Interview: Ruaridh Mollica on ‘Sebastian’
It’s hard to believe that Sebastian is Ruaridh Mollica‘s first leading role, let alone his first role in a feature film ever.
Playing Max, an aspiring novelist who turns to sex work under the name Sebastian in order to find inspiration for his debut novel, Mollica is in every single scene, almost every single frame of the film, which was written and directed by Mikko Mäkelä, turning in a complex, incredibly layered portrayal of a lost young man attempting to find his place in the world, proving he has the range required to tackle such a complex character and delivering one of the best performances of the year so far in the process.
“It was terrifying,” says Mollica of his initial reaction when he learned he first landed the role of Max. “It was this looming feeling of like, ‘Okay, if I do a bad job, the film will probably be really bad.’ It’s just that pressure that I don’t think I understood [when I was auditioning] being the lead of a film comes with. Obviously, the writing was so good that I wasn’t very worried, but you do have to carry forward what the writer has put on paper. I was absolutely petrified. I didn’t even know how to go about learning all those lines for every day. If you’re in every scene, filming every day, at what point do you have downtime to learn [your lines]? I was coming to terms with all of that but then we did so much prep, that by the time it came to actually shoot the film, I just felt so comfortable. The character and the story were both so ingrained in me. It definitely wasn’t easy, they were some of the hardest days of my life so far, but [doing all the prep work] made it easier for sure.”
While Mollica technically only plays a single character in the film, he’s tasked with the tall order of capturing two, very distinctive aspects of his personality; the anxious, neurotic Max, and the more confident, charismatic Sebastian, a chameleon-like figure who adapts to his surroundings and situations seemingly effortlessly. And even though they may seem like two completely different characters at times, they’re undeniably two sides of the same coin, a factor that only becomes more apparent as the film reaches its conclusion. “That was actually such a challenge in the beginning when I was trying to figure out the character,” says Mollica of his experience playing both Max and Sebastian. “I remember going to Mikko and saying, ‘Oh, Max is like this and Sebastian’s like that,’ and Miko had to be like, ‘It’s less Batman and Bruce Wayne, they’re still the same person.’ The fundamental thought that changed everything for me was realizing that Sebastian is whoever his clients want him to be. It’s not necessarily that Max is gone, but maybe through Sebastian, Max gets to explore some of his desires that he doesn’t get to explore as Max, some of his more interesting kinks or obsessions, through Sebastian. I think he finds almost like a liberation in Sebastian under this anonymity, but fundamentally, the root of the character is still there. He is still the same.”
Despite leading an active social life, Max is undeniably a lonely person; having to lead two incredibly different lives, one that’s kept a secret from even his closest friends and acquaintances, eventually takes its toll, as Max finds his relationships buckling under the pressure of living a lie in spite of the catharsis and creative fulfillment he gains from it. Mollica is able to perfectly capture Max’s (and Sebastian’s) emotional journey throughout the course of the film, expertly navigating both his initial loneliness, and his latter, more assured nature in a way that never rings false. “After awhile, it really became apparent [to me] that having a secret is the loneliest thing,” he says. “If you’ve ever kept a secret, you know it eats away at you. It was really interesting to explore that, especially since a lot of that stuff was filmed in Scotland; I have family there but we were shooting in Glasgow, so I was away from them. I was in an apartment by myself every day working. You come back to be by yourself, and I decided to lean into the loneliness of being up there on my own and help develop that part of the character. It is one of those things where playing a character like that, it does rub off on you. You have to be careful where those lines are and where they blur. But it was just really interesting to realize how much you do need to share and build a circle of support around you, which I really think shows towards the latter half of the film as Max becomes a much happier person.”
Mollica also tapped into his own personal experiences to further add to his performance, a factor that ended up blurring the lines even further as he found himself going on his own personal and creative journey in tandem to Max’s. “I got the part just as I moved to London to pursue my creative dream exactly in the same way that Max also moved to pursue his creative dream,” he recalls. “I moved to London to also be more free and discover myself more. I wasn’t completely out as queer in Edinburgh, and that was something that moving to London allowed me to be able to do, and fall into, and embrace. Everyone I met in London knew me as preparing for Max, preparing for this film. So the film, and myself, and that identity got completely tied up together. I went on my journey of becoming who I am and being openly queer alongside the film happening and the film coming out. It was actually really beautiful and it couldn’t have been more perfect.”
In addition to Sebastian, Mollica also plays a supporting part in acclaimed BBC drama The Jetty, which stars Jenna Coleman, Archie Renaux, Tom Glynn-Carney, Weruche Opia and Ruby Stokes and is currently streaming on iPlayer. “It was really fun,” says Mollica of his experience working on the show. “Jenna [Coleman] was great. She had a lot on her plate; she’s probably in every single scene [of the show] and it was a very long shoot, but she was incredible. So professional and really, really kind. I had watched her a lot on Doctor Who when I was growing up, which I did not mention to her, but it was really nice to work with her even if I just had a small part [in the show.]”
Up next for Mollica is a role in upcoming HBO series The Franchise, a comedy series from Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci that depicts the issues faced by a film crew in production on a superhero film. “It was just amazing to work with so many talented comic actors,” he gushes. “It’s such a different beast. The show was so fun and Jon Brown‘s writing is just incredible, it’s very meta. I’m so excited for everyone to see that.” He’s also set to star alongside Swann Arlaud, Alma Pöysti and Woody Norman in Vladimir de Fontenay‘s Sukkwan Island, already hotly rumored for a Cannes 2025 debut. “That film was so amazing to work on,” he says. “We filmed in Norway, in the Arctic Circle. We filmed half of it in like minus ten degree weather with the Aurora Borealis over our heads. To work with Swann was so much fun, and to work with Woody Norman as well. He’s 15 years old and he’s absolutely phenomenal. Alma Pöysti as well! Fallen Leaves was one of my favorite films last year along with Anatomy of a Fall so to work with both of them was just such an honor, they’ve just got a magic about them. Everyone was so kind and so amazing, it was just like a little holiday being stuck up there with them.”
In the meantime, he’s relishing in the experience of finally being able to share Sebastian with the world years after he was initially cast in the project. “We didn’t start shooting until a year after I was cast,” he reveals. “So it’s been a long time coming. But having the opportunity to be Sebastian was just so amazing. An opportunity like that doesn’t come around very often. I was just really excited by it and I’m excited to see what people think of the film.”
Sebastian will be released in theaters in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on August 2.
Ahmad W.
Aspiring critic and poster designer.