Cameron Bell will be seen in the upcoming slasher horror film Pinocchio Unstrung in the leading role of James, working with his on-screen grandfather Richard Brake as Geppetto, with Robert Englund also in the cast as The Cricket, and Pinocchio Unstrung is the fifth film in The Twisted Childhood Universe. In this year’s Apple TV Series 2 of Silo, which stars Rebecca Ferguson, Cameron played Young Jimmy, and he has previously worked on short films including They Made You Into a Weapon and Told You to Find Peace, and Do You See What I See. Also having experience in commercials, Cameron has filmed for companies including Starling Bank and Asda and has filmed abroad for an upcoming Nintendo release. With a number of acting roles in the process, Cameron is currently filming for an NDA project, and acting runs in his family, with his twin sister Iona also an actor, and both got into acting after their father was involved with a local production that they watched. We found out from Cameron about his leading role of James in the upcoming slasher horror film Pinocchio Unstrung, playing Young Jimmy in Series 2 of Silo (which stars Rebecca Ferguson) and working on short films and commercials.

Is there anything you can tell us about the upcoming slasher film Pinocchio Unstrung and how was it booking your leading role of James?

It was a brilliant role, I was so happy when I booked it. The movie itself – think of a really disgusting, bloody movie and then times it by 10. I think some bits will make you laugh, and some bits will have you grabbing your cushion to hide behind! That’s my opinion of it anyway.

James is such a great character, and I actually love how deep this storyline is. I can’t wait for everyone to see it. Working with an animatronic doll was cool, definitely a new experience for me! I loved being the lead role and the responsibility that came with it. Made me definitely want to get more lead roles! Really grateful to the team for believing in me to bring James to life.

How did you find the experience working on a horror film and what was it like on set?

For my first feature film role it was amazing. My favourite part was all the prosthetics. It’s incredible how they make something so real looking, such a talented team. The sets were brilliant; I was lucky to get to travel to and be on quite a few awesome locations around the UK. Everyone on set was so nice.

Working with Rhys (Frake-Waterfield) was great, and I love how he listens to music when he is on set watching the scenes in action.

I like horror movies and action, so I didn’t mind all the bloody scenes.

How was it filming with Robert Englund as The Cricket, Richard Brake as your on-screen grandfather Geppetto and with the rest of the cast?

Wow, Richard is incredibly talented, and I couldn’t believe I got to work with him. I am a huge fan of his work, so to then actually get to act with him and learn from him on set was crazy. When he gets into character and is doing his scenes… wow… he can be scary! The energy he brings is insane and I really feel like he got the best out of me in the more intense scenes. He is such a nice guy and so easy to chat with. He is actually quite a chilled guy, so to see the two extremes of him in character and his acting, to how he is in real life is cool. I loved watching how he prepared for his scene, he really gets into character before his scenes and gets the energy to where he needs it before the take.

Sadly, I didn’t get to work directly with Robert, I am hoping to meet him soon when promoting the movie. To know Robert Englund is going to be part of this is epic, the whole cast is amazing.

With Pinocchio Unstrung being the fifth film in The Twisted Childhood Universe, who do you think the film/franchise will appeal to?

Horror and slasher movie fans for sure! This movie has such a good storyline to it that I also think will appeal to a wider audience. I think people who are already fans of the previous movies are going to love this next one. They already have so many amazing movies to choose from in The Twisted Childhood Universe, this one is only going to add to it. I think people who are fans of Robert and Richard’s work will also watch it as they have an amazing following already. I think people will be curious to see how Pinocchio is, being an animatronic, so I think people will watch it to find out. It’s cool, by the way!

What was it like playing Young Jimmy in episodes of Series 2 of Silo and how was it getting into character?

It took a lot to get into character because it was quite an emotional storyline. I don’t want to give anything away for anyone who hasn’t watched it yet but to get yourself into the mindset of what’s going on so you can give the scene and storyline the emotion it deserves was hard. It was incredible to be part of the show, and what a cast! I was already a massive fan of Silo, we watched Season 1 as a family, so when I found out I was going to be a small part of Season 2 we were all so excited. Playing a sad and emotional role gives me a diverse range of acting skills to help with my career and experiences.

What did you enjoy most about being involved with Silo, which released earlier this year on Apple TV+?

I liked the cast and meeting everyone. I love meeting new people every time. The cast is incredible in Silo and watching them all do their thing was so cool. It was really great to meet Rebecca Ferguson as she had been in previous movies I had watched, and I love her work. My favourite thing overall was seeing the set though, especially as I was already a fan of Season 1, so to see the set in real life was so cool. It’s incredible how much detail goes into the set design and the artwork, every team is so talented, and the set design was just awesome.

Over your career so far, you have worked on a number of short films including They Made You into a Weapon and Told You to Find Peace and Do You See What I See, what were they like to film?

It’s so good to do short films, it’s always really good for experience. It’s great to be part of such amazing storylines and it’s interesting to see how they can bring such intense and detailed storylines to life in a short space of time.

I loved being part of a short film for the NFTS, it’s one of the best film schools in the world so to be a part of bringing to life one of their projects was so cool. The short film I did with the NFTS was such a deep and emotional storyline, seeing how they filmed it using Kodak film and seeing it finished with a really old feeling and vibe to it was so cool.

Can you tell us about some of the commercials you have been part of such as Starling Bank and Asda?

I’ve always loved commercials as my first job was a pizza commercial. They give you a range because film and shorts are very different styles and you meet amazing people along the way. Starling Bank was a long time ago, but I remember the other kids I filmed it with, and I remember it being so fun because we all just played together and had fun in the breaks. I recently did a commercial and I went abroad, which was extremely fun. Me and my dad had so much fun going sightseeing and visiting tourist attractions. It just shows the places you can go with jobs like commercials.

Your twin sister Iona is also an actor, how is it having her in the industry with you?

I love my sister’s acting. Even though I’m an actor myself I’m her biggest fan. It’s so lucky to have a sister that is into the same thing as you as I can go to her if I need help on a script or need advice. I love going to classes in the industry because I have her to go to and to be with if I don’t know anyone. She always backs me up and I am always there for her. One of the things I don’t like is her going away to do jobs and leaving because I love her being at the house and going to school with her as she is my best friend, but I love to think that she is having fun and gaining experience, and she loves acting as much as I do.

Where does your love of acting come from and how did you get into it?

My dad went for a local play, and he auditioned for it and got the job. He spent a while rehearsing it and he put a lot of work into it. When we went to see it, I loved it. He was way better than I thought he was going to be, and it was just like watching my favourite cartoons and like a story and it was so cool how they got it across. Me and my sister both screamed at my dad once he finished that we loved it and we wanted a turn. So, my mum and dad thought why not try it out. So, we joined our local theatre school and did our LAMDA exams and went and did pantomimes and dance shows for so many years and gained lots of stage experience. We did many theatre plays. We joined an agency and did some modelling work and got a few screen jobs and this is where I knew I loved screen acting more than theatre in the end. We wanted more real and deeper acting experiences, so we went to multiple screen acting pop-up events and eventually we got signed to a brilliant agent Mark Jermin Management and we still love his classes to this day.

Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch?

My favourite film was Honey Boy. It’s a deep movie my dad showed me about an actor called Shia LaBeouf and his hard backstory of how he became an actor. It inspired me and I still love it to this day, and I still think he is a quality actor. Me and my mum and dad watch different shows here and there and we love our film nights together. I love all sorts of films not just one particular type so we watch so many different things together.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I do play a lot of games, and I like to play with my best friends from primary school that also support me being an actor. I watch a lot of movies and half the time if you came to my house, you would find me glued to my dog and giving him treats and going on walks. He is also my best friend as he has just come out of his puppy stage. I love seeing him grow up and dogs are my favourite things in the world. I enjoy seeing my friends at school and learning film at school, which is one of the GCSE subjects I picked to study.

What do you enjoy most about working as an actor?

Meeting people, I’ve met so many different and amazing people. And having a job that is so different to others. Acting is just so different to jobs people around me do, it takes me to new places, I meet new people, and I get so many different experiences. I know I don’t want to have a 9 till 5 job like my parents. I want to be more and have different experiences doing something I love.

Have you been given any advice over your acting career so far that has stuck with you?

I have learnt to take a lot of rejection and that it’s ok, as I have started at such a young age. That’s why rejection will never defeat me, and I will keep going even if I lose the biggest jobs in the world. I have learned from watching and listening to amazing actors like Shia LaBeouf that success doesn’t just come to you, you have to work for it. I’ve never met him, by the way, I’ve just listened to some of his interviews and podcasts, and he is someone I look up to. I always gain so much from my training, so I think keeping up with learning is really important as there is always something new you can learn and develop or get better at. I’ve also learnt just to be myself and be kind to everyone you meet as you never know when you’ll see them again.

Apart from Pinocchio Unstrung, do you have any projects coming up that you can share and what are you hoping the next few months bring?

I have a few things coming out here and there. I am currently filming an NDA project which is really fun, I can’t wait to talk about that. I have another commercial coming out sometime soon which is for Nintendo, that was so much fun to film, especially as it was abroad!

And I’m still trying to gain experience and get better for that one job that will shoot me to success. I will keep taking every part, no matter how small they are, to make me the best I can be for the future, and I will be ready to tackle any acting jobs that come my way. Experience and training is everything.

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