Category: Carnival Row

Interview: Digging into the social issues of Carnival Row with David Gyasi, Tamzin Merchant & Andrew Gower

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Edward Douglas (The Beat) got on the phone with Andrew Gower, Tamzin Merchant and David Gyasi to talk about Carnival Row and their characters.

On the question what attracted them to their respective characters, Andrew answered:

I hadn’t read a script that has female characters so shaped and so formed and living and challenging the men in a Victorian period film is something that is really refreshing. […] That sort of works for me right now as an actor who is attracted to those projects consistently, and that is the work I’ve done in the past and this specifically is the one that I went, “Ah, we’re dealing with female characters that we haven’t dealt with before, and I get to be in scenes with them.

We can’t wait to see Andrew in yet another series set in Victorian times (the “real” one this time) with a strong female lead in Miss Scarlet and the Duke!

He further explained about his Carnival Row character Ezra and how he approached him:

I think a lot of people like to keep things out of how they are because they’re terrified of change. Why do you put a woman in a corset to stop her challenging you? Why do women and men sit in different rooms so they can’t gossip? I read this etiquette book to play Ezra and it was really helpful, because every time I was in a scene with my sister [Imogen], she was breaking every etiquette rule in that book, so basically, that’s obviously going to make me angry because she’s not abiding…

Read the full interview on The Beat!

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More Press Reviews for Carnival Row

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  • 19 August 2019: Tim Goodman for The Hollywood Reporter

Carnival Row mixes deep mythological elements with a creatively bleak, timeless setting (recalling the Victorian era) and contemporary issues of race, class, immigration and sexual identity. […]

Carnival Row has a strong cast and if you’re in the open-minded mood to see how humans, fairies and inter-species creations fight to get along in a dark world of magical realism and Jack the Ripper-era British police tactics — replete with political machinations, an otherworldly serial killing spree and disparate tribes of combatants — then this is precisely your stew.

The fine supporting cast includes Jared Harris (Chernobyl) and Indira Varma (Game of Thrones) as a powerful politician and his scheming wife; David Gyasi (Interstellar, Cloud Atlas) as a rich outcast; Simon McBurney (The Loudest Voice) as a theater actor and key piece to a larger murder mystery; and Karla Crome (The Victim, Misfits) as a fae prostitute and best friend to Vignette. All give strong performances, as do Andrew Gower and Tamzin Merchant as brother-and-sister aristocrats with sinking fortunes.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)

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  • 27 August 2019: Allison Shoemaker for Roger Ebert

Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) […] finds herself and her contract in the home of the sniveling Ezra Spurnrose (Andrew Gower), his petulant, marriage-obsessed sister Imogen (Tamzin Merchant, a series standout), and their faun housekeeper Afissa (Tracey Wilkinson). The Spurnroses have a mysterious wealthy new neighbor, who himself is a faun—the handsome, brooding Mr. Agreus (David Gyasi), who’s met with snobbery at best and hostility and prejudice at worst. It’s prickly. Luckily for Vignette, this is a city where you are bound to run into everyone you’ve ever met without much effort.

[Travis] Beacham’s world is richly textured […] and directors like Thor Freudenthal and Jon Amiel capture that texture, even luxuriate in it.[…] When the storytelling approaches the level of the world-building and subsequent production design, it can be engaging, even enthralling. […]

Each and every member of the cast acts their little hearts out, and each and every corner of this world could not possibly be more Carnival Row. Like many a silly novel, it is a shambles, but an enjoyable one, and […] you’ll be rewarded with a long, messy, and satisfying distraction.

(Source: Roger Ebert)

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  • 29 August 2019: Melanie McFarland for Salon

It’s a fable about refugees and immigrant discrimination written to reflect the crises and cruelties of our times. It’s a tale of clashing cultures and warring belief systems. But it’s also a Victorian-style murder mystery in which a Jack the Ripper-style killer is hunting unsuspecting fae. […]

Carnival Row is a visual splendor, make no mistake about that. Even when the setting is at its dingiest, its directors Thor Freudenthal and Jon Amiel draw the eye to the beauty in the muck, making the loveliest scenes glow all the richer. Of course the real test is how well the CGI sells the fairy flights and mid-air skirmishes, and it passes on both counts. The fae wings, when unfurled, are enviable. […]

The divided world of the Burgue is harrowing enough to navigate with a killer on the prowl. Then add in the drama’s array of subplots only loosely connecting most parties during the first four episodes of season one, and at times, keeping all the stories in order feels akin to sorting through entrails — though much lovelier, of course, and peddled by extraordinary actors.

(Source: Salon)

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Tamzin Merchant, David Gyasi and Andrew Gower Talk Carnival Row

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Lissette Lanuza Sáenz from Fangirlish.com was able to interview David Gyasi (Agreus Astrayon), Tamzin Merchant (Imogen Spurnrose) and Andrew Gower (Ezra Spurnrose) about their upcoming roles on Carnival Row.

Andrew was very philosophical about [expectations being a tricky thing], saying “People are gonna like the show, and people are not gonna like the show. But that in itself is the show.” […]

Andrew had the perfect example […], in the way he approached a character like Ezra, who is very much not the hero of this tale. “I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t read anybody’s storyline other than my own because I was like: That’s what Ezra would do.”

Read the full interview here!

In her review of the show Lissette Lanuza Sáenz also added:

[…] the storyline involving Imogen, Agreus and Ezra [is] the strongest of them all. In fact, Imogen’s journey throughout the series, though a little predictable, has enough gravitas to it that in the end, I didn’t just feel for her, I wanted her to win, and Ezra’s turn as, well, a Victorian man, through and through, is acted so convincingly that you can’t help but feel a bit sorry for him.

You can read her complete review here.

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Carnival Row Prequel Comics

From Legendary Comics come two prequel one-shot companions to introduce the show’s main protagonists Rycroft Philostrate (Orlando Bloom) and Vignette Stonemoss (Cara Delevingne) and their backstories.

“From the Dark” follows Rycroft Philostrate as he adjusts to his life in The Burgue, and the memories of his former life intertwine with a mystery that will take him through the strange city streets that he now calls home. A recent bomb attack has only intensified the situation. Can he find the people responsible before there is another explosion?

“Sparrowhawk” features Vignette and her fellow Fae, who after finding their homeland under attack, must fight and sacrifice in order to reach safety. Mythical powers only count for so much, when the other side has them too. Will they find the refuge they are looking for or does an even bigger threat wait for them?

The comics are already available on ComiXology. Both are free for the first week of release, but will cost $0.99 after 4 September 2019.

Filming of Carnival Row Season 2 to Start in September

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After scouting new locations in and around Dubrovnik in Croatia and a quick trip to Los Angeles (CA) for the world premiere of Carnival Row, creator Travis Beacham is back in Prague, presumably preparing to begin filming the second season of the fantasy series.

At the same time, the Czech casting agency Extrafilms is looking for extras to play “pucks” in the new season. According to their website shooting starts in the second half of September.

CARNIVAL ROW 2. série – natáčení od druhé půlky září

(CARNIVAL ROW Season 2 – shooting from the second half of September)

If you’re interested in playing a faun (“puck” is a derogatory term for these mythical creatures) in season 2, you can contact Extrafilms via e-mail. Follow them on Facebook for up-to-date information.

MEZI 10. a 15.9. budou probíhat choreografické zkoušky, kde se budou potvrzovat noví adepti choreografkou.

(Between 10. and 15.9. there will be choreographic tests where new applicants will be confirmed by the choreographer.)

(Source: Extrafilms Facebook Page)

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More Production Images from Carnival Row

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Here are two new production images from Carnival Row showing the Spurnrose household. Pictured above are siblings Ezra (Andrew Gower) and Imogen Spurnrose (Tamzin Merchant) at their lushly decorated home.

Thank you to production designer François Séguin for sharing these pictures of the absolutely stunning set design with us. Check out his website for more photos here.

For more images from Carnival Row have a look at our Gallery.

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Carnival Row: Andrew Gower Red Carpet Interviews

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Andrew Gower attended the Carnival Row world premiere at the famous TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Wednesday 21 August 2019. We’ve collected a series of interviews with him from the red carpet at the LA screening.

Watch the videos below to see what Andrew has to say about the Victorian noir series, his character Ezra Spurnrose and what viewers can expect. Enjoy!

Visit our Gallery with more pictures from the event and read all news Carnival Row!

Carnival Row: Red Carpet Interviews

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Watch this video with interviews from the red carpet at the LA screening of Carnival Row last Wednesday.

First up is Andrew Gower (Ezra Spurnrose), followed by cast and crew members Arty Froushan (Jonah Breakspear), Cara Delevingne (Vignette Stonemoss), Caroline Ford (Sophie Longerbane), David Gyasi (Agreus Astrayon), brothers Jamie Harris (Sergeant Dombey) and Jared Harris (Absalom Breakspear), Marc Guggenheim (executive producer), Orlando Bloom (Rycroft Philostrate), Tamzin Merchant (Imogen Spurnrose) and Travis Beacham (creator, executive producer).

https://youtu.be/vf-GV6C1GHk

Andrew Gower Attends Carnival Row Screening

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Last night the main cast of Carnival Row attended the world premiere at the famous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Lead actors Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne were joined by actors David Gyasi, Tamzin Merchant, brothers Jamie and Jared Harris, Arty Froushan, Caroline Ford and Andrew Gower. The show creator Travis Beacham and writer Marc Guggenheim also attended the screening and walked the “black carpet”.

Visit our Gallery for more pictures from the event, some pre-carpet shots and interview screencaps. We’ll update there if and as we find more photos.

Travis Beacham Explains Evolution of Carnival Row

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Twitter user Shannon Corbeil asked Carnival Row creator Travis Beacham (pictured above with actress Tamzin Merchant who plays Imogen Spurnrose on the fantasy noir series) how the script called A Killing on Carnival Row for a full length feature film Beacham wrote in 2005 ended up as an Amazon Prime series coming out in 2019.

Beacham was happy to answer in a series of tweets and it’s an interesting read!

1) So Carnival Row was a short film I wrote in film school, wanting to direct. Born from a litany of bizarre influences. Dickens, The Third Man, Brassaï, Jack the Ripper lore, Celtic mythology, etc. But to my chagrin, the faculty balked at making it.

2) My screenwriting teacher convinced me to write the feature. This felt like the height of indulgence. I ADORED it but could not imagine anyone else would. It was so dense & weird. Then an alumni interning in LA asked me to send it to him, which I did, thinking nothing of it.

3) A month or so later, he calls me (still in film school) and says, “You should know you’re going to start getting phone calls.” And my life, truly, was never the same after that. Within a year, I had agents, I’d met Guillermo del Toro, and Carnival Row was on the Black List.

4) It was very warmly received in Hollywood, and sold to New Line, but quickly proved almost impossible to make for a host of dull reasons. So it became kind of a sacrificial lamb in my mind. This pure thing I loved intensely that had to die so I could have a career.

5) And it really was very dead. But it kept coming up. Years later, I’d still get asked in meetings, “Carnival Row, I loved that script. What’s going on with that one?” And I’d have to force a smile & say, “Oh I don’t know,” while thinking — you are never going to see that one.

6) But at some point, shortly after I took a bit of a thumping on an unrelated pilot experience, Legendary acquires Carnival Row from New Line. And Thomas Tull calls to ask, “So what do you think about making this as a tv show?” And like that, it wasn’t dead anymore.

7) Finally, we shopped it around. Amazon happily snapped it up. We wrote it. Hired a crew. Found a cast. Went to Prague. Built the Row. Shot the whole thing. And it’s coming out on August 30th, in open defiance of the natural order. #CarnivalRow

8) And I don’t know what lessons there are to draw. It’s still so surreal to me that it’s happening. I know people reach for comparisons b/c they have to, I guess, but to me it’s this thing that’s been in my life for ages and is suddenly real. Which is the craziest part.

(Source: Travis Beacham on Twitter)