Netflix has been releasing numerous comic book-based series with increased frequency as of late. Titles such as Jupiter's Legacy, Locke and Key, and Umbrella Academy are now available, and the streamer is set to drop Sweet Tooth, a DC comics adaptation by Jeff Lemire, in just a few days.
The story is focused on a young human/deer hybrid and his gruff protector journeying to find his mother in a post-apocalyptic world filled with poachers and loads of other dangers. We had the opportunity to speak with the young actor who portrays the titular hybrid, Christian Convery, and we learned some really cool behind-the-scenes facts.
Christian told us about the process of molding a skullcap to fit his face, his comic book research, how he connected with his castmates off set, and plenty more. We've included an excerpt of our exclusive chat with the actor below, with the full audio interview at the bottom.
Literary Joe: Did you research deer or deer-like animals before playing Gus, or were you more focused on approaching the fictional hybrid and how it would work?
Christian Convery: As soon as I got the role of Sweet Tooth, I went straight to the computer and started researching how deers move, react, act, on their senses, how they feel in certain situations. And I watched videos of how they act and what their different body parts do. And I found a cool fact that deer shed their antlers every spring, which is really cool. And playing sweet tooth was like my first ever experience playing such a unique role. And it really was a whole new type of experience for me. And I really loved getting to do that and meeting Nonso, of course, because he's so experienced and talented in acting. And I learned so many tricks from him.
Literary Joe: Did you actually have any prosthetics on you when you filmed so that you would know where the antlers and the ears are, or was that something that was all added in post-production?
Christian Convery: When I flew to LA before we started shooting, I got a cast made of myself. So that's where they put thousands of layers of paste and glue on you. And you were under it for like an hour, and you're ridden through little pinpricks. They get the outline of my head so that they can build me a skullcap, which then goes on my head, and there are these two little magnetic stubs where the antlers can go on and off, so he can just pull them on and off. And I really loved how funny that aspect was, but it did come with some problems like when you were running, and then you walked into a doorframe or something, and then it falls off, and you have to go back and get it, or like the running scene and falls off. But also, the ears are really tricky to make. And they're mechanically controlled through the puppeteer, then the remote control sends a signal to a battery pack that's normally on my back, which sends a signal up to my ears, and that's how it works. And I really love the aspect of me and the puppeteer having to work together to make my ears twitch in a certain way and really make Sweet Tooth as a deer come alive.
Literary Joe: Did you actually look into the comics at all, or were you focusing on creating your own iteration for the live-action portrayal?
Christian Convery: So before I got the role of Sweet Tooth, I never really was into comic books, and I never really liked them. And as soon as I got Sweet Tooth, I kept researching about what it was about, and I noticed that there were comic books. So then I ordered all of them, and then I've read them over and over and over again. Now I really love comic books, and I love reading them. Yeah, I really looked in-depth into Gus's aspects and characteristics and his emotions and senses in the book. And the comic book that was written in 2009, which is the year I was born, which is also way before COVID; just to clarify, it's really dark, is what I'd say. Definitely not family-friendly, but I really love how the scripts transcribe the movie while keeping all the aspects there, but making it more fit for the whole family, obviously with some parental guidance, which is really what I love about filming Sweet Tooth.
Literary Joe: Were there any people in the cast that you spent a certain amount of time with behind the scenes that you felt like you got good chemistry with before filming?
Christian Convery: I hung out with basically every single cast member. My mom and I were like, 'Hey, what can we do to bond and connect more with the other castmates that you're not working with so much.' And we figured out to do things like pottery classes, where all of us, like basically every cast member, went to like a pottery class together and we would talk a lot, and we have dinners, and we do art classes sometimes. And that's how I've really connected and got a lot of chemistry in the scenes with other castmates too.
To hear our full interviews with Sweet Tooth actors Nonso Anozie and Christian Convery, as well as director Jim Mickle, writer Beth Schwartz, and comic book creator Jeff Lemire, click the podcast players below. And as always, be sure to share your thoughts in the usual spot!
This episode features the incredible behind-the-scenes talents that have brought Netflix's latest DC Comics adaptation, Sweet Tooth, to life. We chat with Jim Mickle, who directed the upcoming series, Beth Schwartz, who wrote the Netflix show, and the creator and writer of the DC Comic series Sweet Tooth which the series of the same name is based upon. The team tells us about their research into animals, spending time with Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey at their personal petting zoo, and the process of adapting the pages to the screen.
What a wonderful and touching chat this is. Anyone who is interested in watching Netflix's upcoming DC Comics adaptation Sweet Tooth when it launches on June 4th will want to hear what the stars have to say. We speak with the main actor, 11-year old Christian Convery, about his starring role as the titular character in Sweet Tooth and the research he did on deer to immerse himself in the scenes.
Nonso Anozie, best known for his Game of Thrones portrayal of Xaro Xhoan Daxos and his roles in Ender's Game, Cinderella, and RocknRolla also took part, talking about doing his own stunts after six months of pandemic couch-surfing. We also dug into the charismatic relationship between the two actors' characters and what they do behind the scenes to help build that comfortable comradery on screen in the series.
Sweet Tooth hits Netflix on June 4th.