Starring in huge shows such as Doctor Who, Death in Paradise and Manhunt. Mark Ebulué steps away from the Television screen to his first debut movie in 'Slingshot' opposite Casey Affleck. 

Ebulué chats to us about his time on set, what he does in his free time, and where he sees himself in five years.

Hi Mark! Firstly, how are you doing? How was your summer?

Hey, I'm doing very well, and my summer was great, thanks. I hope yours was too. I didn’t do much apart from work, but it was enjoyable! 

Congratulations on your new project, ’Slingshot’. What can you tell us about the movie and the character you play?

Slingshot is a sci-fi thriller about astronaut John (Casey Affleck), who slowly loses his mind as he travels further and deeper into space on a NASA space mission. My character is Gordon, a friend and fellow NASA space pilot in the same program alongside John (Casey Affleck). He’s an experienced astronaut and a colleague with a sense of humour; his scenes are pretty comical.

What made you audition for 'Slingshot'?

I liked the project; believe it or not, this was my first movie. I'd never done a feature film before. It has only been stage work, TV shows and video games before this. Also, Gordon’s role was comical, and I love that. I’ve not had the opportunity to do something funny; I’ve always performed more dramatic roles, whether on stage doing Shakespeare or a crime drama like Death in Paradise. This was a nice change. Also, it was an opportunity to work with Casey Affleck, which was an acting milestone for me. Not every day you get to work with an Academy Award winner. There were no cons to doing this job, only pros.

The film is gripping, with intense scenes of things going wrong in space and your mind going out of control. What was that like filming these fierce scenes?

Well, I didn't have anything fierce to do for once. My character scenes are quite comical, which I guess breaks the tension and thriller themes of the movie, which again was lovely. It was one of those jobs I left wishing I had more days to work and hang out with everyone, as working with every person on the movie was a joy.

You’ve also starred in Death in Paradise, Doctor Who and Manhunt alongside Martin Clunes. When did you notice that acting was something you wanted to stay in?

The moment I realised I wanted to stay in the acting game came before those roles. I did a show called Casualty a long time ago, and that was my first time on TV. My father saw me on screen for the first time, and I will never forget his reaction when we sat and watched it together - the amount of pride he had in me -  that moment will always live with me. I'm very, very grateful that I got to experience that. I could see how proud he was. The pride it gave him was a fulfilling moment for me. During any low points of my career, that moment has kept me going and made me want to continue acting and following my passion. 

When you’re not on set. What do you like to get up to in your free time?

Well, I have another life outside of acting. I’m a martial artist, so I’m always in the gym, either boxing, kickboxing, or teaching Krav Maga. I’m also a marksman. I can shoot three types of bows: the Olympic recurve, the compound bow (my favourite), or the barebow, which I initially started with. I also shoot various firearms and occasionally do CQB training and other forms of exercise with specialised law enforcement or ex-military special forces, but that is for my second job as a close protection operator (a bodyguard). Specifically, I operate as a point officer (P.P.O.) and FREC medic on a security detail team. I operate exclusively with an international private security firm, and we work everywhere, so I do that when I’m not on set.

Where would you like to see yourself in five years?

In five years—wow! I see myself as the lead of a colossal action franchise—probably a movie franchise. I think I’ll still be doing close protection and maybe security consulting, but it’ll be less boots-on-the-ground; I’ll be setting up and managing teams instead of operating in teams…which I imagine my mother will be thrilled about!