Sean Cameron Michael

Black Sails sits in a world people already think they know — how did you approach building that reality for yourself?

I was initially drawn to the project because STARZ had produced such great work in the past, such as the award-winning Spartacus TV series, and because Michael Bay was attached to produce his first foray into television, which was obviously a bonus. It was a no-brainer, really – what actor doesn’t want to work on a new pirate TV series?

Treasure Island is such a wonderful story, and in my research and preparation before shooting season 1, I re-read the book and watched the 1950s Bobby Driscoll film, as well as the 2012 Eddie Izzard TV movie. Other reference material was Colin Woodard’s The Republic of Pirates and George Woodbury’s edition of The Great Days of Piracy. Of course, our story takes place 20 years before the Robert Louis Stevenson classic. Still, it was essential for me to place myself in that world and understand its politics, drama, and feel.

“It was a no-brainer, really – what actor doesn’t want to work on a new pirate TV series?”

Your accent in the series is incredibly precise — how do you go about building something like that from scratch?

Besides working with dialect coaches to perfect Richard’s very unique old English accent, I also referenced shows like Downton Abbey. I was fortunate to work with Charles Dance on Strike Back, so he, too, was an inspiration.

Over the years, I’ve played quite a variety of foreign characters, from a Polish scientist, a Dutch businessman, a French UN worker, to a Russian mafia boss, so learning and trying to get my tongue around several interesting accents is always a challenge, but truly fulfilling when it works.

Characterisation is an organic, perhaps methodical process for me. I really want to understand, live and breathe these characters and bring them to life with honesty, authenticity and sincerity.

When you’re working at that level, how much of it becomes instinct versus preparation?

Reading the full, original Black Sails scripts as they arrive is actually very enjoyable and has been all I’ve had time to immerse myself in over the past months. However, I did meet with top Hollywood acting coach Ivana Chubbuck and plan to work with her further, so I’ve been studying The Power of the Actor, which I can highly recommend to others in the industry. There are obviously other classic acting technique books, such as Uta Hagen’s Respect for Acting and A Challenge for the Actor, as well as Harold Guskin’s How to Stop Acting, which is also a good read.

“I really want to understand, live and breathe these characters and bring them to life.”

You’ve worked across different roles and industries — does that naturally lead you towards telling your own stories as well?

I think every actor out there has a couple of books they’ve either started writing or are thinking about writing. The nature of our business and careers in this demanding, challenging industry certainly leads to wonderful, almost unbelievable storytelling.

Over the years, I’ve co-written an Afrikaans screenplay for an arthouse independent feature that I hope to produce, as well as a semi-autobiographical story I’d like to bring to the screen at some point. It’s a tough business, getting a book published or finding the funding to produce a feature film, which is why I think many writers and creatives sometimes give up on their passion and dreams. That said, if one writes an original or touching, thought-provoking and important story with universal appeal and the book or screenplay thereof is genuinely brilliant, I believe that it will be realised, published or produced.

“If one writes an original… and important story… I believe that it will be realised.”

What keeps you moving forward in a career that can be so uncertain?

I’m about to start rehearsals on a new South African stage musical based on the writings of Afrikaans poets, which will be sufficiently time-consuming and challenging. There are also a couple of exciting TV series and features coming to our shores that I’m hoping to be part of, so here’s holding thumbs.

Sean Cameron Michael is an actor known for Black Sails, 24: Legacy, The Salvation and a wide range of international film, television and stage productions.

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Interview by Carl Marsh