Harry Melling Brings a Complicated Queer Character to Life

There’s an oft-quoted statement by Alfred Hitchcock that 90 percent of a director’s job is choosing the right actors. And nowhere is that clearer than the on-screen pairing of Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård. The film’s success hinges on the striking contrast between Skarsgård, the strapping Swede, and Melling, the unassuming, doe-eyed innocent who discovers the thrill of submission. But despite all the promise of leather, latex and kink, this film takes the viewer on a quite an emotional rollercoaster that probes how emotions are navigated between master and pillion.

Skarsgård turns in a restrained and compelling performance as the uber-cypher Ray while Melling portrays the rather meek and nondescript parking enforcement stiff Colin who comes alive when Ray comes into his life. Colin is the emotional center at the heart of this lopsided romance. Melling conveys so much with his expressive face that he evokes qualities reminiscent of silent screen icons of days long gone by. While Ray is unreadable (by design) Melling’s emotions are visible for all to see which makes the tension between them all the more palpable and begs the question as to who will succumb to the other’s will.

I caught up with Harry for a Zoom chat to talk about the film and how he immersed himself in this role.

Did you ever imagine that you’d be a romantic lead opposite Alexander Skarsgård.

It was always a dream of mine. And I’m very happy to say I’ve done it. Every job that comes my way, I’m kind of amazed that I’m involved and get an opportunity to play these fascinating creatures.

How did your casting come about for this film?

Harry Lighton (the director) wanted to cast my role “Colin” first. So he asked me to read the script, and I completely fell in love with the material and this character. I thought his writing was just exquisite. I was fascinated by this subculture as well as the familiar sort of relatable aspects of the story in terms of first love and what that means, and the coming-of-age story. Luckily, I didn’t have to audition. I just immediately said yes, I’d love to do it. And then very quickly after that, Alex came on board, which was just incredible. And we started to build this movie from that point, really.

Was there a long gestation between the time that you came on board and the start of filming?

Yeah, I was offered the role about a year before we started principal photography, which personally I love. Give me all the time to try and sort of mull on the character and who they might be. I get quite sort of panicky if it goes too quickly. I was very happy to have some time to really think about Colin and to look at the book which the film is based on – Box Hill. I also spent a lot of time researching the character with the GBMCC, the Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club in the UK.

Have you played gay roles before?

I haven’t. I did a really weirdly wonderful movie called Please Baby Please, where I played this sort of androgynous, confused character who you could describe as being sexually ambiguous. But that would be the closest thing I’ve done to playing a queer role.

In terms of researching the gay biker subculture, had you had any exposure to this subculture prior to coming on this film or were you a complete novice?

It was all really new to me in terms of being introduced to the GBMCC. Within that community, there’s some people that are part of the kink scene as well. So I got to meet these incredible individuals who were so generous with their time and information, offering all sorts of support and pretty much their life story, in terms of why they’ve chosen to express themselves in this manner. They were quite overwhelmingly generous. Because I would imagine, having an actor come in, who’s trying to probe them for secrets, or information about what it is that they do in their spare time or why they choose to express themselves in this manner, could be very intimidating. And it was the absolute opposite. They were unbelievably generous in volunteering information. And a lot of the bikers in the movie are from the GBMCC and they really were a pivotal part of this movie. And what’s so great about them being on set all the time was, if ever there was a question that we wanted to try and work out – like in the orgy scene, what would your physicality be, they were on board to help us out. When we premiered at Cannes, a lot of them came to the premiere, and seeing their faces, they seemed really happy with the finished product. Happy that their lives have been given this platform for the world to understand and see. And that was just a wonderful thing to be a part of. And in lots of ways, I think we kind of made the movie for them. They really were pivotal in the DNA of the movie.

What would you say was the biggest myth or misconception that was busted open after getting to know them.

What I found really fascinating on my first outing with them – I rode pillion (passenger seat) up to Cambridge in the UK from London where I live. And I remember we took a stop-off at this tiny little tea hut in this field somewhere. And we all had a cup of tea, sat around this little hut and spoke about something mundane like the weather. Not that I thought everything would be sort of loud and big, or even like they would always be sort of channeling their kink personas or what have you, but actually the mundanity of it was something that I found fascinating. You know, the fact that we are just having a cup of tea, talking about the weather, as we’re riding these big, loud bikes to the Pride Festival in Cambridge. And I think in lots of ways, those two things are very much present in the movie. Those sorts of mundane, everyday things sort of crashing up against an orgy in the woods. Those two things being adjacent and often running alongside each other is what makes it so intriguing as a movie. And what I think grounds it in some sense of normalcy. So that was I think the big discovery for me, was they’re not just talking about puppy masks and leathers. It’s actually nice cozy conversations with a cup of tea around a little tea hut in the middle of a park somewhere.

What did you draw on personally from your own relationships to inhabit this role.

I think with every character you play, you’re playing a game of working out what things feel very close to you and connected to you, and things that might not be, that might need a bit of understanding and reaching for. The thing that I really connected with Colin was his curiosity, and I guess in a strange way, his bravery. When I walk into a room, I don’t think I’m the person that takes up the most space, which is very much like Colin. But doing what I do as an actor, there’s an act of bravery in there. To try and communicate these lives to people. So those two things were things that I felt very sort of in line with me as a person. Every role that you play, there’s things that you sort of draw on. And I also think we human beings are multi-faceted. There’s lots of things that might not be apparent on first seeing someone that might surprise you. And that’s the joy of acting, is the ability to channel all these aspects of yourself and bring them to the screen or to the stage.

There were a handful of scenes which had a very powerful impact and allowed the audience to get inside the psychology of this character. I’m thinking of the scene where you deliberately burn your hands by grabbing the pot while cooking dinner for you and Ray on your birthday. My interpretation was that this was his way of getting Ray’s attention. I was curious what was going on inside your head as the actor playing that part.

I think you’re right. I think it’s probably a combination of a few things. I think obviously his mom has just passed away and he’s trying to understand what that is, that grief, that loss. I think there’s something about Colin burning his hands which is about feeling something. He’s still trying to keep up the illusion that everything’s fine, that he’s happy in this dynamic, this relationship. But somewhere deep inside him, there’s a scream that is wanting to come out, and maybe if I burn my hands, it might be allowed out. That was my thinking. But also I think the loss of his mother is definitely the catalyst in terms of deciding that he wants more from this relationship. He wants more from Ray. He can’t do this, adhere to this strict dom/sub regimen 24/7. There has to be some kind of negotiation in terms of how it’s gonna work. Actively pressing his hands against the hot pan is a cry for help, and a cry to be heard. I think it’s all those things combined that were going through my head as I was playing him.

I was very moved by the dynamic between you and your mother. Your mom wanting to be protective of you and call Ray out for what to an outsider might appear uncaring or borderline abusive. On the one hand, your parents were very open-minded, but I loved how blunt she was when confronting Ray. She knew she had limited time left on this earth, and she didn’t mince words. 

That dinner scene is I think my favorite scene in the movie, just a collision of all these different viewpoints, all crashing together. I think it’s fantastic. And I love the way that Douglas and Leslie play those roles. I think they were so wonderful. They’re so supportive at the beginning. Almost too supportive. Overly sort of in Colin’s grill. Like you say, they’re so protective of him and wanting him to have a happy life. Yeah, I loved doing those scenes.

The other scene that stuck with me was the rebellion scene, where you defy Ray and take off on this joyride with his cherished motorcycle. There’s a potent mix of fear and reckless abandon as Colin does something totally out of character and turns the tables on Ray. It sort of reminded me of Nora in Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House. What was it like to perform that scene?

It was great. I was always fascinated with Colin. I spoke a lot about it with Harry Lighton (the director), about the moments of him cracking. And obviously holding onto a hot pan is definitely a cracking moment. But this is another one where he’s just had enough. And he does this thing that he hasn’t really thought through. It’s not pre-planned. It’s a big F-you to Ray. I’m off. I’m gonna show you that I mean business. That sequence was very much Colin feeling empowered and really growing up and listening to what he needs and what he wants.

In terms of your relationship with Alexander, as an actor, when you guys were off-camera, did you maintain your dom/sub vibe, or did you just go back to being two actors.

We very much went back to just being two actors on the set. There was no Method acting on this job.

After seeing him host Saturday Night Live, I was really surprised how funny he is. He’s not a brooding Swede.

No, no, no. There’s a beautiful mischief to Alex as a person. And I think you see that in Ray. For someone who is very dominant, there’s a twinkle in his eye, that I think Colin sees as well. Colin wants to crack that. And I think Alex plays it beautifully. Getting to work with him was really wonderful. He’s a very generous scene partner. We didn’t have much time before shooting anything because Alex was working on something else. So he flew in and we pretty much got going. But in a way that was a wonderful thing. Because it meant that we were discovering things on set on camera. We weren’t talking about things into the ground. We were very much trying to work out what was happening in the scene, in that moment. And hopefully it made for something that was quite alive and real. I loved working with him.

Was this your first time going to Cannes.

It was my first time at Cannes, yeah. My first Cannes film festival, which was great. We had a fantastic screening there; it was really lovely. I’ll never forget that screening for sure.

Do you enjoy some of the perks of fame? People have this perception of actors leading a glamorous life. So after you’ve put in all this work, it must be nice to unwind a bit and soak in the acclaim at Cannes for this prestigious international film festival.

Yeah, I guess so. It’s definitely not the reason why I wanted to act. I’ve always been obsessed with stories and people and trying to work them out, how they operate. When you get the opportunity to celebrate a movie at an incredible festival like Cannes, of course it’s a joy. And dressing up is always fun. But I quickly think to myself I would much rather be working on something than get caught up in the superficial aspect of fame. I’m truly happy when I’ve got a script and I’m trying to understand why people are doing what they’re doing and who this person might be and trying to help and facilitate a director with his vision. That’s my happy place.