At Fan Expo Canada, we spoke with star of Ice Cream Man Ari Millen on the Eli Roth horror film which was an idea the iconic horror filmmaker kicked around for many years before making it into a feature. Millen plays Jonathan Smiley, a man who never speaks but delights in giving ice cream and sweet treats to children from his ice cream truck, but his mysterious nature is unsettling to some of the other children.
The Ice Cream Man was filmed in Hamilton, Ontario and Millen spoke about the importance of a talent like Roth coming to Canada and filming with a local crew. “Its one of those projects that really was a dream for a big Hollywood name to be coming here. Incredibly down to earth, incredibly accepting of any ideas. This is an idea he’s had for 20 years so I expected a little bit of a micromanager, but nothing. He just trusted in us to bring it to life and the people he surrounded us with, like this event here, just full of loving and caring people who are just passionate about making the movie.”
Millen’s previous roles in projects like Orphan Black, Vicious Fun and The Oak Room have seen him play characters who talk a lot or are very energetic which is a slight change for him as Smiley. “The Ice Cream Man does not speak. The challenge for me was trying to get his insides out through eyes, through facial expressions, through scenarios in the scenes he was put in. And again, like I said, Eli is incredibly collaborative and supportive. The whole cast and crew, those kids, their imaginations. I keep saying it, they created the space which made it so easy to come in. The scene was already set for you, there was no imagination needed from me.”
Millen’s next film is Death of a Yellow Bird which will be released next month. Written and directed by Cody Calahan (Let Her Out), the movie is passion project for both of them. “The genesis of that movie comes from an incredibly personal space. Writer/director Cody Calahan and I have known each other since birth so obviously we have a long history together. Him and I started our love of being in acting and filmmaking as kids in a group and we’re borrowing from real life, fictionalizing other aspects, filmed it in his childhood home where we learned our love and ran around in the woods with a camcorder making movies. I’m just very, very excited for it to finally see the light of day.”
Per Millen, Death of a Yellow Bird “follows a man struggling with a cancer diagnosis and trying to reconcile his past and telling his son. There was a huge catharsis for both of us during this process and it was something incredibly special.”
SEE ALSO: Exclusive Interview – Eli Roth Says Ice Cream Man Comes With One Warning: “There Will Be Blood…”
The Ice Cream Man is in theatres now and Death of a Yellow Bird will premiere September 17th at Fantastic Fest. Check out our full interview on the Flickering Myth YouTube channel here (and give us a subscribe!)…
