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Joseph Mawle plays Jim who, after a chance encounter with his old school friend, Dave, is prepared to risk everything for the prospect of a better life.

"Jim is a guy from a simple background," Joseph explains.

"He's married, apparently happily. He earns his living as a security guard and hasn't had the easiest life. Jim's dream is to provide a better life for his family and for his wife to be proud of him."

When unscrupulous mortgage broker Dave offers him the chance to own his own home, Jim soon overcomes his initial hesitations – and those of his sceptical family – to sign on the dotted line.

"It is a combination of greed and good intentions," says Joseph. "Jim has always lived the same life, while his friend has moved on and up."

Perhaps best known for playing Jesus in ±«Óãtv One's The Passion, Joseph is used to tackling gritty roles, with Freefall being no exception. When things start to go wrong for Jim, they do so spectacularly.

"He ends up with a massive sense of guilt, blame and self-hatred. He really believed he was doing the best thing for his family."

Writer and director Dominic Savage is no stranger to these themes, and Joseph was impressed by his attitude to film-making.

"Dominic is very philosophical and in tune with human needs. He cares about society. He's really trying to understand how traumatic it is to go through this kind of financial loss. The film is about society's sense of entitlement. We forget our aspirations as life becomes more logical and we accept our place until opportunities are presented."

Although already a fan, this is Joseph's first time working with Savage. The film-maker's unconventional techniques were a challenge to be relished.

"The improvisational style was a brand new experience for me. It's liberating but petrifying – you never know what to expect. When improvising, actors connect in different ways and there is always the sense that you need to get several different elements into the performance.

"Dominic talks intimately about each scene prior to filming. There's an idea of the structure but it is not set in stone."

The ultra-realistic style had its lighter side, however.

"We were filming in a real shopping centre and people often mistook me for a genuine security guard. On several occasions I was asked for directions to the toilet!"