Violent, blackly funny and directed with real pace by Tyldum,Headhuntersbrought the filmmaker to global attention.

Well, this is a vastly different film from Headhunters.

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[Laughs] Yes, yes.

It couldnt be more different.

So what was the path that led you from there to here?

As a filmmaker, I dont want to limit myself to one kind of movie.

Then my agent called and said, You should read this beautiful little script.

Its probably not what youre looking for, but just read it.

I just fell in love with the material.

First of all, I was shocked at how little I knew about Alan Turning.

Its a film about outsiders.

So I cant hide behind any explosions or action this time.

Im always looking for a character that interests me.

Yeah, a fantastic character.

He didnt quite fit in anywhere.

There was something about the character that really attracted me.

I wonder if it was exciting to you as well because its an untold story in filmmaking terms.

Stories are usually regurgitated, but this ones relatively unknown.

As Graham [Moore] says, its funny to read whats being written about it.

Some people have written, Yeah, its a crowd-pleaser.

But when you think about it, its a movie about a gay mathematician in the 40s.

Its not really [a crowd-pleasing] movie.

I think thats why it took time before anyone made a film about it.

Its been a bit of a challenge.

To do a movie about someone who actually lived gives you two responsibilities.

Because his story deserves to reach a big audience.

I didnt want to make a dusty, very dry film.

So we added humour and some thrilling elements into it.

Its a phenomenal, fascinating story.

Because there was so much that we had to take some things away.

We had to take that out.

How stifling it was.

Theyve been forced into boxes.

And its the secrecy.

How much he carries around, how much he couldnt talk about.

To me, its mind-boggling to think that homosexuality was forbidden up until 1967.

Its not even a generation ago.

Britain, which in many ways is at the front of modern civilisation, had that going on.

To just think of these ideas is just mind-blowing.

Then, at the same time, his war achievements.

To then be prosecuted its a fascinating story.

Talking about tone, this film could have been incredibly bleak.

But as you say, there are highs in it as well as lows a lot of humour.

It was lovely that weve been getting all these audience awards now.

I love using drama and humour.

Like inHeadhunters, theres a lot of humour.

Because it is a big part of life.

Theres an absurdity to life.

I never shot so many backs in my life.

[Laughs] There are so many shots following behind and looking over.

Its there, present, with him, in the scenes, observing the interactions.

Its not like we ever tried to get inside his head, because thats impossible, I think.

Hes such a complex human being.

It was a challenge, the whole tonality.

We didnt want to ridicule him, or make fun of him in any way.

But at the same time, its just the way he told a joke.

There was something very endearing but also awkward about him.

He was weird socially.

If you didnt interest him, hed just stop in the middle of a sentence.

Hed walk away because he didnt want to talk to you anymore.

In that respect, there are inevitable comparisons with Cumberbatchs portrayal of Sherlock.

We talked a lot about it.

It was something that well, not worried about, but it had to have a different energy.

Turing is a more careful and more quiet person.

Hes also more locked off, more isolated.

Theres more drama to Sherlock than to Alan Turing, definitely.

And also, Benedict, his physical language is so different.

Its been a real pleasure working with him.

Alan Turing has this stutter, and the way he walks, how Benedict transforms himself into this man.

At the core of Turing is this lonely boy whos lost so much.

He meets this big love who changes him forever.

Turing wrote letters to Christophers mother throughout his life.

He became obsessed with artificial intelligence and artificial life, and I think that came from Christopher.

I cant remember the young actors name, but…

Alex Lawther.

That was a stunning performance.

For me, that one shot is the whole core of the movie.

You just stay there.

Stay, stay, stay, stay, stay.

This must be how it must have felt for Turing, carrying around all these secrets.

Even during the trial, he didnt blurt anything out.

I mean, thats what I would have done.

Dont you know what I did during the war?

But he kept quiet.

He carried the secrets with him all his life.

I sort of feel like the film itself is a bit like Turing.

It could have been an angry film.

He was betrayed by the country he helped save.

Its like Turing: its contained, reserved.

It doesnt explode at any point.

As a filmmaker, the material speaks to you in a certain way.

Graham, when he wrote the script, he wanted to capture the spirit of Alan Turing.

Turing wasnt an angry man, he wasnt a bitter man.

He had a sense of irony and humour.

Alan Turing lies with men.

Therefore: machines cannot think.

So he had a real understanding, a sense of humour about the whole situation.

We wanted to recreate that: we didnt want him to be this dark, brooding character.

He was odd and awkward, and had tempers, and arrogance, but he wasnt a dark character.

So we wanted to capture that.

What was the most difficult aspect of making the film?

Its a very dialogue and character driven film.

So it was important for me to keep reminding people of the risks, what was at stake.

And at the same time, its a big event.

We didnt want to tell it in a traditional way.

To me, Turing was a mystery, a puzzle that needed putting together.

So that was a challenge.

In terms of actual scenes, the light-hearted, funny ones were the hardest, actually.

Because you needed to get the tone absolutely right.

The balance there is almost harder to do than something dramatic, in a way.

It was a real pleasure.

You have Charles Dance in there, whos brilliant.

Charles Dance is awesome.

[Laughs] But theyve been wonderful to work with.

Mark Strong was great, and Matthew Goode, and of course Benedict Cumberbatch.

So its been a dream.

They all pushed each other, and everyone wanted to be a part of this small, independent movie.

Its a fraction of my usual salary, but yes, I want to do this.

I had Maria Djurkovic, whos a phenomenal British production designer.

Its been such a privilege to work with all these people.

We all shared a wish to tell Alan Turings story.

I was wondering whether that was your preparation for doing a Bond film in the future.

I had a meeting with them about doing a Bond film.

I would love it.

And to now start tackling bigger studio movies.

So Im very happy that this is my first English-language film.

Are you still doing the science fiction film,What Happened To Monday?

A new directors attached to that now.

At the moment, theres two projects Im developing.

Thats calledPattern Recognition.I love William Gibson.

Looking forward to it!

Morten Tyldum, thank you very much.

The Imitation Gameis out in UK cinemas on the 14th November.