Artemis Fowl
Newcomer Ferdia Shaw on playing a criminal genius in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s new Disney+ epic
FROM FRI 12 JUN / DISNEY+ With Sir Kenneth Branagh directing and an impressive cast, I’m looking forward to this bigbudget adventure. It’s based on Eoin Colfer’s hit novels about Irish schoolboy-turnedcriminal-mastermind, Artemis (Ferdia Shaw).
When TV Times telephones 15-yearold Ferdia Shaw, he’s still pinching himself about landing the titular role in Disney+’s exciting new fantasy adventure, Artemis Fowl.
The film, based on Eoin Colfer’s hugely popular children’s novels, follows an Irish schoolboy-turnedcriminal-mastermind who becomes embroiled in the world of fairies.
‘Seeing yourself on the big screen is surreal,’ laughs Ferdia, who hails from Kilkenny, Ireland. ‘There were five auditions for me to go through, and I didn’t go into them with high hopes – it felt like more of a day out!’
The star-studded epic, directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh, follows 12-year-old Artemis as he embarks on a devious mission to locate the Aculos, a magical artefact from the fairy realm, and rescue his kidnapped father, Artemis Sr (Dumbo star Colin Farrell).
Here, Ferdia, grandson of Jaws actor Robert Shaw, tells us more…
Were you a fan of the books?
Yes, I read them all when I was younger. I loved the fairy mythology combined with a sci-fi world of high-tech gadgets and Artemis with his cool exterior facing everyone down. It’s incredible seeing the book brought to life.
Is Artemis a hero or a villain?
A bit of both.
Our version of Artemis is a little different from the books. He likes solving puzzles and has cool tricks up his sleeve but he’s always in a dilemma about the right thing to do.
How would you describe his mission?
It’s secretive. He kidnaps a fairy called Holly [To Walk Invisible’s Lara Mcdonnell] so that he can find the Aculos, and then he has to contend with the fairy world, but he and Holly become good friends. He just wants his father back. However, as Artemis learns more about his dad, he grows up.
The film also stars Dame Judi Dench as Commander Root, Holly’s grouchy boss in the fairy police force, and Josh Gad (who voices Frozen’s Olaf) as giant dwarf and kleptomaniac Mulch Diggums. Were you star-struck by your fellow cast members? Judi and I had a stand-off scene, which was really cool! I was nervous but Judi’s so nice, I felt calm straight away. And Josh is so funny that in some shots, we just couldn’t hold it together!
And how did you find being directed by Sir Kenneth Branagh? Because he’s an actor, he knows what hints to give you and just goes, ‘OK, now let’s try this.’ He doesn’t put too much on your shoulders. I was learning as I went along.
The film is action-packed – did you enjoy all the stunts?
The dangerous ones were left to my stunt double, but I had some cool ones and a lot of wirework. I also had to do stuff on a Onewheel going up a hill. That was challenging!
You filmed scenes in Northern Ireland and Vietnam. Did you enjoy working in those places? Northern Ireland was really great and Vietnam was crazy. When you cross the road you have to just walk and hope a motorbike doesn’t hit you! But it was so cool!