Jonathan Sothcott Interview By Scott McGlynn

Jonathan Sothcott a independent film producer based in London,

 He’s created a number a great films.

I caught up with Jonathan for a Q&A about future projects, will he work with Danny Dyer again, and who would he want to work with? 

 

 

Scott McGlynn: Growing up, did you always know you wanted to get involved in movies? 

Jonathan Sothcott: Most of my earliest memories are of watching movies – Return of the Jedi, Octopussy, One Million Years BC (the film, not my age) – i craved the escapism of the movies and consumed them like some sort of film junkie. My family rented 3 or 4 films a week and i’d watch my favourites again and again… The Karate Kid, Masters of the Universe, Big Trouble In Little China, The Monster Squad…

I knew I wanted to be involved but it was tough… i grew up in the middle of nowhere and there was no internet… so i knocked on a lot of doors and when they all remained closed i snuck round the back and slipped in an open window! A metaphorical one, obviously! Actually i really owe it all to the actor Martin Kemp, one of my best friends, who really believed in me and got behind me in my twenties which opened a huge amount of doors. I’ll never forget that. The world would be a better place with more Martins.

SM: Can you remember the first movie you bought? 

JS: When i was a kid we rented videos rather than buying them really. But when i was a teenager that all changed. I bought hundreds and hundreds of ex-rental videos. I loved – and love – 80s movies. All those synth scores and neon lighting. I still go to HMV and buy DVDs and blu rays every week… i like physically owning films (and books)… digital just isn’t the same.

SM: You made some awesome movies, Which one in your eyes, Your most proud of and why? 

JS: Thank you mate. I think the best film I’ve made so far is Vendetta, it was a powerful bit of film-making with a great central performance, maybe his best, by Danny Dyer. I’m also proud of We Still Kill The Old Way. Both of these films are vigilante movies which is a theme that resonates with audiences. We made a sequel to We Still called We Still Steal The Old Way and are making another. Having a franchise is rather wonderful.

SM: You’ve worked with some major UK actors like Danny Dyer, Martin Kemp, Dexter Fletcher and April Pearson to name a few, Would you like to get all these back in one huge movie? 

JS: At one point we talked about a team up of Vendetta, We Still Kill and Age of Kill but none of the films are really big enough.. and it’d just look cheap… Chavengers Assemble. I would like to do one great British crime movie mixing all the usual suspects with a generation of new talent. Its so important in my game to give emerging actors a chance.

SM: What are your top 3 all time movies, You could watch over and over…

JS: Jaws, Star Wars: A New Hope and The Dark Knight Rises. There are dozens more but they really resonate me. I’m a huge James Bond fan too. I know them all backwards.

SM: What Actor or Actress would you like to work with and why? 

JS: Actress is easy – Billie Piper. I just adore her, she’s mesmerisingly brilliant. Also Sharon Stone (my favourite actress) and Scarlet Johansson. Actors – Sir Michael Caine. Sir Roger Moore. They were my two favourites growing up. Going younger, John Simm (just brilliant), Ross Kemp (nobody else like him in the UK, so much charisma) and Robert Downey Jr because he’s just the coolest guy in the world.

SM:  Have you got any embarrassing stories you can share that’s happened on set? 

JS: A couple of the actual movies are pretty embarrassing!!! Last year on Eat Local we had the wonderful Charlie Cox who plays Daredevil. He had a remarkable stunt double. One day i introduced his double to set visitors thinking it was Charlie. Not my finest moment… thank god they didn’t ask for a selfie.

SM:  What projects are you working on now? Any spoilers you can give us? 

JS: We are in pre-production on a US horror film called Tormented which is about sleep paralysis. It was my idea as its something I’ve experienced… and i’m very proud of the script Adam Stephen Kelly has written. We have two film releases on the horizon – We Still Steal The Old Way in April and Bonded By Blood 2 in May – both fun sequels to earlier films. I’ve also branched out into publishing with my business partner Damien Morley and we are making some big moves in that area later this year.

SM: GQ said you are “A Film producer behind a whole new generation of on-screen hardmen” you must of felt proud right? 

JS: Well I do stand behind a lot of tough guys!! Haha. Yes its a huge compliment and i do enjoy making these sort of alpha male movies. So long as people keep buying them i’ll keep making them.

SM: What 2017 planned for Jonathan Sothcott?

JS: Well i’m in LA at the minute and ultimately i want to move here. Its basically a mining town where they mine films. I hate the London attitude of just talking about stuff rather than getting on and making things happen. I’m the most driven, ambitious person you will ever meet. As I said we are also in the publishing game now – print titles as well as online. A holiday would be nice though. Somewhere hot!