Palace enjoyed such success that he soon found himself overstretched. Enter Karlsen, with a degree in critical theory, whose experiences working with director Bill Sherwood on Parting Glances (1986) had made her keen to become a producer herself. “Elizabeth had a brilliant knowledge of cinema but also understood bottom lines,” remembers Woolley. “She understood the balance, which was quite rare in those days.”
Palace eventually ceased operations in 1992, but not before producing a huge hit – Neil Jordan’s The Crying Game (1992) – which led to Interview with the Vampire (1994). Having married in 1990, Woolley and Karlsen’s professional partnership was formalised four years later with the foundation of Number 9 Films, releasing such movies as Made in Dagenham, Great Expectations (2012) and On Chesil Beach (2017).
“It felt like a natural thing to have a company together,” says Karlsen. “Even when Stephen was off making big budget films with Neil, and I was making independent films in the UK, we were always sharing problems, talking about ideas and looking at edits of each other’s films. There was a very close creative bond, and we share a sensibility. It’s very rare we disagree about the films we see or films we want to develop.”
With projects in development including a Dusty Springfield biopic starring Gemma Arterton and an adaptation of Graham Swift’s Mothering Sunday, the future certainly looks bright for Number 9. “There’s still a market for the kind of movies we make,” says Woolley. “Everyone says streaming is the death knell for cinema, but attendances are the highest they’ve ever been.” Karlsen adds that there’s nothing to be gained from following the pack: “You shouldn’t just chase the money or the idea you think everyone is looking for. Typically, it will be that black swan, the idea nobody saw coming that takes everyone by storm.”