Odds are you know Conleth Hill as Varys from Game of Thrones, but he had a film premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this year and it’s well worth looking out for. Hill stars in Michael Lennox’s feature directorial debut, A Patch of Fog, as Sandy Duffy. He made a name for himself after his one and only novel became a big hit years back, and now he works as a university professor in Belfast and keeps himself in the public eye as a regular contributor on a popular television arts program. He’s doing well, but Sandy has one bad habit. He likes to steal. It’s nothing big, maybe a paperweight or a pair of cufflinks, but stealing is stealing so when Robert (Stephen Graham) catches Sandy in the act on a security camera, he’s got the power to ruin Sandy’s reputation forever. However, Robert agrees to let him off the hook under one condition - they grab a drink together. Obviously Sandy goes for it, but he soon learns that one drink isn’t enough. In order to keep Robert quiet, they’ve got to be best friends and spend loads of time together.

A Patch of Fog is an especially tense thriller that rocks two powerhouse performances. The situation may seem black and white at times, but then Hill or Graham will tip the scale, calling into question who’s right, who’s wrong and what’s best for both of their characters. While in Toronto for the world premiere of the film, Hill took the time to sit down and discuss his experience making A Patch of Fog, recall some highlights from Game of Thrones and participate in a round of “Would You Rather.” You can catch it all in the video interview below.

 


Conleth Hill:

  • 00:00 - What appealed to him about the script.
  • 00:34 - On the plausibility of Sandy’s situation.
  • 00:59 - His one especially memorable and awkward Game of Thrones fan encounter.
  • 01:30 - Someone else was originally on board to play Sandy.
  • 02:04 - On jumping into the movie so quickly after being cast; how they prepped for the shoot.
  • 02:54 - Robert is clearly in the wrong, but your allegiance still diverges throughout the film.
  • 04:19 - On working with Graham; what Hill learned from him.
  • 05:33 - On working with Lennox and being part of his first feature.
  • 06:50 - Shooting the whole film in just four weeks.
  • 07:00 - Hill plays “Would You Rather.”
  • 11:00 - On bringing a film to a festival for the first time.
  • 11:29 - What’s to come in Game of Thrones Season 6?
  • 12:11 - What made the show a standout and what he thinks of the possibility that his character could die at any time.
  • 12:35 - His favorite dialogue-driven scenes.
  • 13:23 - Hill sorts Varys and himself into houses.
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Image via TIFF