Actors
Hans Matheson – Merisi Caravaggio
In a relatively short period of time Hans Matheson has interpreted an impressive range of characters. Most recently he completed shooting Juraj Jakubisko's Bathory, which shot over a seven month period in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the film Hans brings to life Merisi Caravaggio, the renowned Italian artist and father of Baroque painting whom Slovakian director Jakbuisko proposes as the would-be lover of 16th century Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory, accused of murdering hundreds of her subjects.
Hans began his acting career just over 10 years ago when, at the urging of a drama-school teacher, a television audition led to a stage role as 50's rocker 'Silver Johnny' in Jez Butterworth's Mojo at the Royal Court Theatre. His early career brought mainly small-screen roles interspersed with feature film characters including the junkie boyfriend of a teenage prostitute trying to go straight in Coky Giedgoyc's Stella Does Tricks, and 'Luke Shand' the stand-in guitarist for a band in the Brian Gibson rock-n-roll resurrection flic Still Crazy, about a 1970's rock band preparing for their comeback concert.
His feature film break came with the role of 'Marius' in Les Miserables, Billie August's critically acclaimed adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic. Finding a certain equilibrium in working for both television and film, Hans followed up with a spate of small and large screen roles including: 'Mordred' in the Uli Edel mini-series The Mists of Avalon, which looks at the women behind the hero of Camelot; the title role of 'Yury Zhivago' opposite Keira Knightley and Sam Neil in Doctor Zhivago, adapted for Granada Television by Giacomo Campiotti. Feature film leads at this time include the musician 'Jeno Varga' in the romantic drama Canone Inverso and as 'Thomas' in the Ole Bornedal's Norwegian period drama I Am Dina. In "Death Watch" Hans plays Pvt. Jack Hawkstone, one of a small group of British soldiers caught behind enemy lines in the WWI drama with a psychological thriller twist directed by Michael J. Bassett.
Other roles Hans has recently brought to life for television include 'Jake' a struggling alcoholic trying to stay clean in Leo Regan's Channel 4' docu-drama Comfortably Numb; 'Nero' in Paul Marcus' Imperium: Nerone, a mini-series which covers five centuries of the Roman Empire; and 'Robert Devereux,' the flamboyant Earl of Essex in BBC's lavish production Elizabeth I: The Virgin Queen. Here Hans re-teamed with Stella director Coky Giedroyc in this sweeping look at the life and loves of the queen.
Hans returned to feature films with the role of lighthouse keeper 'Angus,' opposite Demi Moore in the super-natural drama Half Light, directed by Craig Rosenberg. Hans grew up accompanying his parents to concerts and folk festivals and credits his mother with guiding him towards drama school. He is an accomplished musician and songwriter, and plays guitar, violin, piano and harmonica. He recently collaborated with his father (Ian Ado) on an album, Out On The Islands, which was released in 2003.
Film character
As in case of many other parts, Caravaggio is a real historical character. The director uses blank pages of Caravaggio's life and employs fantasy. Cachtice castle should be the place where he hides after the duel in 1592. He involuntarily spends there three years; Ferenc Nadasdy sends him as war booty to his wife Erzsebet to entertain her and have a family portrait painted. The young artist and lonely woman become close and fall in passionate love, bringing disaster upon them.