This year, Daniel Fathers will continue work on his short film The Fellowship as writer and director alongside Christien Anholt, and once complete, it will be shown at international film festivals. Amongst Daniel’s many TV roles, he has played Osfar in The Witcher: Blood Origin, Fernando in Atlanta, guest-starred in the A Cup O’ Kindness episode of Whitstable Pearl, and he joined the cast of Series 2 of Snatch alongside Rupert Grint. Daniel has appeared in numerous films including the 2017 Netflix film A Christmas Prince as Rudy Moore, played Brown in Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam for Disney – working closely with Demi Lovato and Jonas Brothers, and in 2020, Daniel was nominated at the ACTRA Awards in Toronto for Outstanding Performance – Male for his portrayal of Perry Bulmer in Project Ithaca. Upcoming projects for Daniel are House of the Dragon – Series 2 as Lord Humfrey Lefford, The Pendragon Cycle (a drama based on Stephen Lawhead’s books), the second series of NBC Universal/Peacock/SyFy Channel’s The Ark, and he’s attached to feature film Flightmare, directed by Jake West. Alongside his extensive acting career, Daniel runs Screen Actors Development Lab, which he is working on new material for. We caught up with Daniel about the short film The Fellowship, playing Osfar in The Witcher: Blood Origin and working on the Camp Rock films as Brown.
What can you tell us about the short film The Fellowship and how has it been writing and directing it with Christien Anholt?
The Fellowship is a short film that Christien Anholt (a very good friend, colleague and awesome actor in his own right) embarked upon to create and work on a project and story that WE wanted to creatively do for ourselves. A story that meant a lot to us personally and would give us the opportunity to grow as writers, directors and producers. For some actors who have been around for a while, as we have, it’s a natural progression to move into other areas of the business we feel so passionate about. The business of cinematic storytelling.
The Fellowship is a story of recovery from alcoholism, as a result of PTSD of combat veterans. It’s a passionate project for both of us, which is being filmed in between us working on other projects. We entered our screenplay into an internationally recognised screenwriting competition (screencraft.org) and it did really well. So we knew we had something good on our hands. And, more importantly, an important story to tell.
We have a great cast and an awesome DOP (Director of Photography, Nathan Gardner). We intend carrying on with the production this year. Once complete, we’ll put it on the ‘International Film Festival’ circuit. We’ll see how it’s received.
I’ve wanted to learn directing for some time now, so as Christien and I are both in it, we talked about my co-directing it with him, which would help me learn about directing, while he was on camera and vice versa. There are numerous successful co-directing partnerships, so we felt this was a solid way for both of us to approach this project.
What was it like filming The Fellowship and what are the future release plans for it?
As I’ve mentioned, it’s a work in progress. But when we were filming, it was a wonderful process of like-minded creatives, collaborating and supporting each other to tell the best cinematic story we can. I’m always learning in all areas of the business. That’s one of the things I love about my craft and industry. It’s a continual process of evolvement.
Can you say about producing ELEVATE and how was it having it screened at the Crossing The Screen International Film Festival in March last year?
I’ve been mentoring up and coming screen actors for a number of years now and love it. So, ELEVATE came from that. Helping a number of actors create their own work (written by Hannah Pauley @hannahdpauley) to showcase their acting, as well as writing talents.
I had been also mulling over the idea of expanding my own portfolio career of skills in other areas of the business, like producing, writing etc… So this gave me that opportunity.
Christien Anholt directed, and Nathan Gardner was the DOP (Director of Photography) @nathan_g_anotheraccident. It was our first time working together in that capacity, and was an experiment as to how we could work together and what we could learn from the experience. We weren’t necessarily focusing on the results, more so the process of learning. Having said that, it turned out pretty good and we were accepted as an official selection at the Crossing The Screen International Film Festival @crossingthescreen.
It didn’t come without its challenges. I’ve learned to appreciate and respect producers way more as a result. It’s one of the hardest jobs in our industry in my opinion. A lot of pressure, spinning plates and not much glory. But it was a worthwhile journey to take and I learned so much from the experience.
To have our first foray into the short film festival world, which was recognised by the industry, was a wonderful honour. An experience I’m very grateful to have had.
How was your time on set of The Witcher: Blood Origin as Osfar and Atlanta as Fernando?
The Witcher: Blood Origin was truly one of my best experiences in filmmaking ever. The showrunner, Declan de Barra, creator of The Witcher series, was awesome to work with. Brilliant guy and writer. He was so encouraging. I learned a specific Irish accent, similar to the lead’s natural accent – Laurence O’Fuarain @larzogram, who played my son. Osfar was Chieftain of the Dog Clan Warriors. Elves. A great role, which I loved diving into. Processing took either side of three hours each morning for hair and make-up. Sometimes as long as over five hours. But I loved it! Tough job, with processing time, being in armour and on horseback all day, but so rewarding!
I was on horseback for most of it. And my second passion is horses, having been a rodeo cowboy and horse owner in Canada. So to do the two things I love the most, act on film and ride horses, doesn’t get much better, to be honest. Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh was also in it, so that was interesting working on a project with her, as well as Sir Lenny Henry (one cool guy).
Atlanta: An absolute blast!!! Loved it. Working with such talents as Donald Glover, LaKeith Stanfield, Brian Tyree Henry (both Oscar-nominated actors) was a trip. They are all masters of their craft. There was a lot of improvisation with those guys, so you had to be present and play ball. I love that style of acting. When the director lets us riff and finishes the scene off in editing.
The director, Hiro Murai, was one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. He allowed me the freedom to let me do my thing, but also gave me useful and fun suggestions for options of how to approach scenes and my character’s motives. In the edit, he chose what he felt worked and I loved his choices.
And the character of Fernando was so much fun to play. Most of the time I play pretty serious Machiavellian nasties, so playing dramedy and a character with an edge of being off-centre, was so much creative fun for me. It was freeing. I just ran with it. A pleasure to be on such a successful show. Very cool.
You guest-starred in the A Cup O’ Kindness episode of Whitstable Pearl in 2021, can you tell us about your character and episode and what was the show like to be part of?
Having spent most of my life and career in North America, working on predominantly American projects, it was interesting for me to be part of a British show and observe their way of filming. It’s different. So it was a good learning experience to let me see how they operate as opposed to what I’m used to on big budgeted US films and TV.
My character was the story’s audience decoy to the killer. So fun to play the decoy and mislead the audience.
We shot it during the first year of COVID protocols, so that was interesting to go through that. Not your usual shoot, as everyone was learning how to shoot during the pandemic.
What was Perry Bulmer like to play in Project Ithaca and how was it being nominated for Outstanding Performance – Male at the 2020 ACTRA Awards in Toronto?
I’m so grateful for Project Ithaca. Not only as it was the role that gave me the nomination, but also for the people I met and forged friendships with.
The writer and executive producer, Anthony Artibello, was so passionate about his project and fascinated in cinematic storytelling of that genre of sci-fi horror. He was a pleasure to work with and has become a good friend. He gave me so much freedom to create my own version of Perry Bulmer and allowed me to do my thing and then captured it. When you’re trusted creatively like that, it just makes the whole experience worthwhile. You get to abandonly take risks and hopefully create something special. I think it worked. I’m proud of my work in that one. But it was due to Anthony trusting me.
From a technical perspective, it was actually one of the hardest jobs I’ve done. For most of the film, we were perched up about eight to nine feet in the air on these almost crucifix-like platforms, strapped down as if we were sitting in an electric chair. We were also covered from head to toe in very cold alien goop. So we were wet, cold and couldn’t move our arms, legs or bodies or walk or anything. So to have those physical constraints was a challenge in bringing the characters’ emotions to the surface without movement. A challenge I relished… So it was more in the eyes and mind that the work was done. Which I think is the modern way of screen acting that works best. A look into our souls.
The nomination: Firstly, the ACTRA Awards in Canada are similar to the SAG Awards in the US, in that they are chosen by our peers. By our fellow actors within our union. So, to receive a nomination from my peers was quite honestly the biggest honour of my career. To receive the nod from brilliant artists and recognising, in their opinion, a job well done was for me immense. More rewarding than celebrity or fame. For me, it’s about the quality of the work. I wasn’t concerned about winning. For me, the nomination was the win. After 20+ years in the business, to be recognised as one of the best performances that year was so deeply humbling. Many actors don’t ever get the opportunity to even play those roles in order to be considered at all. So, for all those ducks to fall in place was incredible, of which I have so much gratitude toward Anthony Artibello for casting me and giving me the freedom to pay Bulmer the way I wanted to and to David Rotenberg, my film acting mentor in Toronto, who molded the way I approach my craft as a screen actor.
What was it like joining the cast of Snatch in Series 2 and what did you enjoy most about playing Clarence Perry?
First of all, we shot the second season all in Southern Spain, out of Málaga. So to spend four-and-a-half months on the Costa del Sol was in unto itself beautiful! Great seafood, great weather (most of the time lol) and just a pleasure. Love Spain, love the culture and love the people. Also, Málaga is the birthplace of Picasso so visited his Museum.
Snatch is an iconic Guy Ritchie film, so, having the opportunity to work in that type of genre was so much fun! The cast were wonderful and we developed a real sense of ensemble relationship. Even though most of them had been together since the first season, they welcomed me in as part of the gang. Working with a group of cool actors such as Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), as well as Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton) and Úrsula Corberó (Money Heist) and many more, was a lot of fun.
And again, I loved Clarence Perry. I got to work with some cool directors and to develop and play with my backstory and motive for the character. There was a mystery about Clarence that I loved playing, which allowed the audience to figure him out themselves somewhat, rather than me laying it on a silver platter for them.
You played Rudy Moore in the 2017 Netflix film A Christmas Prince, can you tell us about your experience working on this project?
You know, it’s funny how this industry works. A Christmas Prince was a Christmas movie that was shot for Netflix in Bucharest, Romania. I had never been there, so that was interesting for me to visit another culture. I honestly thought at the time, it was just another role, just another Christmas movie, and I’ll go in, do the best I can to service the production and that will be that. But what ended up happening was it became a phenomenon and I believe at the time was the top-rated Netflix film of all time. I may be incorrect, as to the stats, but it was a bigger success than people had thought it would be. It broke records, has such a cult-like following and many articles were written about it, including in The New York Times! So, you can never tell how well a movie is going to be received.
Also, this gives me a chance to set the record straight with fans about why I wasn’t in the second movie and another actor played my character of Rudy. I’ve seen lots of articles about it and opinions flying around etc., so here’s what actually happened: When A Christmas Prince 2 production reached out to offer me the role and check my availability to come back for the second movie, I was already shooting Snatch at the time and was contracted to Sony Pictures Television. Based on the original dates A Christmas Prince had given, Sony was happy to release me to go shoot in Romania, of which I would have been happy to do. However, the A Christmas Prince dates changed and then dates didn’t work out for Sony. Both production’s companies tried to figure out a work-around but unfortunately, the dates just didn’t work, so I ended up having to take a pass and couldn’t do it. It happens sometimes with conflicting dates.
Having said that, I thought the actor who took over my role did a really lovely job. I watched the second movie and I liked what he did. He made that role his own. I admire that.
What are some of your favourite memories from playing Brown in Camp Rock and filming with the cast?
Oh man! Where do I start? We could do a complete interview just on the Camp Rock movies and that journey.
Let me say this, Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2 were junctions in my career I’m very grateful to have had. Mostly, because for the success of those two films (I think the stats were it was viewed by over 300 million unique viewers globally). I believe at the time, it was the second most viewed television film of all time, behind High School Musical 2. That’s a pretty cool accomplishment to be a part of. We won a People’s Choice Award. What does that say? For me, it says: “There’s no shame in entertainment”. Sir Anthony Hopkins said that.
It changed the lives and careers of many people, Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers, for example, and the movies helped catapult their careers.
I have so many fond memories of Camp Rock, but here’s a few:
- Doing the scene with Joe (Jonas) when I woke him up with water from a vase. That was fun, because it was improvised somewhat. Joe was a trooper.
- Where we shot it up in Northern Ontario, Canada was so beautiful and watching these ridiculously talented young artists smash it out of the park was a privilege to watch.
- But also, I’d say doing the red carpet premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan, N.Y., with literally thousands of screaming fans and international press, was the first time for me at that level of success, so that was an experience I’ll never forget.
How was it returning to film Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam and what was it like being part of a huge Disney film franchise?
I have to say, it was a lot of pressure. For everyone. There were huge expectations based on the success of the first movie. So I would say it was more down to business this time, rather than let’s have fun and see what happens.
The fame and celebrity that occurred as a result of the success of Camp Rock was different and impacted how we made Camp Rock 2. Major security wrapped around the production and a security entourage with us everywhere we went as a group. Of course, Demi and the Jonas Brothers had become superstars, and everyone else very recognisable, so that changes one’s anonymity and everyday life somewhat. You don’t realise how it impacts you until it happens. As I’ve heard say before, “Be careful for what you wish for, it might just come true”.
It was like being engulfed into a massive enterprise and machine. There were pros and cons. But bottom-line I’m grateful to have had that experience and to have played my small role in giving fans great memories. It was a privilege. And still is.
Can you tell us about some of the other projects you’ve worked on over your career so far, which have included Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight, The Dark Tower, Tokyo Trial and Orphan Black?
Sure! I’ve been fortunate to have done so many wonderful experiences over the last 25 years or so.
Isabelle Dances Into the Spotlight was a feel-good, younger audience movie, in which I played an artistic director of the Washington State Ballet Company. I was cast in that role based on my experience as a former dancer, as I trained professionally at the Ballet Rambert School and Central School of Dance in London, UK. Because of that training, I’ve been cast in a number of musicals such as MAMMA MIA! early on in my career in 2003 and 2004.
The Dark Tower, a Stephen King novel originally, was amazing. I worked for and with showrunner, Glen Mazzara (The Walking Dead) and actors Jerome Flynn (Game of Thrones) and Elaine Cassidy (Disco Pigs). We had a great time in Croatia filming and all have remained friends.
Orphan Black for BBC America won so many awards and namely Tatiana Maslany, who was nominated for many Best Actress Awards, Golden Globes, Emmys etc. She is also from the town I went to high school in, Regina, Saskatchewan. She was a giving actor and super gracious and talented.
I’m not going to go down my entire resumé, but let me say this, I’ve had the privilege of playing opposite and working with some incredible actors in my time, Oscar winners and nominees like Glenn Close, Jamie Foxx, Anthony Hopkins, Elliot Page, Brian Tyree Henry and LaKeith Stanfield to name a few. Unbelievably talented acting forces like Florence Pugh, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Jenna Ortega, plus many more unbelievable and less-known actors. The list goes on. And I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in so many magnificent projects over the years. All of which have been a privilege and education. I fell very lucky to do what I do for a living and to have had moderate success in a very tough industry.
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?
I originally grew up in the industry. My mother was a classically trained actress in the UK and my father was one of the top scenic designers in the UK when I was a kid. So film sets and stage weren’t foreign to me. But to be honest, I never really wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be a professional athlete, but the two sports I was ‘National Standard’ in at the time were both amateur sports (track and rugby). You couldn’t make a living at them. Now you can, so I was too early. So, I actually joined the Canadian Armed Forces as a Militia Soldier and was also in the corporate world in sales until I was about 32 years old. I did well in sales, but wasn’t fulfilled personally. So, I started taking acting classes in Toronto at age 32 at The Professional Actors Lab, with David Rotenberg (who has sadly just recently passed away before Christmas), and never looked back!
Screen acting and cinematic storytelling is my passion. The study of the difficulty of the human condition. Human beings and why they behave the way they do, fascinates me. And being able to collaborate with cinematic storytellers is for me ‘Living the Dream’! Having influence over, or evoking thought in an audience, or merely entertaining them drives me. Having the ability to bring debate of important issues to the forefront of societal consciousness, in the form of storytelling is not only a gift, but a privilege.
Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch and how do you like to spend your free time?
Oh man, so many. From a film perspective, one of my favourites is Braveheart. A classic. Beautifully shot and so deeply moving in many ways. I like so many shows and continually watch for research as well as entertainment. Some of the greats like Breaking Bad are at the top of my list. I love studying the craft of acting. Denzel Washington is one of my all-time favourite actors. He’s masterful. But there are so many gifted ones.
I also love watching documentaries, as well as geo-political dramas, like House of Cards. The Diplomat on Netflix is, I think, so entertaining. It’s a masterpiece in acting and writing. And, of course, who doesn’t love the epic fantasy dramas like Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon, and The Witcher and the like.
Most of my spare time is spent working on my craft. I love reading about acting, writing, and directing. I love studying it and working with up and comers of the industry.
I also still instruct part-time for the Ministry of Defence in infantry soldiering and train on small arms weapon handling in the UK. I also volunteer as an instructor within the cadet movement and help teenagers develop strong character values, which will hopefully set them up well in their adult lives.
We understand you run Screen Actors Development Lab, can you tell us about your workshops and do you have a favourite aspect of running them?
Absolutely! About six to seven years ago, I was approached by agents to help actors work on their screencraft. Predominantly in a North American centric way of acting on camera as I’d spent 30 years there. And also self-tapes, which we’ve been doing in N. American for ions. One thing led to another and I kept being referred to other actors by the actors I had been working with.
I think once you become a certain age and have had a lifetime of experience, it’s only natural for one to want to share that knowledge with the next generation. It’s how life has worked for as long as we’ve been humans. I prefer to refer to it as ‘mentoring’, rather than teaching.
I not only work on screencraft but deeply on mindset. Maybe coming from an athletic background and partially because of my sales background of how to believe in yourself and keep going even though we’re rejected a lot. I feel my mindset is the source of my resilience. And so I’ve been sharing how I work on my screencraft, as well as mindset with the up and comers of our industry. And I love it! It’s so rewarding to see people grow, develop, improve and get results.
During 2019 and 2020, I decided to go back to school and do a Masters Level Post Grad Cert in Performance Teaching. So I could learn how to be more effective in sharing my knowledge and experience. I did that at one of the world’s top conservatoires, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in London, UK. The course was designed for professional artists who wanted to learn how to teach what they know. So, I do actually have a teaching qualification, which is lovely, but mostly it’s what I learned there that proved to be of most value to me and the actors I work with.
Recently, I formalised my practice, which is the Screen Actors Development Lab and run workshops on self-tapes, screen acting and mindset when I’m not working on set. I have plans of bringing it all to an online platform also and to write a book. All a work in progress. It’s predominantly what I do when I’m not working on filming projects. Doing my best to be of service in the best way I can to my community of fellow traveller actors.
What are you hoping this year brings you and do you have any upcoming career plans that you can share?
Well, as I mentioned, I’ll be working on The Fellowship, as well as continuing to mentor and work with actors. I’m also working on my SADL @sadl.london material with an amazing content manager, Cassandra Phares Blaylock @ozarkmamanwa.
From a filming perspective, I’ve just completed the second season of House of the Dragon. I joined the cast at the end of Season 2 and play Lord Humfrey Lefford. So, that comes out in the summer of 2024. That was an unbelievable experience. I can’t say too much as I’m on an NDA.
I’ve also wrapped on an amazing project called The Pendragon Cycle. An Arthurian fantasy/drama based on the book series by Stephen Lawhead, which we shot in Hungary and Italy. It was created by Jeremy Boreing @jeremyboreing of The Daily Wire and Bonfire Legend @bonfirelegend, produced by Travis Mills @travismills_filmmaker and with staff writer, Lee Blaylock @jleeblaylock. It’s going to be epic! I play the series’ patriarch King Avallach, The Fisher King. It’s my King Lear. One of the best roles I’ve ever played.
I also joined the cast of NBC Universal, Peacock and SyFy Channel’s The Ark during Season 2. Can’t say too much about that as under NDA. But it was fantastic. We shot it in Belgrade, Serbia. Lovely people.
So chances are I’ll be doing some post production ADR with those shows.
I’m also attached to a feature film called Flightmare, directed by Jake West. It’s a very cool piece and will be loved by horror genre fans. We’re hoping to shoot this year. It was slated to be shot just as COVID hit and it’s about aligning the ‘Hollywood Stars’.
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