“I’m an OAP zombie!”

As I delve into these captivating portrayals, my heart swells with empathy for the characters of Formson and Johnston, who find themselves abandoned by their families amidst the chaos of an infection. Their quest for revenge is a poignant reflection of the human spirit’s resilience in the face of adversity.

Add Generation Z to your watchlist

Regardless of what you call it – generational divide, conflict between millennials and baby boomers, or cultural clashes – the ongoing tension between young adults who enjoy smashed avocado on toast and mortgage-free older generations has been linked to various issues such as Brexit and housing shortages. So, picture this: What if suddenly, the baby boomers turned into zombies overnight?

Robert Lindsay smiles gleefully, saying, ‘They discard their offspring.’ He explains, ‘The young ones are a hassle. They’re tasty and high in protein!’ He erupts with laughter.

Lindsay is drawing from personal insight since he’s part of the cast for the series Generation Z, a horror comedy on Channel 4 directed by Ben Wheatley. In this show, an unusual bio-weapon accidentally spills off a military truck in the fictional town of Dambury, causing a plague where the elderly transform into monsters, while the young remain unaffected… for a while. The elderly become aggressive and starving; the young are puzzled, annoyed, then… deceased.

The actors cover a wide range of age groups. Lindsay is paired with more seasoned performers such as Anita Dobson and Sue Johnston, while Johnny Vegas and Rebecca Humphries represent the Generation X demographic. Additionally, there are several up-and-coming talents like Lewis Gribben and Viola Prettejohn emerging in this production.

Dobson and Johnston, who portray zombies, are still taken aback by their parts. Dobson says he had a change of pace with an episode of “Inside No. 9” before this, but when he told Ben that it was dark, Ben replied, “If we don’t make them laugh and have fun with it, we can’t do it.” This is what convinced Dobson to take on the role.

“I’m an OAP zombie!”

It turns out they weren’t particularly fond of that genre, as Dobson chuckles, “To be honest, it’s not really my cup of tea. Gory stuff isn’t something I usually seek out. It feels like stepping into an entirely new realm. All of a sudden, events like FearFest pop up on the horizon – who would have thought there was a FearFest? And what exactly is a FearFest? Yet, Comic Con welcomes this with open arms. So we’ll attend the signings, and there will be people there with their heads detached!” She appears quite enthusiastic about the upcoming events.

On-screen, Johnston, portraying a fierce pensioner character who is among the initial victims of the enigmatic gas, often leads a band of infected individuals in their quest for food and avoidance of capture. A significant portion of his time is spent wearing convincing prosthetics. These prosthetics were so remarkable that upon his first day on set, Lindsay stumbled into makeup and found Johnston frantically trying to call someone but was baffled when his iPhone facial recognition failed to recognize her due to the transformative effects.

Ugh, I was absolutely frazzled trying to figure out this phone. Just then, Robert ambled in, catching me in a vulnerable moment with wires and gadgets sprawled everywhere. We’ve always been pals, but collaborating for the first time on set wasn’t exactly the smoothest start.

Lindsay’s personality uses some artificial limbs – I can’t describe it without giving away spoilers, but one memorable moment for him was when Channel 4 delivered his prosthetic stomach. His family thought it was a package from Amazon.

As a cinephile, I’d share it like this: “I knew the secret it held, so I allowed them to unveil it. In an instant, there I was, with wounds and blood, and strange pipes adorning my midriff,” I chuckle. “This year, in support of Hampstead Theatre who’ve had their Arts Council funding reduced, I’m planning to auction off my… unique souvenir.

It’s unfortunate she has to eat people, but so be it

For those who know Lindsay primarily from his role as the patriarch in “My Family,” it’s a treat to watch him portray a paranoid activist and conspiracy theorist, especially since this character seems reminiscent of his leading role in the sitcom “Citizen Smith,” where he played Wolfie, the head of the Tooting Popular Front.

Lindsay acknowledged that filmmaker Ben Wheatley was fond of the show “Citizen Smith.” He had even shared an image of Wolfie, suggesting this character might have been on his mind. The role, as Lindsay saw it, required a man who provided recreational medical substances to young people – essentially a drug dealer. However, he was also a former scientist and activist with a secretive past. Given that her sons are big fans of Ben Wheatley, the part seemed perfect for her.

In more common terms, actors Dobson and Johnston, known for their long-standing roles in popular series like “EastEnders” and “The Royle Family,” are left puzzled about why a horror director, fresh from producing Meg 2: the Trench, approached them. Dobson assumes that Reese Shearsmith recommended her after she portrayed a brutal gangster in an “Inside No. 9” episode, which reviewer TopMob deemed as the “goriest yet.

Johnston expressed confusion when she read it, saying something like, ‘Gosh, I don’t quite grasp this!’ She then shook her head, admitting she was clueless about the situation until after makeup, realizing they had to spend an additional three hours on prosthetics. This revelation made everyone laugh.

But the best horror is always a metaphor for something, and Generation Z has serious undertones. Wheatley deals with pandemics and lockdowns, and most of all, the way society treats the elderly. In the case of Dobson and Johnston’s characters, they’ve been abandoned by their families when the infection arrives – and part of their motive is revenge.

Johnston smiles slyly, expressing a sense of freedom as he leaves the residential home. He feels it’s a place where they send you when they no longer need you, a notion that stirs resentment within him. He fears being confined in such a place himself one day. The idea of discarding the old and unnecessary is frustrating to him. It’s the inconvenience of aging physically that he finds particularly exasperating. Thus, finding renewal holds great power for him.

As a film enthusiast, I’d put it this way: “I’ve embraced my transformed state, and I’m not about to relinquish it when the authorities show up. I’ve grown fond of who I am now. I’ve taken ownership of this situation, unfortunate as it may be that I have to consume human flesh to maintain this condition. But hey, life’s about making choices, right?

Afterward, she becomes more thoughtful. “You know, aging can be quite daunting. It’s inevitable, and we all understand that at some point, it will happen to us. But it isn’t until we begin to notice the signs – like wrinkles on our faces or discomfort in our joints – that it feels real. Suddenly, it seems as if it’s just around the corner.

Each day when I rise, I find myself thinking, ‘Since nothing unexpected has happened, I’m ready to face the day.’ It’s important to seize opportunities as they come and maintain a positive outlook. Laughter is key; if you don’t make it a point to laugh often, life can lose its charm and become overwhelming.

Working with the young actors made him feel a bit out of place occasionally. Lindsay’s character, being an activist, mainly focuses his time on uninfected individuals and children. As he confessed, “I felt quite isolated, even in the makeup trailer.” They were always laughing about things that I didn’t grasp. The music they played, I disliked intensely. Moreover, I couldn’t make out what they were saying, as they spoke softly all the time.

Dobson expresses that joining Generation Z made him particularly conscious of the generational divide. He has numerous young friends with whom he socializes over meals and drinks, but on set, he felt like an older individual. One of the younger individuals was playing some music, and I began to enjoy it, but he gave me a puzzled look as if I were insane.

However, these senior celebrities firmly maintain that they’ve never been tempted by the idea of aging reversal through cosmetic procedures. “I chatted with an agent recently who receives numerous inquiries from directors seeking actors without any enhancements,” Dobson remarks with a smile. “If they were portraying characters similar to Sue and myself, they’d likely say something like, ‘Oh no, I’ve just had Botox administered everywhere, my chin reshaped, and my nose altered. I don’t really want to hide it.’

Hey Anita, I’ve just returned from a trip to LA! Funny story, I used to work there back in the ’80s, and I ran into some long-lost friends – or so I thought. To my astonishment, I couldn’t even recognize them after all these years! It was a real eye-opener.

Johnston lets out a sigh, saying, “It’s just unfortunate, isn’t it? I’m incredibly proud of the three of us. We’ve adapted well, earned our wrinkles, and let me share a little secret – we’re aging quite rebelliously.

2024-10-22 20:11

Read More