Thangalaan actor Daniel Caltagirone Interview: On shooting with Vikram, playing British in Indian films, Pa Ranjith being Spike Lee of India

Thangalaan actor Daniel Caltagirone discusses the difference in playing a British character in Indian vs. British films, highlighting the multi-layered approach in Thangalaan, and more.

Daniel for Thangalaan

British actor Daniel Caltagirone is all set to play Lord Clemont in Thangalaan, an upcoming film which is headlined by Vikram and directed by Pa Ranjith. It is quite interesting to note how the actor reveals his coming onboard story.

“Pa Ranjith met and pitched me the idea, and normally you would read the script. But I didn’t do that and instead watched Sarpatta Parambarai. I called Ranjith and said I will do the film. He asked if I read the script, which I did not. I had given him my faith, and without reading the script, nodded yes to the project. He is more like Spike Lee of India,” he says and reveals he has not read the script so far.

Daniel says it worked when he was able to trust the director on the sets, as he adds, “I knew exactly what I had to do, and it was always Ranjith’s idea and me allowing myself to be driven by him. It was more organic.”

Daniel Caltagirone Interview for Thangalaan

When did you realise Thangalaan is a massive project?

Vikram and I were shooting and coming back from sets, and we were in the middle of a valley. We thought to walk back together instead of taking a vehicle. As we spotted a hill and it was 2 am, and about two thousand people surrounding the sets to catch a glimpse of Vikram. It was at that moment I realised how big it is. And this place was the middle of nowhere, which gave me an indication of how much fans of Vikram and Pa Ranjith loved them, and their commitment to their stars. Until then I did not have any idea how much love they had and it was just the tip of the iceberg. The buzz on social media too is relentless.

Also read: Thangalaan plot revealed: Chiyaan Vikram, Pa Ranjith’s film has historical and mythical elements

What were the difficulties in shooting for the film?

I have worked in different environments. But none was like this. The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. We were shooting in Thailand under harsh weather conditions in the jungle. But it was for a short while and we went back to the studio. But this was different because it was consistently being shot in mountains, rivers, and deserts. It was dirty, hot, and experienced different seasons. Ranjith demands that level of commitment and effort. You cannot let your energy levels drop without him noticing. It was one of the hardest projects I have ever done. In Thangalaan, we literally worked with blood and sweat.

Your character seems to have a military background, sharing similarity with your real life. Could you elaborate on that?

You might hire a British actor for a small role, or hire someone who pretend to be British. When I first spoke to Ranjith before signing on the film, he said that he wanted something different and a proper parallel lead to Vikram. He said I will be working in harsh conditions and my character is a former military officer who worked in the 1800s. He needed some intensity from me, given how the star cast of Thangalaan really gives it all. I too have a military background, which gave him relief.

How is it different playing a British man in Indian film and the same in British films?

Well, I was worried about that. There was another part of the conversation with Ranjith. If you look at RRR, which I loved, there is a cliché portrayal of the English. I did not want to play the typical British man. Ranjith was clear that my character was multi-layered and not cliché. I trusted him and in fact, for first few weeks I did have issue. I was doing naturalistic acting initially but Ranjith wanted me to be bigger. It was not realism, and documentary. It has a mythical and magical world and fantasy in there. He wanted me to inhabit this world and punch up the performance, which I felt like overacting. But later, I was able to see what Ranjith said and it looked fine.

Also Read: Chiyaan Vikram shot for Thangalaan despite suffering a major injury, reveals Pa Ranjith

What is Pa Ranjith is doing an international film. With the population and so much talent, cinema is still alive here as compared to the West. With the advent of OTT platforms, I see how cinema is being pushed here as a priority. It is crazy to see premieres now happening on streaming channels. I feel the Indian film industry is the biggest one in the world.

What were you to learn and unlearn from working in Thangalaan?

When I finished Thangalaan, I had to unlearn very fast. Lord Clemont is a very intense character and very hard one to let go. It was more like a flight or fight response where I had to let him go. It was nice getting to know him but at the same time not-so-nice as well. I needed to step away because I was agitated. That was the unlearn. The learning was how beautiful it was building this world, and about different cultures, and working practices. It was really important to learn the sensibilities, people, and how they conduct, and approach them, here in Tamil Nadu.

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