Doctor Who series 8: Peter Ferdinando keen to return as clockwork droid villain
The actor plays the evil cyborg in the new series of Doctor Who
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Your support makes all the difference.We saw him do battle with the Doctor in the first episode of the new series of Doctor Who before an intriguing departure, now actor Peter Ferdinando says that he would like to return to the show as the dastardly “Half-Face Man”.
The star told The Independent that he would do it again if he got the chance, “Why not? It’s fun, it’s a scary, juicy role to play because it’s totally different to what I’ve ever done”.
“There was talk about bringing him back but I don’t know whether that will happen or not. If it does, yeah, I’ll do it,” he added.
Ferdinando had to spend three to four hours in make-up in order to create the half-man half-machine, which is likely to have sent scores of children scurrying behind the sofa for safety. As well as prosthetics, CGI was used to complete his cyborg appearance.
In preparation for the role, Ferdinando, along with director Ben Wheatley, studied the movement of robots and equipment created the American military.
“I didn’t want to look like I was in the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks, so I tried to make it robotic with a human soul, trying to manifest the self, so to speak.
“I mean it all sounds crazy to think about it but you have to try and take it seriously even though it is actually madness. But it’s great fun.”
He described the process of working in ‘Deep Breath’ as very “technical”, both the fight sequence and the scene where the Half-Face Man is sleeping took a day to film.
“I’ve never played a half man half robot before, so it was very exciting and a challenge – dare I say that word – to play something that’s not really real.
“But he’s trying to turn into a human being, so there was a fine line of trying to find some human qualities in there and the same time he is a robot, so it’s very technical.”
Ferdinando has already worked with Wheatley on the critically acclaimed A Field in England and will be starring in his forthcoming film High-Rise. The JG Ballard adaptation features an all-star cast, including Tom Hiddleston, Sienna Miller and Jeremy Irons.
Given the mysterious conclusion of ‘Deep Breath’ perhaps Ferdinando may return sooner than we expected.
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