An Interview with Thomas Brodie-Sangster

REBEKKA AYRES: The sequel to The Maze Runner will be released this September. You play the role of Newt in both films – fans of the books and the first film will think of him fondly as the most likeable of the boys. What can we expect from your character this time around?

THOMAS BRODIE-SANGSTER: He’s still likeable, but he’s been in this other world, the Glade, for about four years now. He’s worked his way up to second in command, so he’s high in the ranks. He understands the world now, he understands how it works – the monotony of it, how to get through day to day life. And although he’s not particularly happy about being trapped, there’s a sense of familiarity there – friendly faces, people he knows and cares about. In fact, regardless of what lies beyond the wall, the Glade is actually a very nice place to live. The second film explores a world beyond the Maze. They’re entering a world that no one knows anything about, so the roles and the structures that have formed are thrown out the window when they enter this new environment. It’s about how the characters relate to one another, how to trust characters outside of this almost impermeable group. The group becomes a lot closer and the only thing that becomes important is survival and trying to find another home; away from the Glade, they almost become a travelling tribe, embarking on the wilderness in the vague hope that they’ll find a home – a place to rest, a place to be free.

RA: How do you relate to Newt? What do you have in common?

TBS: He’s quite a chilled-out person – he doesn’t let things get on top of him, because he knows that as soon as they do, stress levels build and he won’t be able to think so clearly. I try very hard to do that. I think that’s a natural state for me. I don’t think he’s afraid to say it how it is – he’s not a goody-two-shoes, but he’s definitely a good person and his heart is in the right place. He’s not a pushover.

RA: How was working with Wes Ball?

TBS: Wes was great. With Wes, he’ll just give you a look, and you’ll understand it. He’ll think about how to explain a concept and then he’ll act it out, imaging where the cameras will be, doing all the special effects and explosions, really getting into it, then he’ll say, ‘I want you to do that’, and I’ll know exactly what he means.

RA: So Wes captured a vision and welcomed you into it.

TBS: Oh yeah, he was a nice guy to just hang out with. He’s a nerd, but in a great way.

RA: That’s always something to admire in a person.

TBS: Exactly. Being nerdy is just being incredibly passionate about something. He was passionate about the film and wasn’t afraid to show it.

RA: What are you nerdy about?

TBS: Me? My motorbike.

RA: Do you work on it yourself?

TBS: Yeah. I built one from scratch, right down to the engine. I think my mind works in a different way, getting into the mechanical side of things and figuring out how things work, using another side of the brain to acting.

RA: The more logical part of you versus the romantic.

TBS: Yeah, though there’s still an art to it. I love cars, I love motorbikes, I love aeroplanes. I want to fly someday – I always have. But it’s not just the mechanics I’m attracted to; I love the art, I love the shapes and the colour schemes of the bodywork.

RA: What do you hope to achieve in your career? Have you got a bucket list of things you want to achieve?

TBS: Not really, no. I sometimes think I should have some sort of plan, but I don’t – I’ve always just gone with things. Since I’ve started, I’ve always gone from one job to the next. I haven’t done much in the way of guiding my career. I’ve quite enjoyed sitting back and seeing what comes along – I like that sense of surprise – but sometimes I do wonder whether I ought to keep some aims in my sightline or a list of people I’d like to work with, like Scorsese or DiCaprio.

RA: Was he always one of your on-screen heroes?

TBS: Kind of, yeah. His work is incredibly diverse. He’s a brilliant actor – and reliably so. It’s just kind of assumed that his performance will be good. I think that’s probably why he hasn’t won an Oscar yet, because we expect a DiCaprio performance to be a brilliant one. Even if he’s not in the best film, he’s still great.

RA: How about outside of acting? Do you have certain aspirations to fulfil?

TBS: To fly. I want to fly a plane. It has the same appeal as the motorbikes for me. When I put that helmet on, get on my bike and ride away, you can’t help but really think about anything else. Well, you can, but then it becomes kind of dangerous…It’s a really good way of clearing your head because you can’t think about anything else other than the road and how best to handle it. It’s all down to your control and how you distribute your weight – it’s quite a visceral experience, much more so than in a car. I think you either get it or you don’t, and if you get it, then you’re hooked. It’s the same case with aeroplanes – there’s this aspect of freedom to it. You take off and you can go anywhere – left, right, upside-down, in circles. And if you go beyond the clouds, it’s always a beautiful day up there – every day. The idea that you can go up in a plane, above the clouds, and you’re in the most gorgeous place. And again, it’s all down to you – you’re in control of everything. If you’re flying a plane, there’s obviously a huge amount of responsibility and I like that. It’s a very expensive hobby, and living in London there’s not much space to land a plane (laughs). And it’s far too expensive to land at Heathrow. Actually, I don’t even think you can fly a single engine aeroplane from London.

RA: You’ve looked into this, haven’t you?

TBS: It’s my geeky subject! I’d like to have a plane. Other than that, I’d like to travel even more. I think life is about having fantastic experiences, meeting lovely people and sharing life with them, trying to do as many things as you can that make you happy. I think I do most of them already, other than flying. I’m lucky that I get to do the thing I love to do every day as a job. That’s what everyone wants in a job, isn’t it? Getting to do the thing you love and get paid enough so you don’t have to work on the side.

RA: Was there ever another career path on the cards that you would have ventured into?

TBS: I used to work in a garage fixing up old cars when I was 15 until about 18 – that’s where I learned the skills to work on my bike. I always loved mechanics, but I don’t know whether I’d want to do it as a career. The same goes for flying – I don’t know whether I’d actually want to be a pilot.

RA: Would it take the fun out of it?

TBS: It might do. If I did it, I wouldn’t be a commercial pilot, I’d be a bush pilot, delivering aid in Africa or Vietnam or something, in the funny little planes that have to land on grass strips. I don’t know, there are lots of things I enjoy doing but I don’t know that I’d necessarily like to do them as a career…I’d like to work behind a bar! I’ve never worked behind a bar.

RA: The reality is not so glamorous.

TBS: I know, I know lots of people who have done it, but I really want to try it. I want to pull a pint. I suppose I’ve never had a normal job, other than working in the garage. I wasn’t getting paid, but it was something I always liked doing, especially as a teenager. I guess if I weren’t an actor, I’d be a musician. But being a successful musician is an awful lot harder than being a successful actor.

RA: And you’re in a band.

TBS: Yeah, it’s my mum’s band – we’re called Winnet. I play bass. I love playing bass – it’s the dance part, the groove. It connects the rhythm to the melody. It’s a nice way to unwind. I can play the drums too – I learned how to play for Love Actually and kept it up. I’m not a drummer by any means, but I love to play.

RA: Do you write songs yourself?

TBS: Yeah, well, I’ve written sections of songs but I’m not very good at whole songs. I’m not very good at lyrics – that’s my mum’s domain. I’m not that poetic. That’s something that’s always really annoyed me because I thought I would be but I’m not.

RA: Have you tried?

TBS: Not very hard. I’ve mumbled words that don’t make sense to get an idea of a song, but I’ve never written lyrics that mean something to me. Perhaps I should.

RA: Yeah, you might be good at it.

TBS: Yeah, maybe I am a poet! And I don’t know it. I hope I don’t blow it…