French-Canadian actor Sebastian Roberts chatted about starring the new film “Mercy.”
Tony Dean Smith directed this thriller from a screenplay by Alex Wright.
Shooting the movie ‘Mercy’
“It was a great experience,” he said about filming “Mercy.” “It was refreshing, and it was actually my first action film. It was different and very exciting. It keeps you in shape and on your toes. There was a lot of improv, chaos, and we need to roll with the punches.”
The synopsis is: An ex-military doctor Michelle (Leah Gibson) finds herself in a deadly battle for survival when the Irish mafia seize control of the hospital at which she works.
This is the hospital where Sean Quinn’s brother Ryan (Anthony Konechny) is being treated after getting shot by Sean (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) in an ambush.
Sean calls his father Patrick (Jon Voight) while he is playing golf to tell him the news, and they take matters into their own hands… by taking over the hospital, in an effort to find Ryan.
Working with the cast
Aside from Roberts, the movie also stars Leah Gibson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jon Voight, and Anthony Konechny, among others.
“Leah was great as the female lead,” he admitted. “She has a big heart and such a great soul. Being the lead, she had a lot, and she created a family atmosphere for sure.”
“It was an incredible experience to work with an Oscar winner such as Jon Voight. I was very happy to get my first action film under my belt,” he said.
Roberts continued, “It was nice working with Anthony Konechny; he is from Vancouver. He played the good guy/bad guy, and he was in the wheelchair the whole time,” he said. “Jonathan Rhys Meyers was great and very professional. He was very devoted to the work, and a good listener too. I was impressed.”
This was his first time working with executive producer Steven Paul of SP Media Group. “Steven was very hands-on, he knew what he wanted, and he had a good eye for things. Kudos to our stunt coordinator; even though we didn’t have a huge budget, the fight scenes were really good, they nailed them,” he said.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, Roberts said, “I need to get with the times. It’s hard for me. I’m old school and I have a lot of trouble with it. Even though, I know that I need to be better at it. It’s very difficult.”
“Acting is the only art where the more you know me, the less believable I am. It is good to be mysterious and not be seen all the time,” he expressed.
AI on the future of the industry
Roberts shared his thoughts on AI (artificial intelligence) on the future of the entertainment business. “It’s scary,” he said. “I don’t think we have enough knowledge right now to control it.”
“From the outside looking in, it is a very complex situation. It is only going to get more complex. You can’t put the brakes on that. There are a lot of good things that it’s going to do, but you also have to protect your jobs. Let’s see where it goes in the next 2.5 years,” he elaborated.
Advice for hopefuls who wish to get their foot in the door in acting
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “I get that question a lot in Montreal where they speak French. The first thing I say is to learn English because there is a lot more opportunities. The reality is that it’s like studying to be an athlete. You can chase your dream and be passionate but if you are young, you need to have something to fall back on.”
“It is only one percent that survive in this industry, where they are a lead in a movie or a series regular. 99 percent of the people have another job. A lot of people struggle and end up being very miserable. There is a lot of frustration when you are not established in this industry,” he explained.
“Finish your study, learn a trade, and have a passion for acting. Go to theater school but always have something to fall back on. That allows you to not be frustrated with the business as much,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he responded, “Producer.”
“I’ve been wanting to produce for a long time,” he admitted. “During the strike last year, there wasn’t much to do so I was asked to join a group of producers for a documentary called ‘Red Card.’ It’s about racism in soccer and FIFA.”
“It’s a really interesting project and I got on board. It kept me busy during the strike. Now, I am continuing with that team to produce other things,” he said.
“This was a nice thing to get involved with on top of acting. I have more creative control of my career so it’s a fun aspect,” he added.
Success
On his definition of the word success, “Success means hard work, dedication, sleepless nights. When I see success, I get all these flashes of sleeping in my car.”
“Every successful actor has done that because it shows dedication; it humbles you and it gives you tools that you can use. Life experiences are definitely a tool,” he concluded.
To learn more about actor Sebastien Roberts, follow him on Instagram.
Read More: ‘Mercy” is a hostage action film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Jon Voight.
