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‘Cursed’ actor Daniel Sharman shares fun BTS stories and why he’s ‘a fan’ of the Philippines
“Cursed,” Netflix’s new fantasy series, reimagines the legendary tale of King Arthur through the eyes of Nimue (Katherine Langford), a young enchantress who comes into possession of a magical sword.
Daniel Sharman, who plays a fearsome warrior called “The Weeping Monk,” was quite far from his character’s gloomy persona when he sat down for an interview with reporters over Zoom last month.
The dashing English actor shared some behind the scenes stories and talked about how happy he was to be part of something that’s more than just entertaining.
According to Daniel, one of the things that really drew him into “Cursed” was how Tom Wheeler and Frank Miller were able to create a story that “daughters could access as ways of being heroines in their own lives.”
“I thought it was quite a timely thing to tell this story now,” Daniel said.
“I have a younger sister who’s just 10 ... and she’s a real warrior, so being able to give her a role model on TV into this world was also pretty cool, so I was charmed by that idea.”
As we’ve mentioned before, “The Weeping Monk” had to be the most productive character in the entire series, even if he spoke only a few words.
With his skill in battle and laser-sharp instincts, the Red Paladins send him on a quest to find Nimue and retrieve the “sword of power.”
READ: ‘Cursed’ drives a big, fat sword into those who think women can’t lead
To play the skilled assassin with a mysterious past, Daniel shared how he had to work out and even take ballet lessons just to execute the physicality and “grace” needed for his fight scenes.
“I knew that this character had to be so agile and nimble and flexible because his expression came from fighting and killing, and so I did a lot of movement work. I actually did some ballet for this part because I wanted to get a sense of length and grace and movement and then I worked with a trainer,” the actor said.
“And then, I lost it all in quarantine, of course,” he admitted.
“But it was a way of being able to be in my body, and to be expressive without words, to be a killer without saying it—that was different.”
Nevertheless, Daniel said he had a lot of fun during the filming, from travelling to beautiful destinations in his home country to wearing the most amount of “guy-liner” he had ever worn in his entire career.
“I looked like a member of the ’80s glam rock band!” the actor said.
At one point, Daniel also noticed how most of the reporters in the call were from the Philippines, and said: “A lot [from] the Philippines here! I’m a bit of a fan. I’ve been before.”
The actor didn’t get to reveal much about his visit, only that he had gone on a road trip to see Bohol and “a few other islands” in the archipelago.
“I’ve been all over,” he said. “I did a bit of a road trip to, like Bohol and a few other islands. So I know it well.”
Daniel said he’s excited for his Filipino fans to see how his character develops throughout the series, especially in the very special revelation in last episode.
“It’s kind of the moment that you see who he (Weeping Monk) really is, and I think what’s really nice about that (is) it takes a long time,” the actor told GMA News Online.
“You have to get all the way to the end to see what is internally going on for him, what the conflicts are and I like that. I like making people wait. I like that you may never, you have to get a long way in or get invested in it before you can be surprised by it, and if you don’t invest in it and you don’t get to the end, you kind of miss these—I think it happens a lot in this series—you miss some of the weird little turns that happen,” he explained.
“And I like the fact that the people who will see it through to the end there will be ... kind of little awards on the way for that, so I’m excited for people to get to the end and to see the whole thing play itself out.”
Catch Daniel Sharman on “Cursed,” which premiered July 17 on Netflix. – RC, GMA News
