Enjoy Katie F.'s interview with Phillip Todd and Huck Whittle about Jessie and the Elf Boy
27Enjoy Katie F.'s interview with Philip Todd, the Director of Jessie and the Elf Boy and Huck Whittle who plays Ghillie Dhu in the film. Scottish writer/director Philip Todd trained in film and screen acting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. He won multiple awards at Gaelic film competition FilmG, and presented and edited the Scottish BAFTA-nominated documentary KNOX. His debut feature film The Gaelic King, though made on a shoestring budget, was selected for EIFF Works in Progress and released by Sony Home Entertainment in the UK and North America before going on to be distributed worldwide. The film received a commendation from the Scottish Parliament for being a triumph of resourceful filmmaking. When not making films Philip can often be found climbing hills or exploring ruined castles.
Huck Whittle is a young Scottish actor and singer. He stars as the lead role Ghillie Dhu in the feature film Jessie and the Elf Boy. Huck has been a member of Highland Youth Theatre since 2015 and St Giles Theatre Group since 2019 and has performed on stage in a variety of roles. In the summer of 2021, Huck combined his love of singing, dancing and acting to take on the lead role of Shane Gray in the Beyond Broadway Experience's production of Disney's Camp Rock the Musical.
Jessie and the Elf Boy is a family-friendly film set in Edinburgh, Scotland. With a sweet storyline and its Scottish sense of humor, Jessie and the Elf Boy is one for the family to watch.
The story follows Ghillie Dhu (Huck Whittle), an elf that you can only see when wearing a special necklace. When a girl he meets in the forest moves away, he goes in search to find her, only to realize that that young girl has grown up. He then finds Jessie (Julia Brown), who he believes is that young girl from all those years ago. Jessie has just started a new job at her mother’s salon, and it turns out that this elf may just be the thing she needs to become the next big hair stylist.
Jessie deals with her mother freezing her out as well as trying to get her to notice the amazing things she can do—Julia portrays these characteristics really well. Huck Whittle is a newcomer making his debut in this film—his character, Ghillie, is very comedic about how he searches for his childhood friend. He discovers various things that he didn’t have in the woods—one of my favorites being fizzy juice. Jessie’s mother, Valerie, (Gail Watson), the owner of the hair salon, plays a very big part in the end, but I won’t say too much. My favorite part of the salon storyline is when Jessie discovers Ghillie, and he creates some amazing hairdos. I love the forest at the beginning of the movie where Ghillie’s home is set—it is beautiful, and highlights the amazing scenery that Scotland has to offer.
The message of the film is that the truth will always come out in the end, and it will have its perks—good and bad.
I give Jessie and the Elf Boy 3 out of 5 stars, and I recommend it for ages 8 to 11, plus adults. The film will be released April 1, 2022 to digital platforms.
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