Interview With Cameron Monaghan

Still trying to figure out why I had even gone to college straight after high school, I had randomly enrolled in film subjects in my first year of studies. The course guide had seemed reasonably simple and at the time I guess I liked movies enough. Truth be told though, it mostly seemed to be an easy blow off course- something to appropriately kill time with, whilst I was still living at my parents.

Most students have fond memories of their college days – with lessons learnt, friends collected and careers in the making. This was not my experience. Like it was yesterday, we were all asked what our favourites films were in the very first session. In hindsight I probably should have scanned the room before deciding to answer, but with an unwarranted confidence I had raised my hand and said “Die Hard 4 was great” (for context purposes, it should be mentioned that the movie had just come out as a comeback vehicle for Bruce Willis and seemed very on trend at the time.). No one had reacted.

The student next to me, whom came prepared with a clean laptop and pretentious posture broke the silence with “I think Citizen Kane would probably be in my top five films”. His explanation as to why seemed disingenuous, as if we were all supposed to be impressed with his opinion and bow down to his knowledge - douche. The next student answered, “Amelie is my favourite film”. Instinctually my automatic thought was something along the lines of “of course this art student chose a French film- douche”. But to my surprise she carried on with sweet reasons as to why she loved the story. For her, it wasn’t about symbolism, artistry or the clever use of camera angles; she honestly just enjoyed the film.

It was somewhat refreshing to hear someone speak with sincere interest in midst of film student egos, admittedly it was almost rare to come across such genuineness. Along with movie experts, there were many characters that came my way in the survived six weeks of film school. There were the theatre performers whom seemingly were always ready to monologue, the crew teams- always so technical and precise, and then the focused storytellers who just wanted to do a good job. Cameron Monaghan is seemingly one of those storytellers.

For those living under a rock and deaf to the applause coming after each of Monaghan’s performance, I would recommend writing his name down somewhere. That way, you will surely have some sort of evidence, claiming you were there from the beginning, witnessing a career undoubtedly unfolding into the history books. After speaking to Monaghan even just as a one off, he very much so reminded me of the college storytellers and the girl in my first class. Within seconds, you could immediately see his genuine admiration for film, and even though we only spoke for a short while, he could probably talk about movies all day long.

Despite being young and although considerably new to the spotlight, Monaghan has very much so done the legwork, and rightfully earned his success thus far. To consider the backlash that the Last Jedi received, its fair to say that introducing new storylines to the Star Wars universe is no walk in the park. Yet we hold our breaths awaiting to see Monaghan’s incarnation. It is not easy to follow in the footsteps of Heath Ledger’s Joker either, as we have seen through Suicide Squad reviews, yet somehow again we as an audience welcomed Cameron’s portrayal. Moreover should anyone play a gay character onscreen, a backlash from all angles is almost always guaranteed. However in this instance though, we are forced to wait episode by episode to see what his Shameless character will do next and cheer along. Grab a pen right now, and write down his name down. Introducing our new leading man, Cameron Monaghan.

Congratulations on your career so far. You’ve been able to play some culturally popular characters. Which one has been your favourite so far and why?

Thank you! Ah boy, I always like to say my favorite role is the next one. The role I haven’t played yet.

Also, my last job is often my favorite as I’m still buzzing from the excitement of the process of creating them. There’s so much joy in creating for me and in many ways, the process itself is the reward, if that makes any sense. But, yeah, my last role was portraying Cal Kestis in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. He’s this scrappy, street smart, tough kid with a traumatic past and a really good heart who I really grew to love over the months of filming. And, obviously, being a protagonist in the Star Wars canon is an immense honor and also just pretty damn cool.

What would be your dream role?

I’ll be honest, when I think about what’s attractive, it’s to work with people I respect and crafting something with them. I’m not really searching for a specific character archetype, but I know a character I think is great when I see it. However, if we’re talking specifically what I fantasize or dream about for my career, it’s working with specific directors. Denis Villeneuve, Martin Scorsese, Lynne Ramsay, Martin McDonagh, Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, the Safdie brothers, the Coens, the list goes on and on. Audacious filmmakers willing to take chances and do something weird, who care about actors and performance.

Also, Batman. Pick your flavor. Bruce Wayne or Terry McGinnis. Dealer’s choice.

Who are the people in the industry you looked up to growing up?

That ties into my previous question. I’ve idolized film directors since a young age. The idea of creating a two hour experience (give or take) of something undeniably singular in tone and style and expression, that always was magical to me. As a kid, I would go to Blockbuster and rent Stanley Kubrick and David Fincher and be so utterly obsessed. I’d stare at the box art and read the backs. I’d listen to the director commentaries. I just…I always respected the art of cinema since I can remember. The idea of being transported to a movie’s own unique reality.

You started off you career on stage at a fairly young age, playing Stuart in Stuart Little and other roles. Did you always know that you wanted to be in the arts?

I grew up in a household that consumed a huge amount of movies and television. I must give credit to my mom for this. We saw multiple films in theaters weekly. We didn’t have much, but expenditures on cable, rentals, and tickets were essential. We listened to a lot of music. Art always seemed a core necessity to me, in the same way food was. And performing seemed like a natural extension of that. I didn’t just want to watch it, I wanted to be in it. My mother got me involved in many arts programs from the start. Community theater, guitar lessons, martial arts. We had very little money and she worked multiple jobs as a single mother. I really don’t know how she managed it. But thank god she did, as all these things remained essential to me for the rest of my life.

Can you tell us how the Shameless experience has changed your life?

I mean, that’s hard to even contextualize because at this point, it’s hard to imagine what my life would look like had I not been doing this for ten years. I can say it led me to meet many great people, friends integral to who I am, essential relationships for the rest of my life. These are talented people who I very much admire. I gained security through the show, security in my self and who I am, financial security, and just a general stability that you gain by working on a job for a decade. I can’t say with certainty what I would be doing without it or where I would be in my career and my life, but ultimately I’m thankful for the opportunities provided by this show.

Another role that a large majority of people who would associate with you would be your character on Gotham. Can you tell us about your experiencing entering the DC world?

Sure! Well, if you haven’t gleamed by now, I’m a huge Batman fan. A batfan. And in particular, the character of the Joker. I mean, he’s one of the biggest, baddest bad guys, master of all thing awful and chaotic. How could you not love him? I’ve always been a huge Jack Nicholson fan too and that tied into it. I loved the cartoons and comics as a kid. It was a big thing for me. At the same time, it’s still a job. I’m hired for my knowledge or ability in the field that I practice, and ultimately, you set aside the excitement for whatever it is you’re working on and approach it with the same set of tools you would approach any gig. I just let my fandom propel me into my art and attempted to make the best of the materials I was provided.

Joker is one of the most recognizable villains, how was it slipping into those very large shoes?

Is that a clown shoes joke? I hope it is. You know, it’s an honor. I was the first live-action actor to touch anything Joker related after Heath Ledger absolutely demolished expectations with his portrayal of the role. That was a daunting, monumental task for a young actor. In many ways, I feel like I was an ice-breaker, testing the waters and gauging how people would react to another performer affecting the periphery of this iconic role. And I was very happy to be a guinea pig.

And there was pushback at first, many people had a default “no one can ever do this again” attitude without realizing that the show had its own set of goals, striking a tone with its depiction that was different than what had been seen prior. Wild and comedic, cartoonish, yet violent and with an intermittent, strange burst of emotional truth. Beyond the initial kneejerk reaction, a huge amount of people really did warm up to it and that is really heartening. I love that people embraced a fantastical, grisly, insane, unbelievable origin to this character. I hope that it in some way opened the door in the popular consciousness to be more receptive of depictions by Jared Leto, Joaquin Phoenix, or any other actor who may decide to step into the role in the future.

We are about to see you in another fan favourite as Cal Kestis in the upcoming Star Wars: Fallen Order. How was your experience doing motion capture for six months?

It was pretty wild. It has a unique set of challenges, benefits, and limitations. It’s definitely a real exercise in imagination. Like performing experimental black box theater. The strange thing is there eventually WILL be a cinematic, visual language. In the finished product, there will be close-ups and two shots and pans and push-ins and what-have-you. But you oftentimes don’t know exactly where that will be because there is no physical camera on set, so you really have to trust your instincts and do what feels natural. Similar to theater, scenes have to be performed all in one take. There’s a very small margin of error. You’re in these blank warehouses wearing these ridiculous ball suits and helmets, and yet you’re in these scenes where you’re fighting for your life, talking about genocide and loss and attempting to bring real humanity and emotions to these characters.

At the same time, anything is possible, and there is a real freedom to not be constrained by physical sets or physics, or anything, really. The challenge is simply trying to ground something so large, to make the intangible feel like it has weight. To tell a human story in this world full of aliens and interstellar fights and magic Force powers. You’ve gotta make that stuff feel real or the audience will tune out.

Do you have any fond memories of Star Wars?

Many. Many many. Too many.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Who knows? Kids? Marriage? Directing? Producing? Dead? Jury is still out. I’m taking it one day at a time really. Enjoying life and making the most of it while I can. I just want to accomplish as much as possible and do things that make me happy. Isn’t that what we’re all trying to do, really?

What has been the best experience you have had so far?

My next role. Whatever it may be.

Words / QUADE AU

This PIBE online exclusive has been produced by:
Talent / Cameron Monaghan
Photography / Emily Soto
Styling / Andrew Gelwicks
Make up / Andrew Colvin
Hair / Ledora