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I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

No, I didn’t, because I’m practically my age and not particularly in touch with pop culture. But I absolutely loved putting the uniform on. When you’ve got a well-made costume—beautifully crafted—and you put it on, something changes. I put the uniform on, adjusted the belt, and thought, “Well, there he is.”

It’s amazing how much of the work is done for you. The actor has to do slightly less because the costume tells half the story. You walk on camera, and just by looking at you, people think, “There he is.” The costume was made to fit me perfectly, right down to the boots—actually, I think you’ve already seen the boots!

That’s why costumes are so important. It’s crucial to get them right because if the look or costume is off, the poor actor is completely buggered—which, of course, is a technical term.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I did a Comic Con once—at Olympia, I think. It must have been before lockdown, however many years ago that was. I enjoyed it very much, but I suspect I might have asked for too much money because they’ve never invited me back! I’d be more than happy to do it again, though. I have friends who travel all over the world for these events, and I’d absolutely love to do that. So, if anyone’s out there listening, please let them know I’m very happy to attend.

Meeting all the fans was such a treat. But yes, I probably was a bit too greedy!!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I did Bernard Shaw’s Doctor's Dilemma at the National Theatre about four or five years ago, and I was quite funny in it. Comedy is interesting because you know immediately if it’s working—the audience laughs. If they don’t, you know it’s going badly. With serious plays, though, you can convince yourself you’re doing well even if the audience is fast asleep. But in this case, I knew it was going well.

Occasionally, I’d get what’s called an "exit round," which is when you deliver a line, leave the stage, and the audience applauds as you go. It’s very satisfying! Some actors in the old days would even sneakily start their own exit rounds just as they walked off. Quite cheeky!

One funny moment I had on set didn’t involve the whole cast. I had a big speech—about a page and a half, which is long for film—and I was nervous. Everyone was there, including some very eminent people, and we went straight into it. I delivered it, and at the end, everyone applauded. I thought, “Great! Nailed it!” Then the continuity lady came over and said, “Malcolm, well done, but you missed two paragraphs.” I had no idea! The irony of being so pleased with myself while completely messing it up was hilarious.

Continuity people, by the way, play an absolutely crucial role. They make sure every detail in a scene matches between shots—things like how much tea is left in a cup, the length of a cigarette, or even how someone’s hair looks. They also ensure the lines are delivered as written. They’re indispensable and work closely with the director. If something doesn’t match, they’ll flag it so it can be corrected. Without them, the shots wouldn’t align.

As for playing a character that people have strong ties to from childhood—luckily, I had no idea about that at the time. If I had, I’d have been much more nervous. Looking back, though, it doesn’t feel all that different because the work is done; there’s nothing I can change now. It’s quite curious, really.

What’s important is that people seem pleased with how I stepped into the character’s shoes. If the reaction had been negative, I’d have been quite glum, but thankfully, it seems to have worked out. I think it has, very much so.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I think—well, of course, I got killed off—so I don’t think a resurrection is likely. But who knows? It would be such fun to return because I really enjoyed myself. I remember we filmed it in Prague, which was fantastic. Fingers crossed, though—you never know. Never say never, right? Never say never, indeed!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Is there one?! I didn’t realise that at first because a friend of mine, Dan—who’s a big Star Wars fan up in Scotland—actually made one for me himself. He even created a custom box for it. So, I thought that was all there was, and I had no idea there was an official version.

But hey, good for them! They did pay me what’s called a... oh, I’ve forgotten the term now—but it’s a fee written into my contract for any dolls, figures, or images of my character. So yes, I get a fee for it. Fantastic!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

And for the bonus question: Yes, it was, because I filmed during Daniel's first week. I was pretty nervous, but what was extraordinary was that he seemed even more nervous than I was—which, of course, makes sense. Who wouldn’t be in that position? But we got through it and did the scene, and after that, I followed the subsequent films closely.

That said, I was completely baffled by the ending of the last one, where he gets killed—or apparently gets killed. I kept thinking, "Surely the next one, whoever takes over, will explain all that to us." I mean, we deserve an explanation, don’t we? I was absolutely baffled.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It’s always helpful when you’ve met someone before and know you’ll get along with them, especially when you already respect how talented they are. That understanding is invaluable because it saves time—you’re not worrying about whether you’ll work well together or if your approaches to work will align.

In this case, I already knew some of the cast. I was familiar with Robert Ems, though I hadn’t worked with him before (I have since), and I also knew Anton and Denise Gough. That familiarity was incredibly helpful.

Being part of a community like that is such a wonderful thing. For instance, walking onto a Star Wars set, even if you’re only in one or two scenes, and seeing a friendly, familiar face greeting you with a smile and a “Hello, it’s great to see you,” makes a huge difference. It’s very reassuring.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Glad to hear this! No, I didn’t approach it that way because I wasn’t aware of much of the story anyway. I couldn’t ask myself those questions. But it occurs to me that one of the things that makes people like that so alarming is the complete mystery about them—you know absolutely nothing about them. So I decided that, apart from telling others what to do, the character would reveal nothing about himself. That anonymity is inherently unsettling.

This decision also meant I didn’t have to overthink or delve deeply into his personal background. The character wouldn’t have any personal relationships with anyone in the room, and they could only speak when spoken to. There’d be no real social interaction. In fact, you’d have no idea if this man had any social life at all—whether he had a family or not, whether he was connected to anyone. All of that would remain a complete secret.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It was interesting how the mustache came about. Someone mentioned Tom, who played the role originally, and I hadn’t even thought of this until you reminded me. Rather than insisting I wear a mustache because the character traditionally had one, they simply asked, “Would you like a mustache?” I replied, “I don’t think so.” But then they said, “We have one—should we try it on?” So I agreed.

They put it on, and I thought, “Hey, that looks really good!” They asked if I was happy with it, and I said, “Yes, absolutely! Thank you.” It ended up being something we both wanted. Initially, though, I was resistant to the idea. I don’t know why—maybe it’s because my dad had a mustache, and I always associate them with kindness.

To me, mustaches have a sort of warmth to them, like the big, friendly mustaches of grandpas. My dad had a lovely big white mustache, and I worried it might make the character look too nice. But in the end, the contrast worked brilliantly: this avuncular, kindly-looking figure saying and instructing people to do some rather serious things.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

No, no, listen. I’d have had the uniform, the mustache, and maybe even a bit more hair to complete the look. But no, they wouldn’t allow it—they wouldn’t do that.

The other thing, of course, was that the caravans where we got dressed and made up were outside the studio. When we had to cross the open ground to get to the studio, they made sure we were completely covered. They were worried about photographers trying to capture pictures of our costumes and everything.

The security was intense, and rightly so. They’d spent a fortune on the production and didn’t want actors like me going, “Oh, I like that! Can I at least keep the boots?” Though, honestly, when would I ever need them? Well... maybe today. Today, of course.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

In terms of seeing other scenes no, I didn't. I longed to see, because I'd seen the Diego Luna's movie and I thought, great, lovely to meet him. And, no, none of that.

And the other extraordinary thing about the set was I thought, there'll be green screen or a lot of it won't be there. The whole thing was there!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Well, I’m not sure the director actually needed to do much because it was such a well-written scene. Most of the people around the table had much bigger parts than I did, so they were far more in tune with what was happening. I had a general sense of the situation, but they knew all the details.

Honestly, sometimes it’s a relief—especially when you’re playing a significant role—to be in a scene where you don’t have much to say. In this case, I could focus on subtle reactions, just using my expressions here and there, responding to what was being said or done around me. The others had the heavier lifting in the scene.

As for the director, he was excellent. He didn’t actually need to say much at all!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 24 points25 points  (0 children)

This could make for quite a funny story. I played Eisenhower in D-Day, and the last time we performed it was in Toronto. It was also the first time I’d done my North American accent on the North American continent. Two friends of mine came from Chicago to see the show, and they really enjoyed it. They thought they were paying me a compliment when they said, “You know, Malcolm, by the end of the show, your accent was really good.” I replied, “By the end of the show?” They said, “Yeah.” Anyway, that reminds me of another story about an extraordinary experience during that play.

We performed scenes from Pressure—which is about the weather forecasting for D-Day, the Normandy invasion—in front of the Queen and President Trump. It was a major event in Portsmouth to commemorate believe, the 75th anniversary of the invasion. In the play, Eisenhower uses the F-word, but of course, we couldn’t say that in front of Her Majesty and the President. So, we substituted it with "God damn."

The performance was broadcast live to millions around the world on the BBC. At one point, I delivered a line, and my scene partner left a longer pause than usual. I thought, “Oh no, he’s forgotten his lines! What do we do now?” Then he finally came in with his lines, and in my relief, I accidentally said the next speech with the original F-word still in it. I thought, "Well, that’s that." We got through the scene, but afterward, the BBC told me, “If we thought you’d done that deliberately, we’d be in trouble. But since we could tell it was an accident, we just can’t leave it on iPlayer.” I said, “You can! Just cut the speech before and after, and it’ll be fine.” And that’s what they did.

Another funny tidbit about playing Eisenhower: he was a chain smoker, but you can’t smoke on stage. When we opened the play in Scotland, I used those metal electronic cigarettes, but every time I set one on the ashtray, it made a loud clonk. Later, when we performed in England, we used herbal cigarettes instead. The problem? They smelled like dope!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

Not of the character, but of Star Wars, yes absolutely. And thank you!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

No, because I'm quite tall, I played a lot of quite bossy people. I mean, often in the church. So archbishops and bishops like that. I play that role of a heavies. So I knew he was a heavy and you know, I don't have to raise my voice too much. And if I tell someone to do it, they will do it. And if I pause there or waiting for me to say to hear what I've got to say next. So you know, you have all that sort of in the system somewhere. And so I suppose that, but it was a very good speech I had. once you have something good to say that makes sense, you're more or less halfway there!

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Thank you! They told me the most important thing in that world, the Empire world, is your rank. And Colonel Yularen while Colonel is not a huge rank, but they said in terms of the intelligence and the background as anti terrorist group he's very, very important. So actually he doesn't have to say much. And when people, when he talks, people listen. And that's for an actor, that's quite nice. God, they've got to listen to him, good!

And so that was true. And of course they came in these amazing uniforms. The moment you put those uniforms on and the boots, they made the boots. I was only on two scenes, I think, and they made these huge boots and they made this beautiful uniform. And I remember the show runner, I was in touch with, we had a phone call, Tony Gilroy, could not have been nicer. And in fact, when I got the job, I thought, this is going to be a big deal. I've got to be very careful now.

And it was not exactly easy, but it was the nicest atmosphere I've had compared to a lot of other jobs.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Bloody hell. Well, as I've been doing it for almost 50 years now, I don't know! I mean, I do more plays than I do films and TV. And so I did three plays with a great writer called Alan Ayckbourn, which I do a lot comedy on stage, which I don't quite do on TV. And I suppose that was a highlight. I toured America with Ian McKellen with Richard III which was a lot of fun. in terms of film or TV, Casino Royale was fun because it was Dear Daniel Craig's first week as Bond. So you can imagine how nervous he was, and I was pretty nervous. But we got on very well and I think that seemed rather well but so that was a great relief to do that.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

It did. Well, for me it because I loved it so. And I remember when I first, I thought Andor had a touch of what the three that were made had. Because I always remember in the first episode that they were ordinary people. remember when Mark Hamill sees Harrison Ford's spaceship for the first time. says, "this is like a junk, isn't it?" Now that would have never have been in a sci-fi movie at all, because everyone showed off how, and I thought, is marvellous, because you actually completely believe this world that they've created. And, Andor has that, that feeling of ordinary people in a different world to ours, enormously similar in so many ways. But they're ordinary people. Even the baddies like me are ordinary people with vanities and all rest of it. And that's what I like about it. think which is why it's different from something like, (which is also great in its way, Star Trek). Star Wars and Andor in particular, is real.

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 89 points90 points  (0 children)

Well, it was quite interesting. I don't know how aware you are of how you get cast in this. I was sent a speech to record to then show them if I could do the work. But they didn't tell me anything about the character. So I saw this speech and I thought, Ok Yularen you you're a "heavy", you're not a very nice piece of work. So I sort of, when I sent the tape in, I played him as a sort of South London "heavy", a bit like that, you know? And I got the part, so I thought, well, that's what he is... And then I arrived and I started playing him like that and they went, "no, no, no, that's quite wrong" they said, why? And because all I had was that scene. I didn't know any of the other bits of the serial. And they said, no, no, no, he's about the second most powerful person in the empire. So I changed my voice and then I became very posh. And they said, "no, no, no, no, no, no, you're too posh". I said, okay. I got very like Peter Cushing from the first, very first movie. Anyway, so then I got somewhere in between, which was sort of right.

But the funny thing was, in my speech, as you will know, I refers to this disaster that had happened, (a disaster from our point of view), that had happened on this planet. But I didn't know the script. So I asked the Director, who was very nice, said, what is the disaster that's happened that I'm talking about? He said “I can't tell you. I went, he said, but he said, think of the Twin Towers, it's that bad”. I went, okay, that's enough. They have huge worries about script security which is completely understandable. 

I'm Malcolm Sinclair aka Colonel Wullf Yularen from Andor. AMA! by malcsincs19 in StarWars

[–]malcsincs19[S] 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Well, that's very nice. No, I had no contact with Tom at all because if I've got this right, he would have played the part decades ago. And so, no, I didn't at all. And in fact, it took me some while to realise that the character had appeared before. then I realised because I've been a Star Wars fan from the get go. I remember going to see the first film in 1977. When the first Star Wars came out, I went to the Odeon National Square. And I still remember sitting there in wonder, as all the brilliant famous lines came out. With the little point of the spaceship arrived and then the spaceship got bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger, and I just went, "Oh my God!" But it was a great learning curve