Shiloh Fernandez talks preparation and Gary Oldman

American actor and model Shiloh Fernandez got his start as a model for American Apparel, since then he has starred on television in the hit series Jericho and United States of Tara.

In Red Riding Hood, he plays Peter, an orphaned woodsman who is a romantic interest to Amanda Seyfried’s Valerie.

The Fan Carpet caught up with him on the red carpet for the London Premiere where he talked about how he prepared for the role, his training regime and working alongside the legendary Gary Oldman.

How did you prepare for the role?

When I first started auditioning, Catherine had said you’ll need to start working out. So that was the first thing; she got me a trainer. My hair was long so I thought that would be good for a woodsman, kind of dirty, wild man but she didn’t think Warner Bros would go for it.

You had a cowboy and a military workout person to train you?

Yeah. There was a rodeo champion as my trainer and then Catherine let me hang out with her ex boyfriend who was a former sniper so there was all that. There was also wood chopping class in Canada, so I got really good at that. It’s always nice to have things to do to prepare yourself for a role.

What was it like working with Gary Oldman? Do you get tips from older actors who are so great at what they do?

How you do it you know is to just shut up and watch, he’s so brilliant. I’m a timid person and I think you can’t do that if you want to be as brilliant as him. It was fantastic.

What are you a fan of? I hear you’re a big fan of Gilbert Grape, so what appealed to you about that movie?

My family situation was kind of strange, kind of off, so I just connected. When you watch a movie and they sort of speak to you, it becomes a unique experience; I didn’t realise other families were strange. And you don’t really talk to your friends, and you don’t know what your friends situations are at home. Seeing something like that, I just connected.

Are you a big music fan aswell?

Yeah I love music, my family is very musical, I kind of skipped it because I didn’t want to be like anyone in my family.

Shiloh Fernandez Photos | Red Reding Hood Film Page

RED RIDING HOOD IS OUT ON FRIDAY 15 APRIL