Neb Chupin portrays Silent Jack in Amazon’s The Last Redemption, a silent yet emotionally profound role. Alongside his brothers, he seeks to protect a young princess after the assassination of her father, the King, by a treacherous former subject. Without uttering a single word throughout the entire story, Neb’s performance captivates audiences with his touching interactions with the princess, played by his daughter, Lutze Chupin.
The film also features Angus MacFadyen and Kevin Sorbo and has been highly praised by audiences, earning an impressive 90% approval rating.
“Silent Jack” is a character who communicates only with gestures and looks, without saying a single word. What was the challenge of conveying so much with so little, and how did you prepare to bring depth to such a silent role?
Besides gestures, I also relied on my looks, presence, and my costume. One can express a lot by not talking, especially if you prepare for it. I was working on those skills for a while, imagining in everyday situation what would be my gesture if i could not speak. I didnt realize that with looks and face mimics you can express a lot.
You work alongside your daughter, Lutze Chupin, in the film, which makes the dynamic between your characters even more special. What was the experience of acting with her, especially in such emotional and touching scenes as the ones you share on screen?
I t was lovely, I enjoyed every moment of it. I enjoyed watching her being so free and happy on the film set, talking to so many actors, and crew members, being in center of attention. And, also I was teaching her a lot about acting and life in general. I realized now that child actors mostly have chances in acting if their parents are involved, because of so many other obstacles, it feels so natural.
The plot of “The Last Redemption” involves a lot of action and tension, but also brings moments of great sensitivity. How did you balance these two dimensions, especially in a role like “Silent Jack”, who needs to convey emotion without words?
There were few scenes indeed where i did things by action instead of talking. I used my looks a lot. Like if the look is angry or soft or have a question. Its hard to explain – everyone is asking me how it is, how i did it? Sometimes the character is more interesting if they dont say things and just show emotions.
Although your character is marked by the absence of speech, he is deeply present in the plot. How do you think the absence of words actually strengthens your character’s relationship with the princess and with others around him?
The absence of words actually was felt on the set. When you dont talk everyone is kind of respecting you more or have a fear from you in some way. So everyone was more nervous and they never thought what I was thinking.
We actually had a plan for one line for me at the end of the film. When jack was dying, he said to Lili: Go, Go little girl and we filmed it and Lili answered, I knew you could talk Gaston. But the director chose not to put it in the film.
Alongside figures like Angus MacFadyen and Kevin Sorbo, you have a talented cast. How was it working with these actors and what impact did this experience have on your own choices for the character of “Silent Jack”?
I worked with Natalie Burn in many movies and was great to work with her again. Kevin Sorbo was amazing so was Angus. They are more established, well known actors and is such comfort to work with them.
With a 90% approval rating from the audience, “The Last Redemption” has been well-received. How do you deal with this positive feedback, and what touched you most about the audience’s reactions to your work in this film?
We are still waiting to be accepted to netflix so that more people could see the film. Our distribution is slow and these days takes a long time to get proper distribution due to so many films being made. But this film is really truly an epic work. The scenes, the plot, and the moments are beautiful. The music and score is so outstanding that could stand on its own.
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