Laurence R. Harvey (not to be confused with Laurence Harvey, the late Oscar-nominated Lithuanian-British actor) made an unusual debut on the world's stage when a close-up of his face, sweaty and bug-eyed, was released as the first image from Tom Six's depraved sequel The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence). Meeting the British stage veteran -- and, yes, one-time children's television performer -- on the red carpet at Fantastic Fest, Movieline was pleasantly relieved to find that Harvey is far from his disturbing alter ego, the put-upon Human Centipede-worshipping drudge Martin, who commits unspeakable acts upon fresh victims in the new film. But does his mother know what he's been up to?
I hardly recognized you, since the only glimpse I've seen of you is from...
Harvey: The photo...!
Harvey: [Laughs] Well, I guess it's kind of strange. In the U.K. some people kind of remember me from doing kids' television ten years ago, so this is quite a difference from that.
That's hilariously perverse.
Harvey: Yeah! Exactly.
How does The Human Centipede II compare to the kinds of projects you've done before, children's programming notwithstanding?
Harvey: Most of the stuff I've done before has been kind of small audiences, experimental theater, and then this... It's a huge explosion of madness.
Considering your past work in children's programming, were you looking for something this shocking and depraved to make a break of sorts?
Harvey: Well, it's not that I was looking for something specifically. I like working with different styles and different... methods... of working.
Tom Six has recounted your audition for the role of Martin, in which he says he instructed you to rape a chair. What other crazy things did you have to do to get this role?
Harvey: [Laughs] Was it the chair raping? I'm not sure. The most embarrassing thing was, because the character lives at home with his mum I just wore clothes that had been chosen by my mum. But I didn't realize my jumper had a hole in it. I thought it was a little hole, but by the time I'd finished doing all the running around in the casting I came out and there was this big slit all the way down [runs finger down the side of his torso]. I just went, 'Aaaah.'
That sounds pretty appropriate, actually.
Harvey: Yeah! It works for the character, I think.
How does your mother feel about The Human Centipede II and her son becoming famous for starring in it?
Harvey: Well, I'm just glad that she can't see it. I'm glad that it's banned in the U.K.!