Daniel Gillies is better known to most people for his portrayal of one member of the original family of vampires, Elijah Mikaelson. He inhabited the role for eight years, debuting the character in The Vampire Diaries before reprising it in The Vampire Diaries’ spin-off, The Originals. As Elijah he was the sensible, well-spoken, and well-dressed older sibling of wild hybrid Klaus. Now though, he swaps Elijah’s trademark smart attire for a military flight suit in Occupation: Rainfall.
Directed by Luke Sparke, Occupation: Rainfall is the direct follow-up to 2018’s Occupation. The series of films document the invasion and occupation of Australia from alien beings, and plays as a cross between Steven Spielberg produced television show Falling Skies, the Skyline franchise, and something that Michael Bay might dream up. The first film followed survivors during the initial invasion and its immediate aftermath, the sequel rejoins characters from the first film a couple of years into the war. Gillies joins the returning cast as newcomer, Wing Commander Hayes, a troubled man in command who is harbouring a lot of vitriol and resentment against the intergalactic species mankind is now pitted against. It’s a complex role that could be viewed as both hero and villain depending upon your interpretation, and as such is perfectly suited to an actor that has made a living playing ambiguous parts.
With Occupation: Rainfall due into UK cinemas and onto Digital platforms from 9th July, we sat down with Gillies to find out more about the film. You can watch our interview in full in the video below. In it we discuss what he likes about Hayes, the importance of science-fiction movies in reflecting our own societal issues, and how he got into his character’s Aussie accent. During the conversation we also cover Gillies’ other forthcoming project – Coming Home in the Dark, which screened at Sundance, and will hopefully be a feature on the UK festival circuit later this year.
Signature Entertainment presents Occupation Rainfall in Cinemas and on Digital from 9 July
