After excursions into the early 19th century with political uprising drama Peterloo and artist biopic Mr Turner, veteran English director Mike Leigh has returned to the present. His Hard Truths is a confronting contemporary kitchen-sink drama largely powered by the anger of one character and the performance of the actress behind her.
That’s Pansy, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, whose previous movie with Leigh, 1996′s Secrets & Lies won the Palme d’Or and Oscar nominations for both of them. The volcanic Pansy lashes out at everyone around her, whether it’s strangers at the supermarket or her quiet husband and adult son, who both live in fear of her verbal wrath. Clearly, she’s not a well woman and the only kindness in Pansy’s life comes from her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin), a single mother whose own warm family life with two adult daughters is in stark contrast to her sibling’s.
The film is another product of the 82-year-old director’s methodology, in which the script and characters emerge only after months of improvisation, discussion and rehearsal with the cast. The approach has brought some actors back to Leigh again and again, including record holder Lesley Manville (seven films), Timothy Spall, Jim Broadbent, Sally Hawkins, Alison Steadman (Leigh’s former wife) and Marion Bailey (his current one).
Jean-Baptiste, Austin and Leigh all go back too – the women played sisters in the Leigh play It’s a Great Big Shame in 1993. These actors being the main characters in Hard Truths means it’s Leigh’s first film focused on black British lives, one of the topics he discussed in a brief conversation from his London home.
What is the significance of Hard Truths being about two black families?
I’ve looked at different corners of society over a long stretch of time. As I’m sure you know, I’ve had black characters popping up here and there, not least in Secrets & Lies. But I thought now’s the time to investigate this.
First of all, why not? I mean, I made a film in Northern Ireland. I’ve done a lot of various different strata in British society. I did a play in Sydney about Greek Australians. I did a play at the National Theatre about Jews. Given the decision to deal with black characters primarily, I felt it important to make a film that did not deal in any stereotypes or tropes which black-issue dramas do. I think I can say, certainly judging from the reaction, not least from black audiences, that we succeed in that particular objective.
People seeing the film may assume that Pansy’s temper stems from mental health issues. But none of the characters ever seems to say that. Why?
I think you’re right. But of course, there are types of people you could have in your family who would talk about that and identify it and do something about it, and so on. But for huge numbers of ordinary people they just accept that that is how x, y or z is – she’s one of those, she’s a grumpy person. So, it’s not about that. I mean, it’s about that. Of course it is. But we don’t discuss it because they don’t. It’s the way she is.
Given how unsettling and bracing the character of Pansy makes the film, has that made it a tough sell? You’ve said some major festivals turned it down.
Cannes turned it down. Venice turned it down. Telluride in Colorado, a festival that I’ve been to many times, they turned it down. So, we spent the first part of last year thinking that maybe we’d made a lousy film. But the minute it was picked up by the Toronto festival, followed by San Sebastian, New York and the London festivals, and then further afield, it’s been 99.9% positive, really, everywhere. So, in that sense, not a tough sell. On the other hand, Marianne won various critics’ awards and things in the States for best performance. We were nominated for Baftas, which we didn’t get, and we were not nominated at all for the Oscars. So, we were very disappointed. Everyone said she would be for the Oscars. But that’s the way it is.
Does the film exist in relationship to any of your others? Could these characters be in the next postcode to Happy-Go-Lucky or All or Nothing?
No. Well, I mean, you may construct that yourself, if you wish, just as you can debate what happens after the end of the film or those things. But I certainly don’t think I’ve ever made a film where I thought about any of my other films in the process of making it. I certainly don’t make movies about movies, that’s for sure.
The collaborative process you go through with your actors – it must ask a lot of them in terms of time, commitment and energy. What do they get out of it?
Well, you talk to any of them, and they will tell you it’s their best experience. And they’re not saying that to keep me happy. Look, in my work, they are creative artists in their own right. They’re not just interpreting a script. They’re contributing on all sorts of levels. I mean, obviously it only works with what I call character actors, people who don’t play themselves, but are good at really playing real people out there in the street. We are endowed with brilliant character actors to choose from and in this film, I mean, every single actor in this film, including those with the tiniest parts, deliver the goods. They get a buzz out of it.
Your films have often been career breakthroughs for actors.
I suppose if you think of it in those particular terms, it’s about giving space and scope to people to be creative, and when that’s taken seriously enough, for them to then build careers. There are actors I’ve worked with who would never have had the chances, but there are others who would have anyway. But it’s a privilege to have participated in those careers.
You start without a script. When do you figure out what to call the film?
I never know what the hell to call mine. The only time we knew what it was called was Peterloo and so that was the only film that in production wasn’t called “Untitled 17″ – they’ve all got the name of the year on. This one was an “Untitled 23″. I struggle with titles because you don’t want a title that’s trite or too explicit. I always think of a title absolutely last thing. The guy who does the graphics has done all the rest of the front titles and has to leave a gap while they wait for me to finally decide what the hell to call the bloody thing.
Hard Truths is in cinemas from March 13.
