The star of the new film ‘Robert the Bruce’ is set to return to Skye this week for a special screening of the feature at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig this Friday.
Angus Macfadyen, who also co-wrote the film, lived in Tarskavaig on Skye for two decades until 2017.
The actor and writer, who among his many cinematic roles also played Robert the Bruce in ‘Braveheart’, is now returning to the island to showcase his new film which has been somewhat of a labour of love having come to fruition after 13 years in the making.
Speaking to the Free Press ahead of Friday’s screening at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Mr Macfadyen said he was keen to bring the film to the island given his connection to the area.
He said: “It took 13 years but we have got it out there. We’re coming up to the fourth week (since its release) but I just wanted to bring it to some areas where there weren’t necessarily cinemas, and also because I lived in Tarskavaig for 20 years between 1997 and 2017. I have got my personal connection there, with my family having lived there.”
He added: “Me and my family come up quite often. In fact, we are not far away right now – we’re close to Eilean Donan Castle and making day trips over to Skye.”
Looking ahead to the event in Sleat, which will also include a Q&A session, he went on to say: “It’s a very disconnected job, but this makes it much more like a theatrical experience. First, you have that sense of expectancy when you introduce it, and each audience is different when it comes to the questioning and whether the film is enthusiastically received.
“At the end of the day, I co-wrote it, and there were a good 50 people involved in the making of the film, so it becomes a much more collaborative effort.
He added: “I don’t mind honest criticism. As long as people’s reactions are something honest and not some kind of malicious talk, like one reviewer who called it ‘quasi-historical propaganda’ which is nonsense.”
While the Glasgow-born actor’s long-standing aim to bring ‘Robert the Bruce’ to the big screen was finally realised when it had its world premiere in Edinburgh on 23rd June, MacFadyen then had to overcome a further obstacle. Cineworld, the world’s second-largest cinema chain, had initially decided not to screen the film for “commercial reasons”.
However, they reversed their decision following a campaign led by Macfadyen which included a public petition that attracted more than 5,600 signatures.
Commenting on the support he said: “I think there was an appetite for people to see it, and that was truly humbling to have people get up and voice their desire to be able to get to the cinema at a correct hour and actually see the film – there were only certain showings and it was about the accessibility of it.”
When asked what reactions he hoped the viewers would have to the film he added: “Just an emotional one; a real feeling of being somewhat drained, somewhat elated. They say there’s nothing better than a silent cinema at the end as long as it isn’t one which is asleep. You know, just that people have a great time watching the movie and it ages well without withering.”
For more info on the screening, visit the Seall website
Article by Adam Gordon