Noel Clarke directs Emma Roberts in 4321 which is available on DVD from Monday

BAFTA® Award-winning writer-director Noel Clarke (Adulthood, Kidulthood) directs rising stars Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Shanika Warren-Markland and Ophelia Lovibond in 4.3.2.1

Noel Clarke shot to fame with his gritty urban drama Kidulthood and has done it again with his new smart, sexy and gripping thriller which follows three days in the lives of four very different girls.

Whilst Jo (Roberts; Wild Child, Valentine’s Day) is chained down in a dead end supermarket job, her friends are all out on their separate adventures: Cassandra (Egerton; St. Trinian’s, Money) is jetting off to New York to meet her internet boyfriend; Kerrys (Warren-Markland; Adulthood) is on a one-woman crusade fighting for female liberation and Shannon (Lovibond; Nowhere Boy, Chatroom) is on a one-way trip to meet her maker.

However, a chance encounter with some diamond thieves sends their worlds on a collision course with not only each other, but fate itself. These girls are about to have 3 days they will never forget, spanning 2 continents. That is if they survive.

4.3.2.1 is a roller coaster ride of street wise action and emotion that also features a strong supporting cast including Noel Clarke, Michelle Ryan, Adam Deacon, Ashley ‘Bashy’ Thomas, Ben ‘Plan B’ Drew, Sean Pertwee and Kevin Smith. Packed with hours of special features including a special chronological cut of the film, this is an adrenalin ride you won’t regret taking on two-disc Blu-ray and DVD from 4 October 2010.

When did you realize that film making and acting were things that you wanted to pursue?

I’ve always been interested in both acting and film making, even from an early age. I would keep seeing things on the TV and stuff growing up and I’d say to myself that this was what I wanted to be able to do, so I knew that this was something I was going to pursue even back then. My mum recognized my potential and really encouraged me to work at it.

How do you think your approach to film making changed since you first started out?

I think you grow and improve with everything you do. For me, it’s always been about trying to do things that are different and not the same kind of things that everyone else is doing. Especially when Kidulthood came out, no one was doing anything like that!

Much like your previous films, 4,3,2,1 also has this really gritty urban feel to it. What inspires you to make these kinds of films and do you have any plans to maybe experiment with any other types of genres in the future?

With Kidulthood my inspirations were basically life experiences and the same goes with Adulthood. But with 4,3,2,1 I think it’s a bit broader and has more of a broader appeal. You know, it’s a little bit more glossy than those other films.

But yeah, I have loads of ambition to go and create films of different genres. It just depends on what people let me make. You can only make the films that people allow you to make. I mean, I don’t have the £2million to put into a budget. So if people like what you do and they want to let you do something with them then they will. But you find that a lot of people want to put you in a “creative jail” and have you doing the same thing you’ve already done over and over again.

I’ve been interested in Sci-Fi and Horror for a long time though and I’ve always been a comic book fan. In fact I’ve already written 3 Sci-Fi scripts, but none of them have been made yet.

Were you influenced by the type of films that you make now growing up?

Well there wasn’t any, so it’s a bit of a yes and no answer. There were a lot of American influences like Boyz In The Hood, Menace To Society and stuff like that and then of course as I got older I started watching films like Pulp Fiction and Go and all those kinds of films. They’re definitely the things that made me want to do something different and then produce the type of films that I’ve done.

Unlike your other films, 4,3,2,1 focuses around a group of female main characters. What did you find appealing about having a number of female heroines in your film ?

For me it was just something different. First of all, I didn’t want to be the kind of person who has to play the main part in every film they make. I think that’s when it gets a bit like, “Well what’s the point?”. I thought that having girls play the main parts without having them relying on the men would be really interesting. I was raised by a single mum and she is a really strong woman and that’s always interested me. Even though the girls in this film start out weak, I think they become stronger characters by the end and that was an important point to make for me.

What was it like for you taking the film on location to New York?

Great! I’ve always wanted to work out there and direct something out there. To be there directing in Times Square and having people stop and ask “Who’s that?” and stuff like that was a really great feeling. I mean, that’s always been my goal; to make movies on a bigger scale, whether it be here or somewhere else.

How did Kevin Smith and Eve get involved in the film?

We basically had some finance that allowed us to be brave and ask people if they wanted to be in the film without people demanding more from us then what we were prepared to do. Kevin and Eve were the people that wanted to do it and who were interested in the project.

What are your thoughts on the closure of the UK Film Council?

I don’t think it’s a good idea, but it’s something that I don’t have any power or control over. I wish that they could keep it open because they’ve done so much for British Film, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?

I’m in a film called Huge with Ben Miller which is coming out soon. I just did a prison movie called Screwed with James D’arcy, directed by Reg Traviss who did Joy Division and then in January I’m going to Australia to shoot a movie which is top secret!

4.3.2.1 is availble on DVD and Blu-ray on 4 October 2010 from Universal Pictures (UK) Ltd.