We are just days away from the UK premiere of the highly-anticipated Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey at Glasgow Frightfest.
Bloody Flicks caught up with Winnie himself Craig Dowsett, to talk about this iconic character becoming a potential new slasher icon.
Can you tell us how you got involved with Blood and Honey?
Having worked on a previous film with the director and producer of Blood and Honey, they offered me the role of Pooh Bear as they wanted someone of my build to fit the role.
Was there any trepidation or was there excitement in reinterpreting this renowned property?
There was pure excited throughout the cast and crew as we knew reinterpreting these iconic characters was something new, unique and exciting to do.
Was it surreal putting on the Winnie costume for the first time?
Yeah it was pretty cool putting on that costume for the first time and seeing myself in the mirror as the yellow honey bear!
Were there any instances on-set where you scared the cast for real?
Yes there were, one of the cast members had not seen me in costume before the cameras rolled so when the scene started she was actually pretty genuinely scared, plus me chasing them through a dark forest in the middle of the night was a bit scary for them.
Were there times you could pinch yourself about doing a horror version of Winnie the Pooh?
There were many times during the build up to the shoot and once the shoot started that i thought wow im actually playing Winnie The Pooh, how cool and surreal is this!
The reaction worldwide has been deafening, how has the experience been for you up until this point?
The reaction world wide has been breathtaking, it has been a truly amazing experience so far with the world premiere in Mexico city, and then the US premiere in LA, its been pretty magical so far especially being my first lead role in a movie.
Its the UK premiere next week at Glasgow Frightfest, how exciting is this for you?
Yeah i cant wait for the UK premiere at FrightFest Glasgow on the 10th March i am very excited to be attending this and i am looking forward to meeting everyone there and seeing the crowd reaction to the movie.
Has this been your most enjoyable role to date?
This is definitely my most enjoyable role to date, i really enjoy putting on the costume and becoming this new version of such an iconic character. And being my first lead role this will always hold a special place in my heart.
Without spoilers, is there scope for a Blood and Honey sequel?
Yes a sequel is currently in the works and could start filming early this summer.
Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey screens as part of Glasgow Frightfest 2023.
Check out interview with Blood and Honey co-star Amber Doig-Thorne.
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