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Oh Danny boy - Boyle's making movies again
by Conrad Astley19/ 5/2005
THE director, who created 28 Days Later, Trainspotting and
Shallow Grave, Danny Boyle is now the man behind Millions, a
fantasy tale about two brothers, eight-year-old Damian and
10-year-old Anthony.
On a visit to Manchester this week Danny said: "It looks like a
departure, but that's not the reason I chose it. I chose it because
I fell in love with something. I just knew this was what I wanted
to do.
"I get sent a lot of scripts from America which would have made
more sense to do - good commercial scripts with a star, but I went
for what I fell in love with.
"It's really an adventure story. It's a proper tale for a family to
sit down and watch.
"Hopefully you can't tell what's coming around the corner, there's
lots of gags, there are good actors. It doesn't have any double
meanings. It isn't locked in a chamber of mirrors - it's a straight
piece of entertainment."
The story tells of a family that has just moved to a new house
following their mother's death, where they find a sports bag full
of money - not quite millions, but £229,320.
Britain is about to enter the Euro zone, so the money will soon
become worthless, but while materialistic Anthony says it should be
invested in property, Damian - who spends his days dreaming of
saints - believes it has come from God and should be given to the
poor. However, the reality turns out to be far more sinister.
The script was written by Liverpudlian Frank Cottrell Boyce, who
used to write for Coronation Street and also penned 24 Hour Party
People.
Radcliffe-born Danny said the pair came to a compromise and settled
on basing it in Warrington - a half-way point - but adds it was a
pleasure to come back and work in the North West.
The film features James Nesbitt and former TV presenter Daisy
Donovan, but the real star is its eight-year-old lead Alex
Etel.
Danny says they had to "look and look" for the right actor,
admitting films starring children are often painful to watch, but
adds they avoided the usual route of contacting child acting
academies.
Instead, they got in touch with schools near where it was being
filmed, asking if any of the kids wanted a go.
Danny said: "We just watched thousands of kids. But as soon as Alex
walked into the room I thought `I bet that's him.' I don't think
that very often - that's a genuine feeling.
"There's no way of knowing at that age whether they're going to be
good actors. With the older lad you could tell, but not at eight -
you just have to go for a spirit.
"He's got a unique way of talking - it's very North West. The other
thing that's extraordinary is he just doesn't blink. The cameraman
pointed this out after a couple of weeks.
"Michael Caine once wrote a guide to acting in which one of the
rules was not to blink in a confrontational scene, but I'm pretty
sure Alex hadn't read that."
Despite seeming like a radical departure, Millions is shot in the
director's trademark quirky style and still has a dark
undercurrent.
And fans of Shallow Grave will find the main idea of the characters
finding a bag of money strangely familiar.
Danny said: "That leapt out at me when I read the script, but
obviously I wouldn't want to make the same film again.
"The bag of money is a theme that strikes a chord with a lot of
people, it's got a lot to do with the introduction of the Lottery
in Britain.
"It's also an old cinematic trick, but you've got to find a new
angle for it - and here that was the two kids finding it."
Danny admits being blown away by the success of his last film - 28
Days Later, which breathed new life into the zombie genre. It was
closely followed by similar movies including the US remake of 70s
classic Dawn Of The Dead, and Danny commented: "They said it was a
coincidence, but this business doesn't work like that."
And although a follow-up to his most well-known film is also being
planned, audiences will have to wait.
He said: "We want to do the Trainspotting sequel, but we want to do
it when the actors look a lot older. It'll be all the same actors
playing the same parts, but a few years down the line, and I want
the same audience that saw the first film to have aged with
them.
"The basic idea is Begby gets released from jail and lures Renton
back into his world.
"The problem is there's a period in actors' lives when they seem to
remain the same age for years, like they've got The Portrait Of
Dorian Gray in an attic somewhere.
"The thing is they'd have you believe they're out partying with
Colin Farrell all the time, when the truth is they're tucked up in
bed early every night."
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