Megan Tremethick | horror star on success, opportunities and Amicus

Sumptuous and seductive with a dangerous allure, horror has always attracted those willing to push creative boundaries. Cornish actor Megan Tremethick is at the forefront of modern British horror both in front of and behind the camera. She tells us about creating opportunities and defining her own success

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Megan Tremethick as
Nurse Charlotte in
In The Grip Of Terror

You’re in In The Grip of Terror, the first horror film by Amicus Productions in over 20 years. From the outside, that seems pretty awesome. How does it feel being part of it?

One of my fondest memories of being a kid is when my dad showed me The Vault of Horror by Amicus for the first time. Throughout the years, we’d watch plenty of horror films together (and still do on occasion), but when The Vault of Horror or other Amicus anthologies were playing on TV, I’d always sit and watch them with him no matter what. I’ve always been particularly in awe of the Tom Baker segment—both from Tom Baker’s mesmerising performance and the gripping dialogue. So, it’s safe to say that I’ve grown up feeling inspired by Amicus. I can also say that it was one of the most surreal things ever to find out that I had a role in the resurrection of Amicus in In The Grip of Terror!

Megan Tremethick in *The Slave and The Sorcerer*

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What attracted you to acting, and did you feel hindered or helped in terms of learning your craft and the opportunities that were open to you with being from Cornwall?

When I was in primary school, I was painfully shy and also had an overactive imagination. So after-school drama and dance clubs and school plays felt like the perfect refuge. And they were—taking part in them definitely brought me out of my shell.

Of course, if as an actor you’re wanting to get involved in the London film or theatre scene, or audition for drama school, then living in Cornwall isn’t always… ideal. In the past, I’ve faced many a gruelling 12-hour ride on the Megabus to get to London auditions… and then another 12 hours back. And I’ve got the battle scars to prove it… (Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.)

However, that’s not to say that Cornwall doesn’t have a wealth of creative opportunities and a network of creative folks to get involved with. My first ever experience on a set when I was 17 or 18 came from the Cornwall BFI Academy on a short film their film students were making. Although, like me, they were just starting out, the students were extremely professional on the shoot, and we all learned lots together.

Also, I can’t not mention Falmouth University—an arts university with which I frequently collaborated. Both on short films, TV pilots, and even photoshoots—I’ve met so many great creatives who were studying there, and if you’re a Cornish aspiring actor, I’d suggest that you keep an eye out for casting calls from them.

There are also plenty of great Cornish independent filmmakers I’ve been lucky enough to work with in the past. Both on short films and independent features—there’s plenty going on in the Cornwall film scene. And although I live in Scotland now, from the cool stuff I’ve seen being created, there still seems to be!

You’ve got a number of films with director Lawrie Brewster on the cards. How did that collaboration come about?

I met Lawrie at the UK Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival maybe… six years ago now? He was there with the core members of the Hex team and introduced me to them. It was lovely to finally meet them all, as I’d followed Hex’s creative endeavours on social media and had backed their film The Black Gloves on Kickstarter. A couple of years later, Hex was holding auditions for the role of Jigme, an assassin, in their fantasy film, Dragon Knight. I sent in my self-tape and was lucky enough to get the part. From there, I’ve enjoyed playing all sorts of fantastical roles in Hex films—some that have already been released and some that have been shot and will be released next year.

As an actor, you’re also writing and moving into directing with In the Grip of Terror and Spoiling You. Is that inspired by a desire for more creative control of your career or for a creative exploration of your skills?

I think it’s probably a little bit of both. I relished crafting the character of Miss Mutter, both on the page and through her costume design and had a lot of fun doing both. She’s a role that it would have been hard to get to play if I hadn’t created her myself, for sure. I do believe that as an actor—if you feel even a tiny bit inclined to explore skills behind the camera—you should have a go at creating your own work, be that writing plays or screenplays, directing and/or shooting them yourself, or collaborating with like-minded creatives who are also wanting to learn and create their own opportunities, rather than sitting and waiting and hoping to get cast by other people.

I do understand, though, that it’s incredibly hard work to do this—making your own opportunities is definitely not for everyone—but I’d encourage actors to at least try it once. I guarantee it will change how you show up at the next set you work on, and for the better.

Talking about creative exploration, the film you’re writing and directing Spoiling You is inspired by J-Horror and ASMR. How important is it to keep your eyes on trends and to push into new areas for you as an actor and creator?

I think it’s great to stay informed on current trends, for sure, but I think my inspiration to make Spoiling You came from my love of both J-Horror and ASMR and for that reason alone. ASMR is indeed a popular style of content loved by many, but if I didn’t enjoy it myself, then I wouldn’t have chosen to make a film about it just because it’s a popular topic. Making a feature film can easily take up a year of your life—and that’s provided that everything goes relatively smoothly—so I wanted to think very carefully about the idea for my film, as it would be living in my head for a long time.

I also have a love and admiration for J-Horror films, especially the works of Takashi Miike and Sion Sono, and I wanted to challenge myself to make Spoiling You in the spirit of their works. I absolutely adore challenging myself and leaving my comfort zone with different projects; that keeps things fresh and exciting. After making some super low-budget shorts, mostly for practice, I directed three short films in the Hex Horror Anthology, For We Are Many 2, which will be released next year. Each presented different creative and technical challenges due to my lack of experience as a director, but I feel really proud that I pushed myself. I’m pleased with the end results and feel like I learned a ton of different lessons from each of them. Now, I definitely have the bug for both writing and directing and want to keep learning and improving.

What advice can you give other actors, or people who want to get into acting and filmmaking?

I’d say… aside from creating your own opportunities if you can, become clear on what you want for your career—how do you personally define success? Success can of course mean entirely different things to us all, and when you find your own personal definition, then you’ll be able to get clear on what you’d like to do and achieve.

And then life will probably take that shiny action plan you had, smash it with a sledgehammer, and send you on an entirely different route. And that’s okay. That’s completely normal. It happened to me and most likely happened to all other actors (and people in general) out there. So if and when that happens just keep wandering around, knocking on doors and seeing which open, keep challenging and refining your beliefs of what defines success, and look out for others in the industry as best you can. They’re in the thick of it with you, after all!

What has surprised you with your career so far? And what’s your favourite part of the process?

Well, I certainly did not expect to find myself living in Scotland! Although it’s been a very pleasant surprise—Scotland is so beautiful, and I feel very much at home here now. I also didn’t expect to collaborate so deeply and exclusively with one group of independent filmmakers, but I consider that an honour and a privilege to be able to befriend and work with the same lovely team.

My favourite part of the process has to be being on set with said team, getting to work with my friends on projects that really excite me. Although when it comes down to it the Hex team is laser-focused, Hex sets are still filled with fun and banter and deliciously dark humour!

Thanks for your time, Megan!

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top image: Megan Tremethick portrait. Courtesy Michael Brewster