The Adventurer: The Curse Of The Midas Box – Hag’s questions for Xavier Atkins

The Adventurer: The Curse Of The Midas Box – Hag’s questions for Xavier Atkins

What was it like having Fantastic 4’s Mr Fantastic as your Daddy in the movie?

He was so funny. He was one of the best guys I have ever been with on set. In the green room he had everyone laughing.

Some of the impressions he can do – Rob Brydon get out of the room. He was so much better. My favourite Welshman in the world absolutely wonderful guy. And frankly I think he could have been all of the Fantastic 4 considering all the impressions he can do. Yeah I live him – best guy I’ve ever met.

I asked him if he had stretchy arms. He could just do it – but not as good as in the movie. That was the one disappointment.

What made you want to do this movie?

I always go for these auditions and part you thinks ‘yeah I could do that’. But with this movie it was kind of a different tone – slightly more original.

I’d read the book. They took the book and made it into some more different, slightly darker, slightly more interesting. Not to say the book was a bad book is great – I’ve met the writer and he’s a lovely guy.

It just seemed like a brilliant script. The guy working on it – Jonathan Newman was really nice guy when I went in to meet him and I just really wanted to work on it.

Is there a plan to make a second?

There’s a script out there – but I’m not sure where it is.

Have you ever been on a real adventure and what was it?

Have I ever been on a real adventure? Hmm…

Well I have a relatively straightforward life. I’ve never been on too many adventures.

I do remember at one point – it’s less of an adventure but we we’re driving around Belgium on holiday. And we rented this courtesy car – my Mum was in the car as well. And she couldn’t find the hand break…..or she couldn’t find how to get off the hand break. And so we we’re just stuck on this hill – it was quite an inclined hill. And so my Granny who must have been 77 or 78 at the time – walked down the road for about 15 or 16 cars and asked if they knew how to do the hand break. Most of them just ignored it.

By the end of it I just heard my Mum screaming at my Granny to get back in the car. And my Granny saying – no no no no….I’ll find someone that can do it.

I just remember it being one of the most horrible moments. And this trip Made me really love Belgium – I found some parts I didn’t know existed.

All I knew before that was it had the best lit roads in Europe. But because of that trip I now know so much more.

Have your friends seen the movie and what did they think?

I was with a couple of my friends when I first watched it and they didn’t watch the whole of it. They made me skip forward to my next bit. You can’t get offended they’re your best mates. They could have put the effort in though couldn’t they?! (Laughs)

I think one of them later watched the movie and came back and said ‘you were alright’. (Laughs)

But the other two didn’t really care. They still treat me very normally. Because we’ve known each other so long I’m still just ‘Xav’.

Do you think they’re a bit weirded out seeing you on the screen?

Possibly yeah. A few of them are like ‘I can’t believe you’re there and there, You look so different – what were you thinking.’ (Laughs)

What did it feel like working with so many big film stars?

Yeah there are some big stars!

You just find out how normal they are. You think they’re gonna be brash and just toss you aside but they are really nice people. They are just so confident in their talent – they enjoy it, they look forward to it. They can just be comfortable and treat you like a normal person. They were really really nice. You can have normal conversations with them, you can talk to them normally – it was brilliant on set just to meet these people.

The Adventurer: The Curse Of The Midas Box out on DVD and Blu-Ray 27/10/14 – Review CLICK HERE!!!