Steven Waddington Talks 'Halo: Nightfall' [EXCLUSIVE]

Whether people recognise him as Duncan Heyward from "The Last of the Mohicans" or have seen him in the Oscar-nominated "The Imitation Game," chances are they've seen Steven Waddington around. In an exclusive interview with International Business Times Australia, the British star talks about his role in the original Xbox series-turned-movie "Halo: Nightfall."

Discussing how he got the role for "Halo: Nightfall," he stated it was through traditional means. His agents looked over the script and then discussed with him if it was good, which it ended up being. After an initial audition, he clicked with the director and got a second audition, where he was soon offered the role of Randall Aiken.

Waddingtoon first thought "Nightfall" was going to be a feature-length film before it was revealed to be an Xbox series. The series was then formatted into a movie for its DVD, Blu-ray and digital release.

Prior to starring in the series, Waddington hadn't had much experience with the "Halo" franchise. He stated the most similar thing to "Halo" that he's done was when he starred in the animated feature "Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40,000 Movie." Based on the popular set "Warhammer" franchise, it does bear similarities to "Halo" in terms of its sci-fi setting and hardcore fanbase.

The actor also revealed he was a bit intimidated when taking the role of a Spartan soldier from the "Halo" franchise. But that wasn't enough to discourage him from taking the role and putting his own spin on it.

"Yeah, first of all it was daunting because he's a character that already exists and the weight and responsibilities, you can feel that on the weight on your shoulders," Waddington stated. "You can let that hold you back or you can just sort of say, 'well, this is my interpretation get on with it'.”

The challenge of playing a role from the "Halo" franchise also had a physical toll on him, though his previous experience with military roles did help him adjust to it faster. Waddington stated he and several others had to train in a boot camp, so that it would be as authentic as possible. They did all the basics, like rock climbing and weapons training, which Waddington was used to due to previous roles.

But the difficulty was amped up when they had to do all these physical exercises in the Spartan armour, which Waddington admitted was grueling and only made worse when it started raining constantly. Of course, being an actor, Waddington thought the difficulties actually added to the character of Aiken, as it really is a difficult journey for anyone to be in.

"As soon as we got to Iceland, the weather wasn't as expected, it rained all the time. I wasn't upset that stuff happened though as it helps your character since it is supposed to be this arduous journey. It's obviously a very physical role for all of us and the journey was tough, the hours were long, especially when you're on this armour, running around in uneven ground, but it's all helpful in terms of the character."

The payoff was worth it though, given the positive reaction "Halo: Nightfall" has received, so far. The first two episodes were screened in a festival the actor attended, and the fans reportedly ate it up and appreciated the efforts of the actors and everyone involved with the making of the film.

After plenty of chatter, the interview concluded with a discussion of some of the difficulties in representing a big franchise, especially when they're titles like "Halo" and "Warhammer," but the actor was quick to point out they're completely different beasts. The "Warhammer" film he was in after all was animated, so while it was difficult, it was mostly voice acting and facial capturing.

"They were two very different processes, both enjoyable. Both have a learning process, too. That's the fascinating thing about acting, you get to open these new doors and discover these new ways of filming."

Aside from "Halo: Nightfall," Waddington most recently appeared in the Alan Rickman film "A little Chaos." The film also stars Kate Winslet and Stanley Tucci and is a British period film, which is set to come out in Australia on March 26 and in the UK on April 17.

The "Halo: Nightfall" collection is out now for both DVD and Blu-ray. It is also available for download and view-on-demand in Australia and internationally. The series-turned-movie will focus on the exploits of new character Locke, who is set to play a major role in the upcoming "Halo 5" game.

For comments or feedback on the article, please contact the writer at: n.parungo@ibtimes.com.au.

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