It’s safe to say that Simon Phillips has a bit of a cult following in the world of independent film, the star of the acclaimed Jack Trilogy, and The Rise and Fall of the White Collar Hooligan has seen him cement a very successful career as an actor.

Now though, like many before him he has stepped behind the camera to direct his first feature, G.B.H. The film is a gripping British thriller set against the back drop of London riots, and sees the struggle one police officer has in his day to day life, as he chooses whether to stay with a successful career or go back to a darker past.

We caught up with Simon to discuss the film, shooting tough scenes and whether or not we’d get to see Jack Adleth again?

What made you decide to give directing a go?

I decided to give it a go after finding a script that there was nothing in for me as an actor – but a story I very much wanted to tell. I also witnessed the 2011 London riots first hand and so had a unique perspective on it.

What was it like behind the camera as opposed to being in front of it?

It was actually quite liberating. The challenge with being in front of the camera is not to be conscious about how you look on screen – but more to concentrate on the relationships and performances with other actors.

But when directing the film you must have awareness for all things that go into the film making process. I had a passion for the story and I had worked with several of the HOD’s and actors before, which made my transition perhaps easier than it, might have been with a fresh bunch of cast and crew.

Paul Tanter made a similar decision to step behind the camera; did you ask him for any advice for this film?

Paul came at directing as an extension to his writing abilities, whereas I came at it from the other end – so there wasn’t that much in common here – but I’ve worked very closely with Paul on a number of films and we always talk about all aspects of the process – and this film was no different.

Having said that it was his first producer only project, and it was my first directorship – so we reversed our normal roles – and I surely took some influence from Jack Falls on a visual style for the film.

James Crow wrote the screen play, what was it that attracted you to it?

Characters and a great back drop. As I said before, I witnessed the London riots first hand and wanted to tell a story with this as the backdrop to contrast the image that London was putting forward in the recent Olympic Games. James penned a very dark screenplay and that interested me as he blurred the lines between good and bad people in a manner you may not see coming when you watch the film.

As an actor is there anything you can take into the director’s chair?

As an actor I know the type of information I’d wanna hear form a director, so when instructing the talent – most of whom I’ve worked with before – it’s helpful that the information comes from a fellow actor, there’s much less of a barrier to overcome and trust is established much quicker.

What kind of message were you trying to get across with a film such as this?

That not every situation is clean cut. It’s easy to look at the London riots and say its young people out of control and that we need to be much harsher on them and bring back a sense of discipline and respect, but in actual fact the London riots was the most recent form of civil unrest in a western city that I have seen.

It was our disillusioned youth shouting out for attention as they are on the front lines of the recession, lack of education and lack of prospects – our young people today seem to have lost aspiration for the future, they’re not ‘bad guys’ – they are good kids in bad situations for the most part and we have to acknowledge that part of this problem was made by us.

There are some powerful scenes within it such as near to the end with Louise and Barry. Is there a certain degree of emotion on set when something like that is being shot? How do you and the cast handle something as serious as that?

The scene in question was indeed a difficult one to shoot, and it’s very important to get the tone for it just right. I discuss the scene with the actors, Kellie Shirley and Peter Barrett, beforehand so they have an understanding of what it is that I am trying to demonstrate.

In such distressing scenes I need them to give me everything and not feel conscious about it, something only achieved with a good deal of communication and trust between me and performers – but ultimately it’s their talent in understanding the script and their characters - and I just give them the platform.

We’ve been suitably impressed by Nick Nevern, are there any plans to work with him again?

Of course! Nick’s a talented actor and very underrated, but he’s on the rise for sure. I’ve done 5 films with him now and I’m sure we’ll work again together – the White Collar Hooligan feature film was so popular that we’ve wrapped on the sequel and are in discussions on a third part just now – so I’m sure we’ll be on set together again soon.

Did you fancy the chance for a director’s cameo?

Not this time. The film was so intense and I was so concerned with trying to ‘get it right’ that I wanted to put all my energy behind the camera, and very happy that I did. In the future I may like the challenge of directing myself in something – but I think I need a few more years’ experience and the right project.

What is next for Simon Phillips?

We’ll it’s mostly in front of the camera for the next 12 months I think. I’m starring in White Collar Hooligan 2 (alongside Nick Nevern, directed by Paul Tanter) and that was a great deal of fun to film. I’ve also got alien invasion feature film UFO coming out in January 2013 with Jean Claude Van Damme.

We’ve also just wrapped on a London/New York serial killer film called Shame the devil – which should be something a little different. So lot’s going on at the moment!

And finally, have we seen the last of Jack Adleth?

Ha! Myself and Paul Tanter had a great deal of fun putting the Jack trilogy together and learned a great deal by the time we reached the final chapter, Jack Falls. I was very proud that we had the first ever British independent feature film trilogy and was very proud of the final chapter – which I think rounded off the character arc very nicely.

There was talk of a fourth installment, and even an treatment for what the project would be like – which sounded very exciting indeed – but I think it’s time to hang up that particular leather Jacket and re-visit it all in five years’ time!