Winners’ Press Conference interview with Mike Leigh for the BAFTA Fellowship
Winners' press conference interview with Mike Leigh for the BAFTA Fellowship
MIKE LEIGH: Good evening, everybody.
Q. Good evening. Congratulations, Mike.
A. Thank you.
Q. How does it feel to receive the BAFTA fellowship?
A. Well, it's obviously a tremendous honour. It really is. And, you know, when you have been slaving away for a million years, it's great, you know? And it's ‑‑ as I said in my speech, it's ‑‑ for BAFTA to respect, as I said, off‑the‑wall alternative eccentric idiosyncratic personal film making is wonderful. And in that respect, it's much appreciated.
And, you know, with all the people that I've ‑‑ many people that I've worked with over the years, it's much appreciated.
NEW SPEAKER: Mike, congratulations on this honour tonight. I am curious. It is obviously a wonderful celebration, so many years of extraordinary work. Looking back on that now is there one particular piece of work that you regard personally as your finest?
A. It is a tough one, you know. It is like one's children. You don't have a favourite, really. I mean, there are films that we made and I look at them and I think: how the hell did we achieve that? Because I've never made a film that had a big enough budget, and all those sorts of things.
I feel that about Vera Drake, of which I am very proud. I feel that about Topsy Turvy and Mr Turner, those bigger than their budgets period films. I've got a very soft spot for the film that some of you may not have even seen, called In the Meantime, which I made back in the 80s, which was a very proper film dealing with unemployment. And I've sort of got a softer spot for Naked, as I have for Happy Go Lucky. But in the end, I mean, they're all part of a whole and, you know, a continuous growing kind of a whole, really.
NEW SPEAKER: Are you slightly upset that Mr Spall didn't get nominated tonight?
A. I mean, obviously, it would have been very nice. He is ‑‑ he does a fantastic performance. I don't really want to comment on that, because it's not in the spirit of this fellowship and I made that clear in my speech. It's disappointing, but we've kind of accepted that and in the end, BAFTA is a democracy and people are, you know ‑‑ people's tastes are their prerogative. And there are a whole bunch of very good films out there. So ‑‑ and performances.
NEW SPEAKER: You also worked with a cast of family actors in a way, people that you develop and really become big as a result of being in your films. How do you feel about that?
A. It's wonderful. You know, I'm in show business. There's no two ways about it, and I have been for ‑‑ since 1960, you know, in many more aspects of it than you may know. And for me, it's all part of what it's about. And to work with ‑‑ to have the freedom to cast whoever I like with no pressure from anybody, and therefore to be able to apparently pull out of nowhere, from drama school or whatever, younger or less known actors, or sometimes unknown actors and to work with them in a really intensive way and to arrive at something special and then see them take off and be appreciated in all sorts of other contexts, to me is as joyous as seeing one's own children go on ‑‑ get out there in the world. It's great. I love it.
Q. Tonight the award was presented to you by Imelda Staunton and Sally Hawkins. What did that mean in particular?
A. It is great. What, for them to do it tonight?
Q. Yes.
A. Wonderful. How appropriate. And two extremely talented, intelligent, sophisticated, funny, serious actresses, people, women. So ‑‑ great, you know? And really, whoever was responsible for the casting would get full marks from me.
NEW SPEAKER: What's your advice to anyone who wants to emulate your success?
A. Well, I think ‑‑ I suppose I would say that nobody should think about emulating anybody's success, but simply think about getting down to the business of making work and making work that you believe in. My only really advice ever to young film makers is: never compromise. Don't do things you don't really want to do. Don't say: well, I'll make this film. I don't really want to make this film, but I'll make this film with all its built‑in compromise and the things I don't really want to do, then I will be able to really do what I want to do. That is nonsense.
Never compromise, and really fight for what you believe in. And push the boat out. And then you're in with a chance.
Q. What is your next film? What are you not compromising on next?
A. Well, I am compromising completely. I am going to direct the Pirates of Penzance at the English National Opera in a few weeks, which is really stepping aside from my day job and then I will make a movie about which you will hear soon.
Q. Excellent. Congratulations once again.
NEW SPEAKER: Hi, it is Natalie from the BBC. Because you are somebody who has (inaudible) carve out your own part in film making. Do you think that films like Boyhood are big this year (inaudible), do you think that finally the big studios might want to start to take more risks or something like that?
A. You know, I am not in the business of worrying about the big studios and I never have been. I have never had anything to do with the big studios. We are in world cinema. We are not in Hollywood. So to hell with the big studios. That's not what it's about. Anybody that wants to put in the Brad, be they the big studios or anybody else, great. But you know, the important thing about the likes of Boyhood and it is not the only healthy independent film that we saw tonight. Whiplash, for example, really impressive. And others too. I think it's ‑‑ it does bode well. That's what I would say.
NEW SPEAKER: Is it a good time to be British, with so many young talents coming up now?
A. Absolutely. No question about it. There was a time, certainly I would say in the late '70s, when quite a lot of people quite seriously said: "Film is over. British film is over."
But the landscape changed. We know it changed, not least when Channel 4 started and it started to invest in British movies. But it's very positive and very hopeful. I think there is a cinema of the future, as far as we can anticipate. It may not be ‑‑ we don't know what kind of cinema and we don't know what kind of way people will look at films. But it feels healthy to me; and I am happy to be pessimistic if I get the opportunity, but I am not pessimistic about that.
Q. Fantastic. Thank you so much. Congratulations once again. Mike Leigh, everybody.
