Unfortunately part of pulp is that there is sex, there is violence. It's not a kids' show. It's an 18-and-over audience - like anything cable. I see some things in Game of Thrones that turn my hair gray. It's the way the industry has gone.
Antony StarrShooting of a sex scene is never going to something where you're having a wonderful time. It's a very intimate thing and a very intimate space to be put into - that's usually a space reserved for one. To have someone else in that proximity is pretty jarring, but we're all in the same boat and we're all experiencing the same anxieties.
Antony StarrI don't mind violence, but it's quite an interesting thing for people to deal with. I don't know many people that like fighting. I certainly don't, myself. But it's always interesting to work on a shows where there's so much violence, as a part of the world.
Antony StarrI had a job when I was 15 working at a supermarket, and I knocked over a stack of plastic coffee cups. In my anger, I threw one at a concrete wall, and it rebounded back into my head and cut my head open. Stupidest way to get a scar, but it's one that I have.
Antony StarrPeople, when they get out of a long stretch of prison, are completely mal-adapted to society. Comfort for them is when there is a threat.
Antony StarrI think the film and TV industry - the acting world - has a tendency to attract a lot of people for the wrong reasons; reasons that are less than artistic. It has a tendency to be pretty superficial, and pretty shallow and fake. I think what New Zealanders and Australians - and the English, I guess - have to offer is that we don't carry a lot of that baggage. We come over and we're pretty grounded. But on the flip side of that, you end up in a very unfamiliar environment being treated in a way that's a little bit surreal.
Antony StarrIve always had this rule of thumb: If you have fun making it, then someone will have fun watching it.
Antony StarrCollaboration is the best way to work. It's the only way to work, really. Everyone's there because they have a set of skills to offer across the board.
Antony StarrA lot of people that get out of prison have anti-social personality disorder, which makes them promiscuous and erratic, and they can't form ordinary relationships.
Antony StarrWhen you can't fix all your problems with your fists and the problems aren't solely physical, and you've got to deal with the emotional complexities of life and people, it's a really interesting development.
Antony StarrOftentimes, you read these pilot scripts that come through for American work, and they dont sing to you. Ive got to be honest, not many of them ignite the flame or give you that burning feeling of, Oh, God, I really want to be a part of this.
Antony StarrWe're dependent on buying overseas productions and television shows. A lot of the time they come in packages, I think. You take the hit show and you take a couple of other unloved children that they want to get rid of along with the hit show.
Antony StarrThere has to be an element of repetition for TV... You want people to be addicted to your show, and the way to get people addicted is not to give it to them once, but to give it to them a few times, until they get on board with it. It's just about finding that balance of the necessary repetition and making the things that are repetitive absolutely necessary while keeping everything else fresh.
Antony StarrThe American accent is a little bit tricky. We grew up with American TV shows, so we've had a lot of exposure to it and that helps, but there's little nuances and little details. Sometimes there'll be just a phrase or couple words that are really difficult to get your mouth around. At the end of every season we go over and revoice anything that has sound issues, including my kiwi accent coming out.
Antony Starr