From
the minute the credits appeared on screen, I knew I was immediately going to
enjoy the style in which McGuigan chose to direct and shoot his upcoming
film LUCKY
NUMBER SLEVIN,
especially his use of color. It was
visually stimulating as well as intriguing with exciting surprises and
twists. I must say I pretty much felt
the same way about McGuigan. He is a
colorful and intriguing man, with a cool Scottish accent and good sense of
humor.
McGuigan
evidently chose to reunite with Hartnett for LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN, after
developing admiration and respect for his work on their first film WICKER
PARK. He has nothing but great things
to say about the all-star cast and the pleasure of filming the movie.
Read on to find out what he had to say.
Paul
McGuigan
You
worked with Josh in WICKER PARK.
So you had a good relationship
with him?
When
you make a movie with someone you really like and appreciate as an actor
then my first protocol is to go to Josh and ask him to do this film because
I like him and I think he deserves these kind of roles which are more
complex and interesting roles for him to do.
I think with Wicker Park the problem Josh was asked to be the guy in
love so therefore that heightens his idea of him in romantic leads where
he’s a lot more than that.
We
asked Sir Ben Kingsley if Josh has got it as an actor and he said yes.
He
definitely has got it and he shows it in this movie because the film’s a
little more complex as well from an acting point of view than you would
imagine because he’s playing the character of Slevin. We needed to
highlight the fact that he was acting a bit strange.
Why isn’t he more scared? He
actually gives us something that makes us wonder what is going on.
That’s why the problems came out quite well because he was already
ahead of you a little. So
you’re going, well hold here, there’s something not right.
So those were choices he was making all along.
As
a director with piracy becoming a big issue, how do you feel about something
like this (DVD of LUCKY NUMBER SLEVIN) being sold all over for $4?
That’s
terrible. It’s awful.
You shouldn’t be buying it either.
You want to see your work in theatres, not in shitty copy like this
you know. It’s going to happen
I guess. The movie came out
already and it did very, very well. It
did $10 million dollars or something I think and it’s only been out for a
few weeks in about 300 theatres.
Was
the film shot here entirely?
It was
shot in Montreal and then we completed it in studios.
What
about the restaurant and cool apartments?
The
restaurant was in Montreal and the apartment buildings were in the West
Village. The inside of the apartments
was all a set.
So
you think the film is Tarantino-esque? Do
you think it’s fair to say that?
You
could call it everything else but perhaps it’s more Hitchcock.
Tarantino-esque is too obvious to say that but I’m sure there’s
someone else you can compare me to.
What
about Stanley Kubrick?
Actually
I think it’s more Kubrick-esque than anything because it’s very stark at
the beginning with the terminal and everything.
I don’t really go to see movies that much because I have children
so I see films from Walt Disney. I
don’t get to see many films.
Lucy
said you are typed as the gangster director but that you are really a
romantic. How did that turn out?
Yes.
That’s why I’ve been working more towards my sensitivity.
It wasn’t my fault Jason sold it more like a thriller.
It was a love story you know. As
a director, you have to imagine everything.
As
a director, what’s your take on actors doing love scenes?
I
don’t ever work at it beforehand. I’m
sure Lucy told you that. It’s
hard and that’s why I never really set them up because I like to think
that I have faith in that they will be able to do it.
I think there’s nothing worse than a director saying you’re not
kissing properly. I just
knew that they had a great chemistry and my job is to keep that honesty of
it and just do it rather than get all weird about it.
Can
you talk about the open credit sequence because it’s one of the best and
how you found J. Ralph to do the music?
He
actually picked himself because he’s a childhood friend of Jason Smilovic.
If you meet Jason, he talks to you like a hundred miles and hour.
He’s always excited and talks the way the film is written.
J. Ralph is the biggest commercial director and is the music guy.
So it would be perfect. He
knew the story already so he came on board really early, which is unusual
because usually the composer you get last.
Can
you talk about the chemistry between Josh and Lucy and also the different
takes after they make love and what was funny?
We had
a bet among the crew and I put $50 on the floor and said if someone could
bet what take is going to be the one that I use.
So they did all the takes and there’s one where Josh falls and he
grabs her on the floor and she laughs so hard because she didn’t expect
it. That was my favorite but
that wasn’t the one I used. She’s
quite seasoned so she’s the one I commend.
I bet Lucy’s really good at it. If she wants to she can just turn
it on and off. So show me how you get through the door basically.
So if she opens the door for you give her a second and see what
happens. So I love that she just
opens the door and Josh is so fantastic with the key thing and all that.
What
about during that moment?
It can
be a little bit intimidating for a second and then you realize that they all
need to be doing what you do as well. You
have to start buckling up the ideas. There’s
nothing worse than saying oh that was great but can you do that again.
I make sure I have good directions to give them so from take one
it’s all good.
As
a director, is it tougher to do an action sequence or a love scene?
Action sequences are harder because it’s a lot to ask of
yourself to do it in one shot or something.
How am I going to shoot this so it looks real and you don’t have to
cut all the time and rewind it. So
I try to do it in one shot ‘cause I’m not that great.
Would
you say there is one movie that you have watched over and over again in your
life?
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG.
I would say I’m not as big a film buff as most people just because
I choose to do other things with my time.
It’s not like I don’t appreciate film.
I really do but I don’t get to see as many as I should.
So
how is it to direct an actor in a towel for the first half of the movie and
on the DVD will there be any scenes with the crew ripping it off?
There’s not much so…Josh was really charming with it
because I remember Jason saying he had a great idea about putting Josh in a
towel for the first half of the movie….that would be funny and Josh was
like excuse me, I’m here you know. And
then he was like that would be fun. That
was the most ugly looking towel I’ve ever seen.
Was
he afraid it would come off?
That was the wardrobe girl’s job.
He didn’t work out at all and that’s what I love about the man.
I thought he would want to buff up and he said I don’t care.
He was very comfortable with himself.
On
the DVD, will their be any extras?
We
actually shot a lot of scenes with the 2 black bodyguards and they were
really good scenes but we felt they made the movie too comic.
But they were interesting scenes.
They were comic. And
there were more people killed as well.