Community: Real Life

Acting in Kidulthood


Red

18 year-old Red Maddrell plays Alisa in the controversial new film Kidulthood, an urban tale of teenagers getting mixed up in gun crime, drugs, bullying and unplanned pregnancy. Should it banned for glamorising these issues, like The Sun has suggested, or can it help young people in similar situations? Here's what Red thinks.

Getting the part

I was doing a course in performing arts at my college and they asked the whole class to audition as they were looking for regular children from regular schools. My teacher said it would be a good experience so I went along. I didn't get the part at of Alisa at first, but the film was delayed by a year, so I reauditioned and got the part the second time around.

Reading the script

My first reaction was "oh my gosh these children are really bad!" Some people say that the story's not true to life, but the script is based on personal experiences and these things definitely happen. The people that say this are very lucky - they obviously haven't had to go through the issues in the film.

I really recognised some of the characters, especially Moony, who thinks he's a man but is actually more of a boy. He kicks up a fuss with the people in McDonalds but then he can't really stand up for himself. The film shows the people behind the hoodies - a lot of them are just kids.

My character

The bullying storyline is really close to home because I was bullied and I've seen other girls getting bullied. Alisa's not a really bad girl, she's just trying to survive and live her own life. When Katie commits suicide after being bullied, she feels really guilty that she never did anything to help. She wants to stand up for people, but you can't always and I definitely recognise that.

It's not nice that Alisa' boyfriend Trife dies at the end but I don't believe it would have worked out for them. I do think it was right for Alisa to keep her baby - it was her decision, she wasn't forced by anybody, and in the end she came out of it a much better person.

Alisa goes through a lot in a short space of time - I feel quite sorry for her. Her friend Becky is one of those really self-centered best friends. The girls have a right laugh when they're carefree, but Becky's not the kind of girl you want around when you have a problem and you need a shoulder to cry on. They stick together out of the fact that they know it's better to have each other than be on their own.

"The film shows a really dark, twisted side to gun crime. Trife tries to impress his uncle by getting him a gun but he soon realises that he's a nasty character."

Getting bad press

Actors from Kidulthood

The 'kids' from Kidulthood

I'm really proud of the film - when it gets knocked I take it quite personally. Even if it's getting bad reviews, though, at least it's getting seen. The newspapers may not like it, but if it helps someone like Alisa who is thinking of giving up their baby, then I think it's been worth it.

I heard that Mothers Against Guns wanted the film to be banned because it glamorises gun crime. I actually believe the opposite. It's not like City of God where they're all running around with guns - there's only one gun in the film. It actually shows there's a really dark, twisted side to gun crime. Trife tries to impress his uncle by getting him a gun but he soon realises that he's a really nasty character. You don't look at his uncle and think he's cool - you realise that he's nasty and he's not supposed to be glamorised. It's showing that this sort of stuff does happen, and you need to watch out when it does.

Growing up too fast?

A lot of the teenage characters aren't being honest with their parents, and the parents have forgotten what is was like to be that age going through all these issues. All the parents see that something's wrong, but in Alisa's case her mum gets it wrong and thinks it's because she's sad about Katie dying. Her daughter being pregnant is the last thing on her mind.

The kids don't spend enough time talking with their parents. They're in their own world and they want to sort themselves out - they're too quick to become adults, hence the title Kidulthood.

I do think kids today are growing up too fast. I remember when I was leaving high school and a girl who had just come up from primary school asked me where she could smoke - and then called me a bitch when I refused to tell her! That's not growing up - that's just being unruly. Just because you can smoke and swear it doesn't mean that you're an adult. When you have to pay taxes and do your own washing and do all that stuff - that's when you're an adult. They're definitely trying to grow up too fast but they're going about it in the wrong way!

Watching the film

The film is by kids for kids. Hopefully it will make people realise they're not on their own when they think: "I wish I'd done something about those bullies." Everyone knows the characters - it might not be you but it will be a collective of people that you recognise. It would be good if adults watch it too, as it might give them a bit more understanding of youth culture.

Actors from Kidulthood

Alisa alongside Trife, Becky and Moony

Kidulthood is released nationwide on March 3, 2006

Updated: 26/10/2006


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