In truth, as I walked through the door, I had no idea what to expect.
Would Rickman be curt?
Would he want to cut out my heart with a spoon?
None of the above.
He was as youd hope: both brilliant, and Alan Rickman.
And Ive walked past lots of instances of people working on converting old buildings into luxury flats.
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Yes.
The works being done by people who wont live there!
Which is a major theme of your film, A Little Chaos.
Youve talked about people building things to entertain the world that they serve.
How one world maintains the other, for the rich.
It struck me that even though we cloak films as period dramas, these are modern tales.
Is that how you saw this story?
It would have been impossible.
The same with Le Notre.
Le Notre, at the time, would have been servanted at the time.
But thats the point in a way.
What would be the modern parallels of that, perchance?!
And all sorts of other things about people with power, usually men.
I also picked up a theme of a resistance to lateralism in the film.
That theres an order of doing things, and if you go against that, theres an instant suspicion.
Is that something you were looking to draw out?
I was a graphic designer so I have an absolute love of typography.
But this was before computers when I was doing it.
You do have a line in the film that says chaos must adhere to budget…
Thats true!
Thats just like filmmaking!
[laughs]
Youre far from a novice to directing, of course.
Youve tackled lots of productions on stage, and The Winter Guest on screen before.
I dont know that anyone can ever analyse these things.
Its like why do you say yes to reading something?
Or acting in something?
You want to catch them.
But really its hers.
I was fascinated as a person, reading it.
Then I liked the idea of period movie that was also essentially modern.
That it wasnt going to be a biopic at all.
It becomes a list of things, and eventually you find yourself in a production office with it!
I had no idea that I was then going to be there for four more books.
Any earlier and she would have been too young.
A bit of you starts making a list of whos possible.
Kate was just too young at the point.
Clint Eastwood sat on David Webb Peoples script for Unforgiven for a good decade, until it fit.
[Laughs] Well hes in a position to do it deliberately!
There wasnt a conscious thing for you though?
That, and then theres Kate.
Its a new energy, and Matthias is a perfect counterpoint to her.
I came to your work, and I suspect Im not alone, through your villain roles.
People go a lot of, but there were two!
There was Quigley Down Under as well!
[Grins] Alright, three!
But that got me to Truly Madly Deeply, a film Im a huge fan of.
Was there any hint of a parallel between that film and this one?
In that the budget was tight, you were a little off radar when you were making it?
And was there anything you took from working with Anthony Minghella?
I think I learned through all of my working life that limitations are good for your imagination.
If youre given everything, you dont know what to pick.
And also,Truly Madly Deeplywas Anthonys first film as a director.
And I know what he means.
If youre not aware of it as an actor, you certainly are as a director.
Because the law of the film jungle is if you dont, you get fired.
Youve got to be really good at your job, and youve got to support the director and producers.
Thats been true on every film Ive ever been on.
Logistically on this film then, youre balancing films with up to 80 extras I read.
Plus youve got some special effects work in A Little Chaos, too.
There are lots of things where youre having to trust a lot of experts.
So whats your approach as a director?
You strike me as very collaborative, but ultimately its still your name on it at the end?
[Laughs] I am Louis!
I do not go out in the rain!
And I said to them we could pull the canopy over, and Louis could stand under that!
Lo and behold its in the film, with four poor sods holding these poles, getting drenched.
And we shot the scene with the pouring, pouring rain all around us.
But at least Louis didnt get wet!
And every other word youd want to come up with!
Its all of that stuff, because youre dealing with unknowables.
The knowable is youve got eight weeks, and this is the budget.
But everything else is fighting those facts.
I dont enjoy any of that!
Youve touched on the fact that you got somewhat pigeonholed at one point in peoples minds as a villain.
Do you find that frustrating?
Do you regret those roles now, and would you have taken a different turn?
No, because the reality is that Ive been all over the shop in terms of characters.
Some people are never going to escape Sherlock Holmes, or the films the pervade the public consciousness.
I think you have to be grateful for that.
Galaxy Quest, its a film I love.
Its one of the funniest films thats ever been made I think!
In the mid-90s, the story was that you were close to being cast as Doctor Who.
Nobody ever sent me a script!
[laughs] Its more conjecture!
Alan Rickman, thank you very much!
