We Speak Actors

Walles Hamonde on the secrecy and excitement of acting in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’

Published

4 days ago

October 1, 2024

As a huge Tim Burton fan, Walles Hamonde was thrilled to be cast in the new ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ movie alongside stars Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. A former competitive figure skater, Walles is now a familiar face on screen, perhaps best known for his character Rich in Armando Iannucci’s hit HBO show ‘Avenue 5’. He also played Sheik Al Jamain in the ground-breaking Netflix animation ‘Captain Fall’; Doctor Saed in the controversial 2023 New Year’s episode of ‘EastEnders’; and the lead Auror in the seminal Harry Potter spin-off ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’. In addition, Walles has starred in dozens of high-profile audio dramas, video games and animations.

Walles said it was “an absolute honour” to be part of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’: “I grew up watching the original ‘Beetlejuice’ movie, and in my former life as a competitive figure skater, actually skated as the character Beetlejuice several times using the hit Danny Elfman score.

“The audition process for this movie was shrouded in secrecy, and the project was codenamed, so even after I was offered the part, I was unaware of which movie I was shooting.”

“It was only when I went to my first costume fitting that I saw a pictures of Michael Keaton and Catherine O’Hara in costume and the penny dropped – and my heart rate jumped!”

Walles’ character, Glen, is involved in a plot line which really sets the scene of ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ and reintroduces us to the world of Lydia Deetz, 36 years after we last saw her. We can’t say any more without spoiling the plot, so you’ll have to watch it to find out what happens…

Walles thoroughly enjoyed the shoot, especially working with his hero Tim Burton. He said: “A large portion of my career has been spent working in the fantasy genre, so this is a very familiar playground for me. That said, I felt a lot of nerves when I got on set for my first day of filming, which was incidentally the first day of filming for the whole movie. It was the normal ‘first day of school’ jitters, but definitely accentuated by the fact that I am a huge fan of Tim Burton, absolutely love the original movie and wanted to make sure my work spoke to my passion for the project.

“I’m in a big scene alongside several lead cast members, which is technically intricate and has a lot of moving parts.”

“Tim has an incredible ability to see the bigger picture in his head and he really helps you as an actor to find the performance that he needs to tell his story.”

“The sets allow you to completely immerse yourself in your character and just ‘live’ the part. It was surreal to finish filming and think: ‘Did that just happen? Am I really in the new ‘Beetlejuice’’?!”

Over his career, Walles has worked opposite many well-known names in the industry including Eddie Redmayne and Colin Farrell (‘Fantastic Beasts’); Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad (‘Avenue 5’); Lyndsey Marshal and Jonah Hauer-King (‘Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar’); and Jason Ritter and Adam Devine (‘Captain Fall’). He can currently be heard alongside David Oyelowo and Vanessa Kirby in ‘The Strange Case’, and Phoebe Fox and Kyle Soller in ‘Temporal’, both available on Audible.

Walles said that ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ would appeal to a wide cross-section of viewers, adding: “It’s a major crossover in terms of genre – horror, comedy and fantasy. And there’s a whole generation of people who remember the original and will want to see the sequel for some feel-good 80s nostalgia. But there’s also a passionate new legion of younger fans who will know cast members from their more recent smash hit shows: Winona Ryder from ‘Stranger Things’, Catherine O’Hara from ‘Schitt’s Creek’ and Jenny Ortega from ‘Wednesday’. The original movie is also now on Netflix, so hopefully people can do a double-whammy and refresh themselves on the original and then come to the movies to find out what happens next!”

Walles has a busy month ahead, as he will be appearing in the new MGM+/Lionsgate drama ‘Borderline’, alongside Eoin Macken and Amy de Bruhn, which premieres on 2 September. Then on 13 September, Walles is set to star alongside Kim Cattrall, Ed Harris and Johnny Flynn in the highly anticipated BBC Radio 4 audio drama ‘Central Intelligence’.

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ has been released in cinemas across the UK and US.

Featured photo credit: Ziebell Photography.

We Speak Actors

King Moore: A Rising Star on a Mission to Inspire and Unite

Published

4 days ago

October 1, 2024

Jimmy Star

At just 75 pounds, 8-year-old King Moore is emerging as a powerful voice for the Alpha generation. With a blend of music, acting, and political activism, he is capturing hearts across the nation. King’s radiant smile and relentless determination have made him a sensation. With visionary manager and Grammy-winning music publisher Tony Mercedes—known for hits like Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and TLC’s “No Scrubs”—King’s debut single “ABC,” released on April 30, 2024, has already amassed over four million views on YouTube.

But King’s ambitions extend far beyond personal fame. After a memorable FaceTime meeting with iconic songwriter Jackie DeShannon, he proposed a reimagining of her classic song “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” This sparked the creation of The King Moore Unity Project, where he collaborated with six handpicked young artists and Grammy-nominated producer Sean McMillion to record the iconic track. The project aims to inspire hope and healing in an increasingly divisive world. As Tony Mercedes aptly noted, “The message was bigger than the melody,” emphasizing that with determination, anything is possible.

Jackie DeShannon reflected on the collaboration, saying, “The Angels came down from Heaven and sang my song. My brother Randy would have been so proud. I know he’s watching over me always.” The single is now available through Tribeca Records and Tony Mercedes Music.

King’s journey began at just three years old, nurtured by the unwavering support of his family. This year alone, he has starred in a national commercial for AT&T, joined the Dreamfest Tour alongside former Nickelodeon star That Girl Lay Lay, and acted in two feature films: Cora Bora and DreamWorks’ animated masterpiece Wild Robot, featuring Lupita Nyong’o. His impressive accomplishments caught the eye of Daytime Emmy-winning talk show host Tamron Hall, leading to a surprise invitation to her “Big Dreamers” series. On the anniversary of her 1,000th episode, Tamron committed to making King’s dream a reality by becoming the Executive Producer of his television show, “Everyone Loves King.” After the show, King exclaimed, “Today was the best day of my life!”

In addition to his entertainment endeavors, King was invited to the White House to participate in a Gun Violence Prevention initiative, where he moved lawmakers with his poignant statement: “Kids make up fifty percent of the population, but they also make up one hundred percent of the future.” He later recorded the song “Safe at School” to advocate for stricter gun safety laws, emphasizing the need for safer environments for his generation. “As a kid from the Alpha generation, and bring a special representative with Celebrities Against Gun Violence (CAGV), I know that better gun safety laws mean better chances for my generation to feel safe at school,” he asserted. King now travels the country speaking out about school safety while on the Dreamfest kids’ tour.

King Moore holds the distinction of being the youngest person ever to receive a proclamation from the city of Atlanta and the youngest hip-hop artist invited to speak at the White House. King and some of the members of the Unity Project were also the youngest to appear Live on stage at Times Square in celebration of International Peace Day to perform “Put A Little Love in Your Heart.”

Despite his many accomplishments, King cherishes the wisdom of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who said, “It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.” With this guiding principle, King is on a mission to transform not just the future of his generation but the world around him. While the ultimate outcome of his remarkable journey remains uncertain, one thing is clear: King Moore is destined to be remembered as one of the hardest-working kids in show business.

The official website for King Moore may be found at https://www.kingmooreworld.com