a horse. Weirdly enough it was the same stables for War Horse and Free Rein. They saw me grow up. I'm actually quite decent at riding now.
Did getting a Netflix show feel like your big break?
I learned so much from the show. I was really excited and very grateful to have the opportunity getting used to spending that much time on camera. Even though it was never a project that was very close to my heart, it was still a really valuable experience. But it didn't feel like a big break, because I wasn't that excited about the material. I knew that the people with whom it would be successful probably wouldn't remain my target audience for the rest of my life.
Do you feel you have to moderate your behaviour in any way because you gained that younger fan base?
Do you mean on Instagram? Yeah, I think I'd be sort of careful not to behave in a way that is maybe not age appropriate on my stories, etc. But also I’m not a pony princess, sorry to say. Even four years after the last episode aired, I still get messages from people asking about season four and if it’s happening. But it’s not.
You now play Sophie Mercer on Warrior, what’s it about?
It’s about the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, set in San Francisco and based on an idea that Bruce Lee wrote. When he took it to studios in the 1980s they told him no one would watch a television show with an Asian lead. And so Shannon Lee, his daughter, later brought it to Jonathan Tropper and Justin Lin, who are now the showrunners. It’s really good fun and historically very interesting.
You’ve written about experiencing your first sex scene following #MeToo on the show. What was having an intimacy coordinator like?
There were only about two or three in the world that really had the training and the understanding of the role when we filmed a few years ago. Because of #MeToo there’s been a push to make women feel comfortable on set, or to make it appear like they’re trying to make women feel comfortable on set. However, a lot of the people who are in that role don't necessarily have the training, because it’s so new. And that means that directors, actors and the rest of the crew don't always understand what the role of the intimacy coordinator is. There are real questions of where does the creative licence lie? Is it a choreography kind of role? Is it a safeguarding kind of role? The pioneers of it, like Ita O'Brien, don't only want to get actors to do what the director wants in a less intimidating way; it's more collaborative. So having people in that role who aren't trained is kind of pointless. But my experience was really positive. I really appreciate that there’s a push for this new role and it’s definitely needed. But the proliferation of the title doesn’t necessarily mean there are enough people who are trained. There needs to be an agreement and information given to each person on a production, so that everyone understands what the role is.
It’s not only about safeguarding, but also having a creative or artistic influence in how the scene comes out.
Of course those safeguarding measures do need to be in place, but that's kind of the baseline. The role is so much more than that. And you probably get more from the scene and from the actors if it feels collaborative. I can only speak for myself, but I don't really care how much skin I'm showing. The point is how it's being done on set: whether it serves the story or whether it’s being done in a way that serves a male audience for titillating reasons.
What kind of roles do you gravitate towards?
I think people assume that actors have more agency than they do. To be honest, if a project is attached to a director or writer that I respect, I’ll always consider it.
Who would be your dream director?
Probably Scorsese or Michael Haneke. Or Rose Glass, who has only directed one film (Saint Maud) but I thought it was absolutely brilliant.
Great film! I can imagine with Rose Glass or Scorsese you being in a gritty drama as the solo woman lead. I somehow see them engineering similar things.
You should have a word with them.
I’ll try!
On the subject of agency, I would be happy to never act again and just write. It's not only a career thing, I want to be involved in projects that I find interesting. For example, I freaking love short films.
Before we discuss your film, I want to talk about another short you were in called Death Touch 2006 & the dark angel of infidelity. It has some interesting religious themes...
Yeah, that was a horror short film I did with this Australian director/writer/cinematographer duo. I feel like there wasn't that much religious stuff in the film.
The devil? With the dildo?
That dildo was something else.
It had its own starring role.
Honestly, it’s the biggest character in the film.
Did you know the collaborators beforehand?
No, I didn't know them. But it's one of my favourite acting jobs that I've ever done, even though it was a four day shoot and super low budget. I found the people I was working with really interesting. The breakdown for my character was that she's a British Paris Hilton with a vindictive streak. And I was like, I can do it.
You totally did it. Okay, Prangover. What's it about and why did you choose this topic?
It’s a silent comedy about a hungover woman’s various fears after a one night stand. It includes a spectrum from being worried that she’s pregnant to worrying that she’s going to get stabbed to death in the STI clinic. It covers those tiny experiences that I think a lot of women go through all the time. It doesn't feel funny when you’re living it, but actually there is a certain humour in that it’s a silent, unacknowledged communal thing. It’s very light in tone. I did think it was a topic that I haven’t really seen explored in a way that isn’t heavy.
Did you always plan to edit?
Yeah, because I wanted to learn. Actually, I think I learnt a lot about acting through editing. The real value of stillness. My short is colourful, kinetic and very fast-paced. It became influenced by Edgar Wright and Damien Chazelle, they love whip pans. The editing was written into the script. I don’t think everything I make is going to have that style, in fact, I think it’s quite surprising in that it doesn’t really correlate with what I watch. But it was really right for that story.
Now that you’re directing and producing, are you conscious of ways you could maybe improve industry practices?
I don’t think I’m at a level where I can yet. I made Prangover with basically no budget, but we used an all-female crew. I don’t think that necessarily gives someone a step up but it does create a network of women who have worked together. It’s doing the legwork to build a network that isn’t with the more obvious people who might have had it a bit easier. However, saying I really want it to be equal opportunity and diverse is all very well, but then, I can’t pay you. Like any creative industry there’s an inherent barrier because at the beginning you have to deal with not getting paid for quite a few years, and not everyone can do that. That’s a huge barrier.
It must be frustrating because filmmakers can take all these steps but often there’s little change up top. Diversity can become a bit of a marketing ploy.
The fact that it is marketable to have diversity, you could be very cynical about that - this is tokenistic, this is terrible - but the flip side is there’s a demand for that diversity. There are now more schemes that will reach out and try to build the pool of diversity from the ground up. I don’t think that would happen if it wasn’t sellable in a way. There’s the positive and the negative. It comes from a good place but there is a tokenistic element to it that sits uncomfortably. Change can’t just come from one side. A film isn’t going to change the world. A politician isn’t going to change the world. They’re all building blocks. But I do think it’s getting better. The diversity initiatives are great. That’s going to apply to films that are good and some that aren’t so good.
There should be room for average content, too. Female directors are often judged more harshly than mediocre male directors. If they’re not above and beyond people use it to prove their confirmation bias that women aren’t as good.
On TV shows there will usually be multiple directors for one season, so you can actually compare with the same crew how different directors are treated. People will definitely comment on a mediocre male director. But if you have a female director, people start making broader statements like, “I think women find it harder to control a crew.”
You become a representative for all women. Last question, what can you tell me about Showtrial?
It follows a sensationalised murder trial where the victim is a beautiful straight As working class university student. I play the main accused, this very posh daughter of a well-known billionaire. She also has a history of sex work so is highly sexualised in the media. The story takes place from the point of view of her lawyer (Tracy Ifeachor), a Black woman who’s had to fight tooth and nail to get to where she is. I think it’s quite an interesting way of approaching questions of privilege. The lawyer, who has been judged by her appearance throughout her life, is defending someone who is the opposite. I took some inspiration in the research for my character from cases like Amanda Knox, Michael Peterson and Michelle Taylor during the 90s here in the UK. Showtrial really puts the audience in the position of the jury. Are you going to judge this woman based on evidence, or based on her personality and sexual history? Because she’s not a likable character. I like her, but I’m biased.
You’re expanding your canon of playing bitchy characters.
Unsavoury characters.
That’s a much better word.
Flawed women!
Follow Celine on Instagram @celinebuckens
Watch (if you dare) Death Touch 2006 & the dark angel of infidelity on Vimeo
Get tickets for Prangover’s screening at the World of Film International Festival in Glasgow here
