Nick Frost’s darkly hilarious mind is at work once again withGet Away. This Steffan Haars-directed horror-comedy is the latest chapter for Frost in the genre, asfans ofShaun of the Deadwill recognizethat the actor’s signature charm is palpable throughout the 90-minute runtime. The movie also comes in tandem withKrazy House, which was also co-directed by Haars, andBlack Cab.
Frost, who also wrote the film, stars inGet Awayas Richard, the patriarch of the Smith family that includes his wife Susan (Aisling Bea), his daughter Jessie (Maisie Ayres), and his son Sam (Sebastian Croft). The Smiths take a getaway vacation to a Swedish island, looking to participate in the native population’s traditional festival, though find it to be a far more sinister experience than they were prepared for.
Get Away Review: Nick Frost’s Deliciously Dark Return To Comedy Horror Pushes The Limits
Get Away delivers a brilliant comedy horror story with outstanding comic actors who turn a quint folk horror story into a potential cult classic.
Ahead ofGet Away’s December 6 theatrical release,ScreenRantspoke with Frost and Aisling Bea about coming up with the film’s concept, how Bea’s Susan maintains her stoicism throughout the chaos, and what Frost’s Gobber will bring tothe live-actionHow to Train Your Dragoncast, including how it will differ slightly from the animated classic.
“…they always did their best to ignore me and not make me feel one bit welcome.”
ScreenRant: Let’s talk about this great Swedish journey that you guys go on inGetAway. Nick, I want to start with you. You penned this script. Where on earth did you come up with this concept?
Nick Frost: Well, I spent a lot of time on a tiny Swedish island killing people. [Laughs] My first wife was Swedish, and her brother had a beautiful house on a very small island in the Baltic Sea. And we spent a lot of time there, a lot of summers and Christmases and Easters. I love the fact that even though I knew everyone on the island very, very well, they always did their best to ignore me and not make me feel one bit welcome.
In fact, the only time I ever felt welcome was when I asked one of the elders, “What do you think, could we come and shoot this film on the island?” And he scratched his chops for a while, and then he said, “Don’t s–t where you eat.” In that, I recognized that he recognized that I did eat there. And in that there was like a, “Okay, alright, well maybe they get me a bit, maybe they’re seeing me a bit.” But yeah, I just love that fact that you can come to an island for a long time, and you don’t make any impact on them at all. In fact, they wouldn’t give a s–t if you never got off that boat again.
Aisling Bea: We shot the film in Finland, and I think Finnish people are quite like Swedish. We were just talking about Nick being an inside laugher, and I think Swedish and Finnish people are quite inside laughers as well. I was struck by how warm Finnish people were, but they tell you, ‘That was very funny [without actually laughing].'"
“That sort of energy I just found really fun to play.”
Ais, I want to go down a rabbit hole with you. Your character, for whatever reason, throughout all the weirdness that’s going on, remains cheery. Susan is always just like, “Oh, that was a bit odd.” That’s it. That’s the genuine reaction. Where does that positivity come from?
Aisling Bea: The element of, for me, of course, there’s the mother role. It’s maternal. When we start the film until we get to the twist, it’s a very obvious, on the nose that she is overburdened. “I really need this holiday. I’ve been doing everything.” There’s loads of, I’m sure you don’t have children watching this, horniness in there. I think it is brought into that sort of horny mom quality as well, which I just love. That sort of energy I just found really fun to play.
Nick Frost: There’s a confidence there as a character and as a person that should the s–t hit the fan, I’m prepared to stick a knife in your throat and there’s a confidence that exudes in terms of, well this is great, I’m going to enjoy all this, but if you f–k me off, I’m going to murder you.
Frost’s Gobber Will Have A Slight Change InHow to Train Your Dragon
“…Dean was very kind to me…”
Nick, before we wrap up, I’ma hugeHow to Train Your Dragonfan. I’m so stoked for the live-action movie. You’re playing Gobber in that movie. I’m just curious about how your iteration is going to differ from what we’ve seen in the past. What are you bringing to it for live-action audiences?
Nick Frost: Well, [director] Dean [DeBlois] was very collaborative, and he allowed us to do what we wanted. The leg is different. I think Gobber’s right leg is missing, but my left leg is missing. I have a very bad knee. I’ve just had my knee replaced. And so Dean was very kind to me and said, “We’ll make sure your bad leg is Gobber’s bad leg too.” So that’s one.
AboutGet Away
Created by and starring Nick Frost, Get Away tells the tale of the Smith family’s vacation to a strange Swedish island. Susan (Aisling Bea) pushes for the destination due to her desire to participate in the natives’ mysterious festival. Joined by her husband Richard (Frost) as well as their two children Jessie (Maisie Ayres) and Sam (Sebastian Croft), the Smiths find themselves coiled in chaos when the island’s practices take a threatening turn.
Check back soon for our otherGet Awayinterviews, including the spoiler-filled half of this interview, here:
Get Away
Cast
A family’s vacation to a remote island turns into a nightmare when they discover a serial killer is targeting them. Combining dark humor with chilling suspense, the show explores the family’s desperate struggle for survival as they attempt to outwit their relentless pursuer.
