'Millions' - Danny Boyle Q&A

Chris Tilly talks to the filmmaker about money, musicals and the fear of going up against a Vin Diesel nappy comedy.

May 27 2005

Danny Boyle has been one of the most successful British directors of the last 15 years. Having burst onto the scene with the brilliant thriller 'Shallow Grave' in 1994, he made waves on both sides of the Atlantic with 'Trainspotting' and in spite of a pair of misfires in the shape of 'A Life Less Ordinary' and 'The Beach', he very much got back on track with 2002 zombie-horror '28 Days Later...'.

His latest effort, 'Millions', sees him enter family film territory for the first time, telling the tale of two brothers who stumble across a very big bag of money. An enchanting story with a fairytale quality, it hits cinemas today, so we thought we'd catch up with Mr Boyle to discuss the project.

Why has the film taken so long to be released?

We originally had December 10 as a date. You have got two options with a British film; you either wait and book it very late when you see a gap, which is what we did with 'Shallow Grave'. Or you book way in advance and hope that the American bullies don't barge in on your day. So we picked December 10 because we thought 'Christmas' - that's the theme of the film and families are going to view it over Christmas. It all looked good, we'd started a publicity chain and then literally about five, six weeks before that date three American Christmas movies came in on the same date: Tom Hanks' 'Polar Express', 'Surviving Christmas' and 'Christmas with the Cranks'. And you just don't know whether they are going to be masterpieces or not. So we moved and let it open in America first, in March, and then booked May here. So here we are, but it is Bank Holiday weekend plus half-term soon so it's a good slot. And we're up against Paris Hilton and Vin Diesel in a nappy comedy. But it's quality entertainment to take your family to - that's the idea.

Were you disappointed at losing the Christmas release though?

A bit, but you have to be realistic about British films and I know, from working with Andrew Macdonald, the producer, how carefully you find the right spot and then work really hard to present the film. Not with 'The Beach' of course because when you've got a big star you bully everyone else. But we'd work ceaselessly, doing so many interviews, to get the film out there to raise its profile.

What appealed to you about Frank Cottrel Boyce's 'Millions' script?

Basically, page seven where the kid first uses the excuse of his mum's death to gain an advantage - it's a killer moment. You'd think you would examine scripts and weigh them up, but you don't in fact. You read the American ones and they're good and very impressive, but basically when you have a giddy moment like that in a script, that's it. I thought the idea of giving the bag of money to an eight-year-old and a ten-year-old was fantastic. You suddenly realise that the ten-year-old is part of the adult world because the age of consent of consumerism has been forced down to his level now. So he's got a slightly imprecise, but still extensive vocabulary about what money means and how to handle it. What to do - buy a flat, get on the property ladder, all that sort of stuff - I loved all that. It felt really personal to me as well, in a weird way. I'm sure it's because Frank and I are about the same age and we've been brought up in similar ways. There are lots of details that felt very close to me.

Was it difficult making a film that appeals to adults and children alike?

It's a wonderful challenge, to try and exclude no one. I've always tried to do that in all the films, which seems a bit odd considering what they've been like. I've always felt that I don't want to exclude anyone because I'm really resentful about exclusion in life; I think it's wrong that people are excluded for all sorts of reasons from many different things. I really believe people should be included in stuff so it's great to try and make a film that you hope can appeal across age gaps.


The tone of the film reminded me a little of Ealing – was that something you were going for?

I think the Ealing films are all potential musicals. This is like a step towards that; the Holy Grail for any director in the world is a modern musical with modern music. It's impossible; none of us will ever achieve it. But we have this idea, this fond idea that maybe one day it might be possible. And this has got that idea in it, that idea of dreams and aspirations that are key to a musical.

Why did you cast Alex Etel and Lewis McGibbon as the two leads? What set them apart?

The older boy, Lewis, he's got comic timing and you can't teach that to anybody. People are either funny or they're not. He was able to deliver lines; he knew how to pose, how to deadpan, how not to chase a laugh. He just knew those things instinctively, which is great because you can't explain jokes, it just doesn't work. The other kid was much more mysterious really, he walked in the door and I thought, as had happened once before in my life with Kelly Macdonald on 'Trainspotting', I thought, 'I bet that's him.' He was just unique really, and you've got to have a unique kid to carry you through the 90 minutes. If it's a child actor, they're pretending to be something different which can get annoying. But he's a real individual, and he's like that as a person - he  doesn't listen to any of that nonsense about filming - he's  got his own take on everything.

Someone says halfway through the film: ‘Money just makes everything worse!’ Do you believe that?

You could read the film like 'Shallow Grave' in a funny kind of way. It's about what happened to me and my first two collaborators when we started getting successful and making money. It does split things up and make people different. It does change things. And I was kind of aware of that when I was making the film, because it's a bag of money again. I'm not very good with money, which helps, because I don't value it in the way some people value it. I don't really understand money or business, deep down, it's just not in my nature.

'Millions' is released today, and to read an interview with the film's writer Frank Cottrell Boyce, check back to news later today.

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