Interview with Robert Lindsay (Morgan)
Category: Press Pack ArticleWhy did you want to get involved in Generation Z?
It was the kind of thing I never really wanted to do until my kids, my own Generation Z, persuaded me because they're big fans of Ben Wheatley. I didn't know him, but I'm glad I did it because I really enjoyed working with him. He's quite a character with a really wacky sense of humour. He lets you do your own thing on a take as well as one following his script. One for him and one for yourself, which I really like. Ben also asked my youngest son to come down as a runner – at one point he appears in the sequence when they're doing their A levels. He had a fantastic experience.
So your kids’ instincts were right?
Yeah, although it was very mysterious offer. I really didn't get it until I talked to Ben on the phone and realised he'd written a kind of satire on the pandemic and the problems a lot of kids face now. My kids responded to the script far better than I did initially, because they suffered very badly during Covid, during their A levels and going to university. It was really tough on them. Ben's also tapped into the lack of understanding between grown-ups and Generation Z through a horror story, although some people will find it very difficult to take when it gets very ghoulish. I had a body part – a torso with bits missing and a cut through the stomach – made for a certain sequence. After the shoot, the producers rang me and asked if I wanted it, or else they were going to throw it away. I said, “Why not?” They delivered it in a box, which my wife and my young son opened, probably thinking it was a bottle of champagne or something. I heard the scream from them downstairs!
Could you introduce Morgan?
He's a curious character who knows more about what's happening than he says initially. He has a background in science which he is putting to use by growing and produces recreational drugs in his cave, which he then supplies to the kids who go to him. He has a sort of father-daughter relationship with Finn (Viola Prettejohn) and feels very concerned and protective towards her. He thinks she shouldn’t be doing this sort of thing, even though he's giving her drugs to supply to the kids.
Morgan’s also a bit of a social-justice warrior whose mantra is “don’t ever stop questioning things”. Are there echoes of Wolfie Smith there?
I think Ben thinks so. He did send me pictures of Wolfie and I think Citizen Smith was mentioned in the script at one point. Maybe that's why he thought of me to do it. Morgan’s an intelligent guy with an amazing history and the kids do treat him with some kind of respect, The Generation Z actors didn't treat me with much respect, but that's another story! A few of them remembered me from My Family. We'd have a tea break and I’d drop names like I do all the time, but they hadn’t a clue what I was talking about. That was rather refreshing, the joy of it, really. And the kids really responded to Ben’s improvisational elements, even though us older actors were a bit nervous about it because we’re trained and we like our lines!
Did you enjoy working with the older cast as well?
Yeah, there was a lovely freestyle between us all and we had a lot of laughs. I knew Sue Johnston (playing Cecily) and Anita Dobson (playing Janine) very well – Anita and I did Playaway when we were kids! I remember the first time I met the cast and crew, and it was a bit of a shock when I saw Sue, who had just come out of four hours in makeup. She tried to make phone call but, because it was face recognition, she couldn’t get the phone to work!
What were the themes that particularly interested you in Generation Z?
I like Ben’s idea of elderly people being rejuvenated – and their rejuvenation includes devouring children. If that's an allegory or a metaphor for the life we're all living at the moment, he’s done a very good job of it.
What was the most challenging aspect of shooting the series?
Some of the locations were pretty grim. We filmed in the basement of a market in Newport, a listed building, and the basement was an old abattoir. It was very dank and we were there for weeks. It really captured the mood of the piece and there was no phone connection at all, which Ben was very pleased about. There was a real sense of release when you went up for a cup of tea or a coffee out in the daylight. Then it was back into the basement!
How would you cope in a zombie apocalypse?
Zombies don't frighten me. I'm a Dracula man, but zombies just keep coming at you. It just goes on and on and on as more people get infected. You might as well give up, or stay in your cave, as Morgan does.