Tommy Jessop auditioned Kit Harington for role in his superhero movie
Could the Game of Thrones star be the villain in Tommy Jessop's superhero movie?
Line of Duty actor Tommy Jessop is on a mission to get his superhero movie on the big screen.
He's stopping at nothing to get the idea in front of the film world's best, as explored in his new documentary Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood.
Promoting the new documentary on this morning's (Monday 21st August) BBC Breakfast show, Jessop appeared on the sofa with brother and filmmaker Will, where the pair talked about pitching their big movie idea and script in Hollywood.
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The movie will hopefully centre on a superhero called Roger (named after his teddy bear) who has Down's Syndrome. Well, in an effort to get the movie to Hollywood, Tommy and Will enlisted the help of some very familiar faces, namely Kit Harington.
In a clip of the new documentary featured on BBC Breakfast, we see the script read-through of a particularly tense scene that sees Harington play Roger's nemesis, the "billionaire bad guy" Noel Scum.
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The Game of Thrones actor is all too convincing as a mean-spirited villain, telling Tommy's Roger in the scene that his "DNA is a glitch in the code".
"I'm sorry to be blunt but you have nothing to offer us," Harington reads. "You've never given us a chance," Tommy replies.
It's safe to say that Tommy's script was putting Harington through his paces, but can we expect Harington to be cast as the villain in the film?
Will and Tommy revealed that Harington passed "with flying colours", with Will adding on the BBC Breakfast sofa: "I think calling it an audition, I think if Kit Harington wants the job, it's definitely there for him. He smashed it, he was really mean."
But the pair teased that the clip is just a snippet of some of the interesting parts of the documentary to come, which follows the pair as they approach stars to have a part in the film that Tommy has hopes of making. He said it was a "really positive reaction", and that his favourite meeting so far has been with Harington.
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Speaking about the need to create more opportunities for actors with Down's Syndrome, Tommy said it was about "changing people's minds" and showing "what it's like to live with Down's Syndrome". One of superhero Roger's powers in the film is to change people's minds about Down's Syndrome, he explained.
He added that it's "about time that we should have a superhero with Down's Syndrome".
Speaking to Radio Times magazine about the upcoming documentary, Tommy said: "I want to play a character who makes his presence felt and saves the day. It’s about being someone with agency in control of his own story."
Will also said: "The thing about being a superhero is that it’s about acceptance and representation and giving people a version of themselves on screen."
Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood will air on BBC One on Monday 21st August 2023. Check out more of our Documentaries coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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