“I…have a love/hate relationship with the end of Act 1. It’s a lot of fun but it does make me feel like I’m about to go into cardiac arrest!” – Keir Ogilvy talks being Boy in this year’s pre-eminent touring theatre occassion, The Ocean at the End of the Lane.
Could you give a brief overview of how you came to book such a tremendous role with the NT?
The brief version is that I worked with a director at drama school who I kept in contact with and he took on a sort of mentoring role. He got me an audition for Hamlet in the National Theatre’s schools tour. I came close but didn’t quite nab it. I was really disappointed, but I felt like I was in the right room. I felt like I was auditioning for roles I could do well. The casting director, Naomi Downham, who I had auditioned for, was then working on the National Theatre’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane UK and Ireland tour casting. She brought me in for this role and I am forever grateful.
Had you seen the play before you became involved?
No – I kept meaning to because it was obviously getting these ridiculously amazing reviews, but I never got the chance. I think it might have helped somewhat when I was auditioning, though I might have been intimidated if I’d seen it.
How have you set about creating the role of Boy for yourself?
There are a couple of tangible things like getting my fitness levels up and getting comfortable with the accent, but beyond that I’d be lying if I suggested I had any sort of coherent “process”. To be honest, I think I put a lot of energy into pretending to not feel like the Boy. I think it’s why the show is so affecting – maybe we all feel like that – “what’s going on?” “Will someone just explain properly, please!” We all feel “weak” and “weird” at least some of the time. I think it’s less about creating the character and more about not being embarrassed by the way the character reminds me of myself.
Do you have any acting heroes you look up to or aspire to?
Oh loads! Brando is king and Adam Driver and Joaquin are a couple of myfavourites just now. But Robbie Jack in Glass Menagerie at Dundee Rep in about 2014 was the first time I got properly blown away by a piece of theatre. Mirren Mack is another one. It’s odd to say maybe, cause she’s my pal but she was the year above me at high school, so I was able to see how she operated up close.
Have you felt any pressure taking on a show which has enjoyed such huge success during its opening residency?
I think it’s less pressure because it means the show works. I feel a lot of pressure to not make a mistake that puts my cast mates in a bind, but the show being a success is a good thing.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane will play Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 18 — 22 April 2023
You’re going to be on tour for a prolonged period of time? How are you planning on negotiating life on the road?
I think the novelty of a new city every week will suit me pretty nicely actually. It could be partly a life-stage thing. It might well be more challenging to tour in 5/10 years or if ever I have a wife or kids to miss. For now – I don’t think it’ll be any more stressful than living in London. I know this year will have some bleak moments but between my agent, my friends, and my family I feel super supported, so we’ll work it out between us.
Have you felt any pressure to seek work outside of Scotland as a young professional actor?
I don’t think I know anyone around my age who only looks for acting work in Scotland. A lot of the best plays I’ve seen have been in Scotland and I did a small job for NTS last Christmas and had the time of my life. I would love to do more work here, but I think it would make a difficult career even harder if I didn’t engage with the industry in the rest of the UK and Ireland.
How would you describe the play to someone coming to it with no foreknowledge?
The play is based on the best-selling novel by Neil Gaiman (author behind Coraline, The Sandman, Good Omens) which has been adapted by Joel Horwood and directed by Katy Rudd. It’s a show that deals with huge universal, profound issues and encompasses so much it’s hard to summarise in just a few sentences! In its bare bones it’s a fantasy coming of age adventure story. It’s about acceptance. It’s about healing through friendship. It’s supernatural with magic and puppets. It will make you jump, laugh and cry.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane will play His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen, 22 — 26 August 2023
Has anything about the show surprised you since becoming involved?
The size and scale of it! At every stage of the process it just gets more and more epic. The director, Katy Rudd, brought the whole cast and crew on stage and honestly, there are villages with fewer people! Also, the intensity. It’s so physically demanding. It feels like I’m crawling out the sea at the end of every day.
Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to when returning to the Scottish stage?
I’m such a cliché, but since moving to England I’ve got really into Scottish culture. I want to find some folk nights or a ceilidh to take the some of the cast along if they’re interested. (Let me know if you have any recommendations).
The Ocean at the End of the Lane will play King’s Theatre, Glasgow, 29 August — 2 September 2023
When it comes to your fellow cast & crew, who/what are you most excited foraudiences to encounter?
The standard of the cast and crew is insane. It’s a such delight to work with them all and it is truly an ensemble piece. I think the way puppetry and movement are used is incredible though. I’ve never seen anything like it before!
Do you have a favourite moment in the show?
This piece is so fluid it’s honestly hard to separate it into moments, but I certainly have a love/hate relationship with the end of Act 1. It’s a lot of fun but it does make me feel like I’m about to go into cardiac arrest!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is on a UK-wide tour until October 7th 2013. It is a production of the National Theatre supported by Arts Council England’s Strategic Touring Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation.
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