Blast from the Past - An Interview with Axelle Carolyn - The Last Post.

Originally published 26th January 2011

Name of Short - The Last Post

Running Time - 11 min

Year of Completion - 2011

Location of Shooting - London

Director - Axelle Carolyn

What inspired you to make this short in particular?

My grandparents. The film is dedicated to them, actually. And then there's all kinds of themes that seem recurrent in my writing: fear of dying alone, regrets, loneliness...

Is this the first short that you have worked on and if not, what other work have you done before this?

It was my first short as a writer/director, but I'd acted in a couple dozen shorts and features before. I'd also visited many film sets as a reporter, freelanced as a script reader and PR, and done various odd jobs on set, like assisting Paul Hyett with SFX make-up on Doomsday, for example.

What are you working on next?

I've got a couple of features I'm dying to make... I'm also promoting the latest short, The Halloween Kid. And I'd love to make a no-budget short, just for fun!

Name one woman who you would just absolutely love to work with and why?!

There are many actresses I'd love to work with! First one who comes to mind is Olga Kurylenko (pictured above). We worked together on Centurion, and she's fearless in her choices, and very underrated. Plus, we get along really well. I should also mention that I've already had the chance to work with some fantastic women: in addition to the cast of The Last Post and Anna Walton in The Halloween Kid, I found brilliant production designers in Caroline Story (TLP) and Felix Coles (THK), and a great costume designer, Rebecca Gore, and make-up designer, Evie Wray...

What's your favourite film from the past year? (Doesn't have to be horror!)

I loved Melancholia...

The Last Post is a beautifully well acted short, how important did you feel the casting was on this one?

Essential. The film lives or dies with the lead actress. We were so lucky to cast Jean Marsh (Willow, Return to Oz, Upstairs Downstairs), who is extremely talented and respected. Kimberley Nixon, who plays the nurse, will be a star very soon. And Darren Bransford is criminally underrated. As a former actress, casting and working on performances is the part I find most exciting. 

Your husband Neil Marshall produced The Last Post, in the horror industry he is known for creating strong kick ass females. Has it been a good learning curve watching him grow as a director and how has he influenced you...and vice versa?

I'm not sure we really influence each other, to be honest; we have pretty different tastes and interests, even within the horror genre. But we read each other's scripts, give each other feedback, bounce ideas off each other... It helps so much.

You are just finishing up on your latest short The Halloween Kid, which looks terrific amounts of fun! How are you coming along finishing up on this and when do you expect it to ready to start the festival trail?

We've submitted it to a dozen festivals already, and the first responses are coming in. It seems the first public screening will take place in March, though it hasn't been officially announced yet. I'm very proud of this one, and I can't wait to share it!

Do you have any film plans that you are working on and can we expect you to see you back in front of the camera any time soon or have you found that you are happier behind the camera?

I've got a couple of feature scripts I'm hoping to get financed in the next months. No plan to act again at the moment; I love acting, and if someone offered me a great part, I'd definitely do it! But it's really writing and directing I'd like to concentrate on.

You can read more about The Halloween Kid at the Official Blog where you can also read more about filming on The Last Post .  And with the exception of the Melancholia poster, all images are the credit of Axelle Carolyn.