Branko Tomovic

Having spoken to Branko Tomovic regarding his work on independent productions for our now-defunct sister site Hijack Hollywood, we couldn’t resist asking a few questions about his role in the upcoming Hollywood remake of the Universal classic The Wolfman. The movie, directed by Jurassic Park III’s Joe Johnston, stars Benicio Del Toro as Lawrence Talbot, a man who is bitten by a wolf and inherits the curse.

Branko discusses his small role in the movie…

Having primarily been known for your work on low budget productions, how did you manage to land a significant role in the upcoming remake of The Wolfman for Universal? What kind of audition process did you go through and did you have to fight to win the part?

“My agent set up a meeting with casting director Priscilla John. She is one of the most important and influential casting directors here in the UK, she did the casting for high profile features such as Frankenstein, Pirates of the Carribean, Van Helsing and Eragon. I met her the first time when The Wolfman was still in pre-production and Mark Romanek was still attached as director. I met her again a while later when the film was already shooting and Joe Johnston took over. She was looking for Eastern European actors to play the Gypsy parts. Geraldine Chaplin plays Maleva – a brilliant casting choice in my opinion!”

Prior to your involvement in the production, were you already familiar with the 1941 Lon Chaney picture and would you describe yourself as a fan of horror?

“I loved the original Wolfman and I am a huge fan of the horror cinema. I grew up with Dracula, The Wolfman, The Invisible Man and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. I was recently involved in a TV thriller called Whitechapel about a Jack the Ripper copycat story in today’s London. I played one of the main suspects, a creepy morgue man and that was fantastic and fun to do and I would love to do more in this direction. I am originally from the Serbian Carpathians so I feel very comfortable around vampires and werewolves. People over there are very superstitous and still believe in these things.”

Without giving too much away, how important is your character to the story and how did you prepare for the role?

“Honestly, it’s not a huge part and unfortunately, I did not have any scenes with Anthony Hopkins. I play one of the Gypsies in the camp. But it was a fantastic and unique experience and since I loved the original one I just wanted to be part of this. It’s a wonderful story with a brilliant main cast and a very good director.”

With this movie featuring a significant amount of CGI, how would you compare it to your previous work and how confident did you feel having to act against effects that you were unable to see?

“I didn’t have to deal with CGI. We were shooting at Pinewood Studios in London and the very first day I walked on set and met Joe I saw Benicio in full Wolfman costume and it looked so scary as it was so real! Rik Baker who did the special make up effects is a true artist. Everything was very very real. We had real horses in the camp, real grass, real fire – it was a fantastic set and for me it felt like being in another world.”

This kind of project could open doors for you in Hollywood. Do you have any kind of plan on where you hope to take your career next?

“An actor’s career is so unpredictable, a lot really comes down to luck and being in the right place at the right time. But I have tasted blood and would love to work more in the horror/thriller genre. I would love to become a cult horror star like the great Bela Lugosi when I grow old! (Not Boris Karloff!)”