Asa Butterfield was a child star for a decade. Nothing could’ve prepared him for his first Aussie job

Exclusive: As a former child star, Asa Butterfield grew up starring in dramas like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Hugo, but no amount of experience could prepare him for his turn leading Australian comedy-horror Gnomes.

Butterfield, 29, stars as Senior Constable Arnold Kipp in the Stan series described as “Gremlins meets Hot Fuzz”, and while he acts alongside a host of wonderful co-stars, his most compelling scene partners are a little unconventional: terrifying, villainous gnomes.

In Gnomes, the small Victorian town of Nompton is sent into chaos when an ancient, evil force unleashes an army of killer ceramic gnomes.

The lawn ornaments are bloodthirsty, creating a unique acting challenge for Butterfield.

“It is strange working with gnomes,” the actor told nine.com.au on the show’s Melbourne set.

“The special effects crew – a ‘gnome unit’, as they’re called – have been building these puppet gnomes with movable arms and joints, so you actually have something to react to.

“We’re learning how to act as though a gnome is fighting us, but we’re actually in control of the gnome. That’s ridiculous!“

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Butterfield, who starred as Otis in Netflix juggernaut Sex Education for four seasons from 2019 to 2023, has done his fair share of absurdist comedy, but Gnomes′ hilarious “action-hero moments” took things to a whole different level.

“You sometimes catch yourself thinking, ‘What the hell am I doing?’” he joked.

“You feel quite silly doing it, so you have to let go and trust that it will look cool and ridiculous because they’re gnomes. Of course, it’s going to look a bit silly – that’s part of the fun of it.”

Unsurprisingly, the oddity of the work led to a really fun on-set environment.

“One of my biggest takeaways from this job is the amount of laughs, silliness, and smiles we have while working, which is such a nice feeling,” Butterfield said.

“We’ve got a really lovely cast of actors and comedians, very funny people and a group of really great young, up-and-coming Aussie actors. It’s fun to watch them take it in their stride, while us older actors tap into our childishness playing with fake gnomes.

“In these sorts of comedies, it’s fun to experiment, and the directors have been really supportive in letting us push the envelope and do something quite weird.”

Making the series was the first time the English actor had visited Australia, and it certainly made an impression.

“I’ve managed to see quite a bit of Victoria. I’ve taken a few drives – went down the Great Ocean Road, which was beautiful. I went to Mornington Peninsula for another weekend, and then further out east camping,” he shared of his adventures.

“In Melbourne as well, I’ve seen good music, had a lot of good food, and I’m in a fun part of town.”

He hoped to take one of the set’s many, many garden gnomes home to the UK – if he could get it out of the country.

“Customs in Australia is really strict. If the face shows up on the scan, it might freak them out,” he said with a laugh.

The Stan Original Series Gnomes is streaming now, only on Stan.