PULP Fiction star Tim Roth has opened up about his experience of shooting in Scotland ahead of the world premiere of his latest movie at the Glasgow Film Festival.
Roth will appear on the red carpet alongside fellow actors Takehiro Hira and Koki, and director John Maclean, on Wednesday evening for the festival’s opening gala and the world premiere of Tornado – a survival thriller shot in Scotland.
The film, led by Koki who plays the title character, is set in the rugged landscape of 1790s Britain. Tornado – a Japanese puppeteer’s daughter – finds herself caught in a perilous situation when she and her father’s travelling puppet show crosses paths with a ruthless criminal gang led by Sugarman (played by Roth) and his ambitious son Little Sugar (played by Slow Horses’ Jack Lowden).
Speaking to The National, Roth talked about the “wild” experience of returning to film in Scotland.
The actor has filmed in Scotland several times before – most notably in the 1995 film Rob Roy which also stars Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange.
One of Roth’s most notable memories of filming in Scotland is his experience of midges while shooting Rob Roy.
He told The National: “They’re like mosquitoes but they’re suicidal. They come in and swarm you, and they bite – they don’t run away, they just stay on you and keep biting you.
“When I did Rob Roy I was in midgeland.”
Thankfully, Roth’s experiencing of filming Tornado was midge-free – the film was shot in the Pentland Hills between January and February last year, meaning the crew only had to deal with colder temperatures.
Roth said returning to film in Scotland was a “wild time” but that he “absolutely loved it”.
He said: “It was a way of seeing Scotland that I’d never experienced.
“Where we were staying when we weren’t working, I was right on those hills. I would hike every day, I made sure of it. It was so stunning to look at.”
‘It feels like the film is coming home’
Tornado is set to kick off the Glasgow Film Festival on Wednesday evening after it was selected for the opening gala.
Director Maclean – originally from Tayport – said he “couldn’t be happier” that the film was chosen, adding: “When I was a student I worked in the Cameo cinema in Edinburgh, and the Edinburgh Film Festival.
“I love film, and cinemas are churches for me. We’re showing it in a beautiful Glasgow cinema and I couldn’t be happier.
“No one’s seen it. There was no test screening, no friends and family, no cast and crew. Tonight is the first time anyone that wasn’t involved with it is seeing it.”
Roth added: “It feels for me like this is where it should be.
“The Glasgow festival is a proper festival – it embraces film, which is a hard thing to find nowadays.
“It feels like it’s coming home, the film’s coming to the right spot.”
