Ric Roman Waugh and Bodhi Rae Breathnach Talk Shelter and Jason Statham (Exclusive Interview)
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Phil Roberts 
We met with Director Ric Roman Waugh and star Bodhi Rae Breathnach to talk about their new movie, Shelter, starring Jason Statham.
We all love a Jason Statham movie. Whether he’s beating the hell out of some thugs, battling it out against a giant shark, or going toe-to-toe with Dwayne Johnson, the Staham formula always delivers. However, one thing that is always missing from the finished screenplay is raw emotion and legitimate stakes. Thankfully, the star’s new movie, Shelter, delivers on that mandate in spades, offering an excellent addition to his filmography. But how did the film find its emotional core?
We sat down with Director Ric Roman Waugh and Statham’s co-star Bodhi Rae Breathnach to discuss the film’s emotional heft, working with Jason Statham, and discover how Breathnach earned the nickname “Action Bodhi.”
RIC ROMAN WAUGH & BODI RAE BREATHNACH
Phil Roberts: Guys, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. It’s a pleasure to speak to you. Having seen the film, I’m totally blown away by how much emotional heft and depth you’ve added to a Jason Statham project. I mean, it’s phenomenal. How did you approach injecting this narrative with so much emotional depth, and how did you find the balance between the emotion and the action?
Ric Roman Waugh: It first starts with Jason. Jason is the one who brought this project to me, and how much Ward Perry’s script meant to him, and the passion that he had for it. When I read it, I got it. It was gonna give you your cake and eat it too. You were gonna get Jason Statham, the big action star that we love, and go to the cinema to watch. But we’re gonna gut punch you. We’re gonna put real emotion into this…and show you something slightly off-center than most of the heroes that we see nowadays that are 10 feet tall and bulletproof. We’re gonna show you somebody that’s mortal, a human being dealing with his own demons and his own self-exile, until he meets this young girl by saving her life and then realizing what she’s really gonna do is save him.
Phil Roberts: Fantastic. That definitely comes across in the film. I mean, I loved every second of it. Bodie, in Shelter, you get to explore a really strong and powerful female character, even though she’s so young. Where did you find the inspiration for the character, and what was it like working with Jason Statham?
Bodhi Rae Breathnach: Whoa. That’s thanks to Ric and Jason, who were both so passionate about the film. Ric was really passionate about this movie, and I think it really pays off all his hard work. So they were definitely big inspirations to me. Ric always calls me “Action Bodie,” so I think that really gave me some confidence that I could do it, even though it was my first-ever action film, and I had just come off Hamnet, which had a completely different vibe. So, stepping into this was definitely very different and a bit scary. But, thanks to Rick, he made it a lot easier, and…I really appreciate his hard work, his encouragement, and his belief in me.Â
Ric Roman Waugh: It comes down to chemistry. We go to the movies to watch people who have that undeniable thing, that attachment to one another, whether they’re in any genre, right? It’s that chemistry that we all want to love and admire, and Jason and Bodie had it right off the bat. You just knew that this was Mason and Jesse, and then my job is just to get out of the way and turn them loose.
Phil Roberts: Yeah, it definitely feels that way. You can feel that there’s a tangible connection between them, and for me, Bodhi, your performance was my favourite part of the film, so congratulations on that. It was incredible.
Ric, again, the film is wonderfully rich, but it has an ominously dark tone. But ultimately, there is a wonderful theme of togetherness between Jason and Bodie. Why did you decide on that kind of tone for the film? There’s a really dark and gritty quality to it.
Ric Roman Waugh: It’s organically built into the material. You know, it’s really given us two different thematic threads. One is about how much we need each other, about many of us who live in our own form of exile, and why we need that familial sense with another individual, even if they’re not our own blood. And two people who find that and don’t want to lose it. It asks us a lot of questions about what justice is now, these days.
Where is our own morality, and that line in the sand of what we think right or wrong is, and a man who dedicated his life to doing the greater good for us, until he had to question, am I doing the greater good, or am I doing somebody else’s agenda? Where is that line in the sand? Because I can’t see anymore…and he made a choice. I love that, because it speaks to what we’re all dealing with in the world. That’s not my opinion, and I’m not here trying to solve world hunger, or, you know, in the sense of what is going on in our world with corruption and agendas and politics. But I love movies that entertain us, first and foremost, big action rides for 2 hours. Hopefully, we have a smile at the end of it, and we’re having a conversation about what the movie was trying to say, and I think Shelter hopefully gives you all of that.
Phil Roberts: Well, it definitely does that. You touched on the film’s action. For Bodie, there was a moment in the film when you pick up the knife, and Jason actually talks you through how to use it. How was it for you, being taught in an action movie about weaponry and that sort of thing, given your young age?
Bodhi Rae Breathnach: Yeah, we did have to do some weapons training and stuff, like how to hold a gun, and whenever there was a gun on set, the handler had to show everyone that there was nothing in it, so it all felt really safe. From what I remember, we practiced that scene where I bring what I thought was a fake knife, but in the actual take it was a real knife, so that was super scary and really… it just made it feel more real. So yeah, that was super cool, super interesting to see all these new weapons I had never even thought about… and to learn how you’re supposed to hold a knife the right way.
Ric Roman Waugh: See? Action Bodhi. Action Bodhi! (Laughs)
Phil Roberts: Yeah, I was just about to say that. In the film, you get in on the action too, which is epic, it’s amazing.
Ric Roman Waug: Yeah, I think that’s one of the things I’m most proud of: you have a number one on the call sheet who is known to be very physically demanding and can do his own action. But when he’s rescuing Jesse in the middle of these turbulent seas…that’s Bodhi. That’s Bodhi playing unconscious, being dragged through waves, and going over the top of her head, and so forth. There are moments when I cringe and want to yell, “Cut.” But it got to the point where I knew that she had her safety protocols: if she was ever in trouble, we had people around. These actors were physically doing it for real, so it looks real because it is real.
REVIEW
As my interview shows, I had a great time with Shelter and was impressed by the intense raw emotion in the script. In my FOUR-STAR review, I said, “Shelter is a wonderfully layered adventure that delivers more emotional weight than seen from the actor in some time. More than just a token throwaway, the emotional heft this story conveys is infectious, proving there is more to the actor than his chiselled physique and well-placed punches. Action-packed, brutal, and crammed with poignant moments, the film is a great watch that gives audiences something tangible to chew on.
Ric Roman Waugh deserves credit for injecting the film with more gravitas than any Statham project to date. The film’s depth is a welcome surprise, and that is partially down to the casting of Bodhi Rae Breathnach. Or “Action Bodhi,” as the crew affectionately called her. The youngster comes to the fore to deliver a performance of genuine brilliance, defying her age and lack of experience. The combination of Statham’s steely reserve and all-action persona, coupled with Breathnach’s grounding and mature performance, delivers the Statham movie we’ve all been waiting for. It’s dark and gritty, both tonally and visually, and the combination produces.” Read my full review here.
RELEASE
Thankfully, audiences around the world won’t have to wait too long to experience the film for themselves. Statham’s latest actioner arrives in cinemas this Friday, so get ready for a welcome change to the Statham formula and a film packed with action, emotion, and a story of genuine conviction.
Shelter unleashes Jason Statham and Action Bodhi in cinemas from January 30th.
Meet Phil Roberts! He’s the dedicated owner, daily content manager, and editor-in-chief of The Future of the Force. Phil is a budding novelist who turned his passion toward writing about the franchises he loves back in 2016. He’s a huge fan of all things Star Wars, Batman, DC, Marvel, Star Trek, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, King Kong, and the Ray Harryhausen movies. Phil is a BFI-accredited journalist and a distinguished member of the Film Critics Association UK.
If he’s not catching a movie at the cinema, you can bet he’s streaming something just as awesome!
