Fresh off the heels of the release of Wales Interactive’s latest FMV venture, Ten Dates, we were lucky enough to interview both Sam Buchanan and Charlie Maher who respectively play Bash and Ryan in this recent interactive movie.
Keen players will recognize Mr. Maher from such TV shows as Black Narcissus and Conversation with Friends. Whereas Sam had roles in series as well, such The Power and Eastenders.
Read on to learn more about Charlie Maher and Sam Buchanan as they cover their love for gaming and how the Ten Dates experience was. Enjoy!
Are you a gamer? If so, what game has impacted you the most?
Sam: I have always enjoyed gaming. Call of Duty and FIFA have always been staples for me, however recently a friend lent me The Last Of Us and I’ve been plowing my way through that! It’s fantastic.
Charlie: I have always been into gaming since I was a kid. I don’t know that I ever thought of myself as a gamer, but I think it would be scary to learn how many hours I have played over the years. That’s a really tough question to answer about what has impacted me the most. Between the Call of Duty, Medal of Honor, and Battlefield franchises I have definitely put the most time in. When they started introducing things like jetpacks into their games they lost me though. Nowadays I’ve been playing a good bit of Hell Let Loose as I love the strategy element, instead of the arcade feel that those other games have now.
How did you get into acting?
Sam: At school, I was a bit of a problem kid, in trouble a lot and on report, etc. However, I started to discover drama was a real outlet for me. My teacher then pulled me aside one day during the sixth form and said I should go study only drama somewhere else so I could put all my energy into it. It’s from there that I left and went to college to study performing arts, from there I got into Drama School, and from Drama School, I signed with my agent. That one brilliant teacher seeing the potential in me definitely changed the trajectory of my career. I owe a lot to her.
Charlie: I finished a degree in commerce and accounting and got a job offer to be in one of the accounting firms. When I was staring down the barrel of signing up for three and a half years doing that, it made it very easy for me to decline it. I just knew I wasn’t cut out for it. I was kind of at square one then and asked myself “what would I do if I wasn’t scared?” and the answer was acting. I had always wanted to do it but to be honest, I was terrified. I started doing some improv because I thought “if I can do it without lines, then it must be easier with lines” and applied to some of the acting schools. I got in and have been doing it since then.
How was the auditioning process for Ten Dates?
Sam: I was actually first asked to read for Ty! So, I sent a tape in to Paul and the team. They then asked me to meet with them and audition for Bash. It was a very relaxing process and Paul’s passion was infectious, I knew I wanted to be involved.
Charlie: Even though the job itself was very different from a normal tv show/movie, the auditioning was the same. I got sent the scenes from my agent and did a self-tape. I then got some feedback that the director liked them, so we had a chat and for reasons unknown to me, he decided he wanted me to be in it.
How was the game-making process for the game?
Sam: Filming was a lot of fun but intense! We had TONS of material to film in a short amount of time so everyone was on their A-game. Luckily Rosie and I got on extremely well and had such a laugh shooting, which has hopefully bled into our performances!
Charlie: A lot of that would be done in post-production after we have filmed so I wouldn’t have much involvement in the actual making of the game. We filmed every possible answer to all the decision points in the story, so the script ends up being about six-hundred pages. A normal movie is about one hundred pages so it was meant for a very busy shoot.
What do you think are the biggest challenges in dating today?
Sam: I think the whole ‘grass is greener’ element of dating can be a challenge. Without even trying we’re force-fed images of beautiful men and women with unrealistic appearances which may leave people feeling unsatisfied in their own relationships. I have no doubt the days without social media would have been a much more simpler dating experience!
Charlie: I’ve been out of the dating scene for a while so I might not be the best to answer this question. But if I had to, I feel like it’s probably getting to meet people outside of the circles you are already involved in. I guess dating apps and things like speed dating are great for this as you meet people who you might not otherwise meet. For me, that is much more interesting because I would want to meet people from all walks of life, with different experiences and perspectives. Otherwise, it’s a bit boring to just meet people who you work with, knew from school, etc.
How close is your character’s personality to yours?
Sam: Pretty similar to be fair! The Sam of a few years ago has many similar stories to Bash! However, nowadays I think I’d prefer a cozy pub and good company to a sticky club!
Charlie: It depends who you ask. One of the bizarre things about playing Ryan is that his personality is shaped by the player and the decisions they make. This means that there isn’t really just one Ryan. I’d say Ryan is a little more down the middle and I would have a tendency to be a bit of a weirdo.
Which character would you date out of the bunch? Why?
Sam: It sounds standard but Misha seems like a down-to-earth, honest person, someone I’d definitely be interested in getting to know in real life.
Charlie: I think a more suitable question is would any of them put up with me? Brandy would have none of me, she wouldn’t like me playing video games. Azalea would eat me alive. Kathleen would reckon I’m a little dim. The only two I might have a shot with are Toni and Derek.
Don’t forget to take a look at our full review of the game Ten Dates, by clicking the link below