'I was in heaven': Maltese actor on his big break on Enola Holmes release

Maltese actor Joe Azzopardi joined other stars on the red carpet in New York last week for the premiere of Netflix’s Enola Holmes 3 premiere, after landing a leading role in the star-studded production filmed in Malta and the UK.

The glamorous event saw Azzopardi join fellow lead actors Millie Bobby Brown and Helena Bonham Carter for the opening of the action-adventure mystery film, which is set to debut on the streaming platform on July 1.

Describing the project as a “whirlwind” after joining the film quite late into the production, Azzopardi recounted the fun he’d had on set – including a stunt-laden fight sequence with Bobby Brown.

While unable to divulge too much information ahead of the film’s public debut, the actor described his character as a “chameleon... he’s very light on his feet, and he can fight himself out of a bad situation. But he’s also very charming,” he said, speaking to Times of Malta shortly before heading to the US for the premiere.

While joining the project as an actor later in the production, Azzopardi explained that he had been involved in the film early in its development while working with director Philip Barantini on location scouting.

Most of the production was shot in Malta, with other filming taking place at the UK’s Shepperton Studios, part of the legendary Pinewood Studios.

“The relationship I developed with the film was really lovely from the beginning, and even before this character was invented, he [Barantini] told me: ‘Look, we’re writing in this character, and I think you’d be great for it”.

Explaining that being a “half-Scouser” due to his mother being from Liverpool, and Barantini being from Liverpool, and as such a “full Scouser”, Azzopardi said the pair “got on like a house on fire”.

‘We couldn’t stop laughing’

And Barantini, alongside Bobby Brown, “really eased me into it... they were very nurturing of me, which was really sweet,” he said of working with the cast and crew on the project.

Describing the Stranger Things star as “hilarious to work with”, Azzopardi recalled some scenes where the pair of them and Bonham Carter “just had to stop filming, because we just couldn’t stop laughing”.

And he described Bonham Carter as “amazing – quirky, bubbly, just full of life and jokes. I was in heaven working with them,” while also paying tribute to British stars Himesh Patel and Louie Partridge.

Actor Joe Azzopardi spoke to Times of Malta about his experiences on set just before heading to the US for the premiere. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli.

“They’re all incredibly talented actors who I love and respect so much”.

Did it feel surreal working with such big names? “After the initial, ‘Whoa, I’m working with Millie Bobby Brown, I’m working with Helena Bonham Carter’, then it just gets back to having fun with the work. Suddenly, it stops being surreal and just becomes your job.”

‘Real sense of patriotism’

One of the main stars of the production was Malta itself, Azzopardi explained, noting that rather than depicting another country or an imaginary location, as is usually the case, Enola Holmes 3 is set in Malta from “start to finish”, with the film even including a Carnival scene.

“There might be some little bits in the UK, but the story is Enola Holmes comes to Malta to get married, [her brother] Sherlock gets kidnapped, and she has to uncover the whole mystery here,” he explained.

That and landing such a big role in the production “gave me a real sense of patriotism and national pride,” he said.

While unable to give too much away, Azzopardi teasingly speculated that his character, Mikiel Mizzi, could have been based on politician and journalist Fortunato Mizzi, who gave birth to the nationalist movement in Malta.

Joe Azzopardi, seen here at the premiere of Enola Holmes 3 in New York, described his character as a “chameleon” and “light on his feet”. Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images/AFP

“He was a pivotal person in Malta’s history, and researching him and my character’s motives, I think they line up,” he said, while adding he had not yet had the chance to ask the film’s writers about his suspicions.

“It is just one of these parts that any Maltese person would kill to play.”

‘A special one for Malta and the UK’

Although most of the filming took place in Malta, some interior shots were filmed at Shepperton Studios in the UK.

Recounting first entering the UK set, Azzopardi said it “literally felt like being inside an old Maltese palazzo; visually, you’re there. It was really convincing... you have to touch it to realise that it’s not, it was incredible.”

The set designers even went so far as to create a backdrop of Malta’s cliffs outside the windows on set in the UK, he said.

“The art departments are just incredible… how they get the details spot on sometimes, and through this process I realised that it’s not just to make the sets look good, it helps the actors as well. I felt like I was back home.”

The actor added that the prominence of Malta in the film and its “classic British” story made the project “a special one for Malta and the UK”.

While Malta has made a name for itself servicing the international film industry – likely in no small part due to its generous film rebate offered to companies filming here – what are Azzopardi’s reflections on the local industry, which in recent years has seen successes with films including Luzzu and Żejtune?

“We’ve learned so much now from servicing all these huge films,” noted Azzopardi.

“We’ve worked with some of the best, and now I think it’s a good time for Malta to take all that knowledge that we’ve learned and start telling our own stories.”