How did you go from walking Land’s End to John O’Groats to making a film about it?
I’m an actor who’s found myself producing my own stuff. When I was on the walk from Land’s End to John O’Groats, I got a message from someone who was following me and believed in what I could do. That turned out to be Warren Gavin (Executive Producer), who said, “I’ll back your next project.”
That gave me and Owen the chance to start Progress Pictures. Making a documentary about the walk felt like the perfect first project. Everything we’d done before this was just little comedy sketches for social media. We were completely green to this world. We jumped in at the deep end and gave it a go. So to go from that to being nominated for Best Documentary Feature at Raindance with our first film is incredible.
How did you balance being both a subject and a producer?
Me and Owen (director) have always done things together, and I’m usually the wild one. I’m impulsive and want to do everything. But this time, I had to surrender to that. I had to trust Owen as a director and let him take the reins. I struggled with that at first, but I’m glad I did. I realised my influence could have turned the film into something more sugar-coated.
Producer John and Subject John are almost two separate people. When my producer hat is on, I’m doing everything I can to get the film made. But when the cameras are rolling, that hat comes off.
What did you learn from making this film?
I’m someone who likes to set challenges. Whether it’s marathon running, bodybuilding or walking Land’s End to John O’Groats. But making this film has been the hardest and most challenging thing I’ve ever done.
It’s been a two-year process and I’ve learned so much. I don’t believe in “fake it till you make it.” I believe in being green and eager to learn. Be honest and the professionals will champion you. That’s exactly what happened with us and Colin McKeown (Executive Producer). He’s been an invaluable source of knowledge and advice and believed in us enough to attach his name to the film and give us access to his facilities at LA Productions. As someone who grew up watching Brookside and all the amazing dramas he’s produced, it’s an absolute privilege to have his blessing.
What does this story say about grief, masculinity and mental health, especially among men?
Acting taught me how to be vulnerable and true to myself, and that’s really helped me in life. I’ve struggled my whole life and being transparent has always helped. A lot of people, especially men, are afraid to open up. Maybe they’re worried it’ll be used against them, or that struggling means something is wrong with them. But expressing yourself gives you clarity.
This film isn’t just about a walk. It’s about friendship, grief and two men coming together in a hard time and leaning on each other. I think if you see someone else struggling, you feel normal. And if you feel normal, you feel a bit better. I hope that’s what people take away from it.
Does the film capture the spirit of the walk?
I’d say so. Obviously it’s an 86-minute doc. There was so much more that happened, but if we’d put everything in, you’d be watching it for three months. Even during the walk, I remember thinking, “This could be a film one day. It hits all the beats.”
I was vlogging the whole thing and people were following the journey on social media, but we only showed them what we wanted them to see. This documentary is different. It shows the realness, the rawness, the heartache and the pain. Considering Owen wasn’t even on the walk, he really captured what went on. It’s interesting to see it through his eyes and notice things I didn’t even realise at the time.
What do you hope audiences take away from The Two of Us?
I hope people see that it’s okay to not be okay. I know that sounds cliché, but it’s true. I went to a concert recently with thousands of people there, and I thought, every single one of these people has their own problems, issues, traumas. Things they deal with every day. It’s not just a crowd of happy faces. Everyone has a story.
Me and Tim shared our story, and I hope it normalises what people go through. I hope people see Tim, a man who’s experienced the worst pain imaginable, and see that he’s come out the other side. Maybe they will see this film and think “if he can do it, I can do it”.