Becoming Eric
The unusual title star of a dark, gritty Netflix period drama set in 1980s New York just happens to be a giant puppet. DQ speaks to creature creation firm Stitches & Glue and puppeteer Olly Taylor about bringing Eric to life. In Netflix series Eric, there’s a scene where Benedict Cumberbatch’s character Vincent is dancing in a New York nightclub to iconic dance anthem Gloria. During rehearsals, the supporting artists who filled the 1980s set in Budapest would have seen Cumberbatch practicing his moves alongside a man dressed in black sportswear, seemingly out of step with their own period styling. But when director Lucy Forbes prepared to call action, the mysterious man disappeared, only to be replaced by a giant furry monster, the eponymous Eric. “It’s always fun with a big character because when we rehearsed and I’m sat there like some ninja, everybody’s like, ‘Well, I don’t know what that guy’s doing,’” puppeteer Olly Taylor tells DQ. “Then, of course, you come back with everything on [as Eric] and it’s very arresting for all of those supporting artists who haven’t been privy to what they’re a part of, and then they’re trying not to look at the most distracting thing in the room.” From writer Abi Morgan (The Split), director Forbes (This is Going to Hurt) and production company Sister (Chernobyl), Eric follows a father’s desperate search for his nine-year-old son, who goes missing one morning on his way to school. Vincent is one of New York’s leading puppeteers … Continue reading Becoming Eric
