"Pillion" Hits Theaters — a provocative yet touching film by director Harry Lyton, in which “Harry Potter” star Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård explore the boundaries of trust, power, and vulnerability.
We have studied Interview an actor for Viva! Ukraine and discuss how the “boy from the Harry Potter universe” transformed into a bold dramatic actor, why the sex scenes in this film can’t be cut, and what it’s like to feel like a “bag of potatoes” in the back seat of a motorcycle.
Table of Contents
What is this film about?
The title of the painting is — "Pillion" — refers to a technical term for the back seat of a motorcycle, and in the context of the BDSM subculture, it refers to the submissive’s position. It is a metaphor absolute trust: The person in the passenger seat is literally entrusting their life to the person behind the wheel.
Melling’s protagonist, Colin, is a quiet and anxious man who goes with the flow of life. He sings in a family quartet in pubs, lacking both his own desires and any inner drive, until he meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgård)—the charismatic leader of a biker gang. From that moment on, he begins a journey of transformation through submission, which, paradoxically, makes him stronger.
"We shook hands—and then started attacking each other."
Harry Melling admits that he was immediately drawn to the contrast in the script: one page might feature a scene of an ordinary family dinner, and the next—something extreme. Working with Alexander Skarsgård turned out to be easy because of their similar approaches: the actors avoided lengthy rehearsals, preferring improvisation and “being in the moment.”
“We met on set… We had to rehearse a fight scene right away—one that we were going to shoot the next day. We literally shook hands—and then started lunging at each other,” Melling recalls.
BDSM as part of the drama, not just a provocation
Despite its gritty aesthetic, *Pillion* is, above all, a story of coming of age and intimacy—which is impossible without shedding one’s “protective armor.” Melling insists that The sex scenes in the movie are a key element of the plot.
- Realism Instead of "Pictures": The creators didn't set out to make the intimate scenes look beautiful; their priority was to capture the awkwardness and sincerity.
- A Study of Subculture: The actor prepared for the role by spending time with members of the real-life queer biker club GBMCC. They were the ones who taught him how to be a “pillion rider.”
“It turned out to be scary: you have to completely trust the person behind the wheel. People told me, ‘Imagine you’re a sack of potatoes.’ It’s hard at first, but you get used to it over time,” the actor says of his experience riding a motorcycle.
Visual Transformation
Colin’s inner changes are reflected in his appearance. At the beginning of the film, he has long hair—a symbol of his fragility and vulnerability. Then Ray shaves it off, trying to impose a new identity on the protagonist, but in the finale, Colin chooses his own look.
This journey from “lack of will” to a conscious choice to embrace a submissive path gave Mellin the opportunity to portray a truly complex, multi-layered character. So far, the film has already received impressive 99% "Fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes.
"Pillion" promises to be more than just another film about BDSM; it is a profound exploration of human psychology, in which a radical role reversal becomes a means of self-discovery.
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