Lord of the Flies star reveals secret question every child was asked before they were cast
It's a question you've probably asked yourself...
Lord of the Flies is incredibly upsetting, a testament to its talented young ensemble. Before they were cast, its stars had to answer one question.
The show’s finale airs on BBC One tonight (March 1). No spoilers, but it’s one of the most brutal hours of television aired on the BBC (make sure you read our breakdown of the ending of Lord of the Flies after you’re done).
If that’s not enough for you, there’s something else you can watch: a documentary about the making of Jack Thorne’s adaptation.
Available now on BBC iPlayer (and airing on BBC Four at 10pm), it takes viewers behind the series’ rainy, windy, and fun-filled production.
Lord of the Flies stars had to answer one question before they were cast
The doc features multiple brief interviews with David McKenna, the 12-year-old actor who plays Piggy.
“He is the responsible one who wants to keep everything calm and have rules. But, it doesn’t go his way, unfortunately,” he says.
All of the young actors were found via an open casting call, with no previous experience necessary. So, while Lox Pratt has already been cast as Draco in the new Harry Potter series, that wasn’t a factor: it was an even playing field for anyone who wanted to be in it.
When McKenna got the call that they wanted him to audition, he was asked one question.
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“You had to say, ‘If you were stranded on a desert island, who would you want to be stranded with and why?'” he explained
It’s a good question, for obvious reasons: Lord of the Flies shows how civility fades and savagery emerges when boys are left alone on an island.
“I said I’d want to be stranded with the West End cast of [Les Misérables]… because, you know, who else?”
Lord of the Flies doc reveals Piggy’s adult stunt double
The doc also reveals how they made one of the show’s most important sequences: the wildfire.
In episode 1, the boys try to light a signal fire at the top of the island’s mountain. They inadvertently cause a blaze that spreads like… well, wildfire.
As flames engulf the woods, the boys sprint back to the safety of the beach. While McKenna did almost all of his own stunts, this scene required the use of a stunt double.
“There is one stunt in episode 1 where I’m running from a fire… because, you know, I don’t want to get burnt obviously,” he joked.
“I trip and roll down this hill and gash my arm on a tree. The tree part is me, but when I’m rolling, it was a guy called Elliott [Cooper], who’s really great. I think he was there for two or three days. He came and rolled himself down a hill and then he flew back to Manchester.”
As you’d perhaps expect, Elliott isn’t a child. However, he is an adult who looks much bigger than McKenna, which is a credit to how unnoticeable it is when you’re actually watching the series.
