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In Bruges: Martin McDonagh interview

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In Bruges: Martin McDonagh interview

We caught up with director Martin McDonagh to talk about his fast-talking, no-holds barred black comedy In Bruges, starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes, we thinks it's a case of Pulp Fiction meets Father Ted

LOVEFiLM: How did it feel to win an Academy Award for your short film Six Shooter; were you surprised?

Marin McDonagh: It was dream like, not as in something you would ever hope to dream, but something which was weird; something that you almost woke up the next day and wondered if it actually happened.

It's more about being a shy person, getting on stage and not falling over or tripping over your words. That's all I was thinking - don't make a twat of yourself!; and I almost pulled it off. Then you wake up the next day in your hotel room and there's an Oscar at the bottom of the bed and that's kinda strange and crazy but sweet.

LF: Has winning an Oscar opened doors for you?

MM: Not really. I would have been a bit weary if anyone came to me and wanted to work with me because of that you know. There were three film companies who wanted to do Bruges and this was like about a month before the Oscar thing happened. They'd seen Six Shooter and they knew I had to be the one who was directing this; so it was more that they respected it as a film rather than were swayed by winning a prize

LF: What's the difference between directing a short film to making a full-length feature?

MM: I don't know what the difference is usually, but for me it was that I didn't take enough control over the short in lots of ways. I didn't step up to the plate enough or talk to enough of the crew and the production designer. I was kinda a bit too lazy on it in lots of ways.

With Bruges I was determined that if my name was gonna be on it I had to take control over each department and have more of an input. That was the biggest thing. Plus an awful lot more work and an awful lot more time out of your life basically. It was two years ago when the wheels were set in motion on this and tomorrow's my last day on it, so basically so it's like getting out of school!

There was also so much more about the characters and the back story, so we had three weeks of rehearsal before we started shooting In Bruges. It was pretty much me, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson just chatting in a room and drinking a lot of coffee for three weeks!

That's when I realised that I was bringing stuff from my past as a playwright; stuff that I'd learnt in rehearsal rooms. I realised I knew how to talk to actors and that I did care about what they do and at least explain myself and where I was coming from as a writer. So that was the main difference I think.

LF: Where did the idea for In Bruges originate from and how long did it take to write?

MM: I wrote it originally four years ago, I went for a two-day weekend trip to Bruges from London…

LF: Why Bruges?

MM: I often just get on a train to a strange place that I don't know anything about on my own just because I like trains; they're kinda geeky. That was pretty much it, I just wondered around and was struck by how beautiful the place was and how fairytale like it was. But then I kinda got bored by the second day and didn't want to do any more churches or museums and that became the Colin Farrell character.

LF: How easy was it to approach Gleeson and Farrell with the script?

MM: It was easy with Brendan as he was a friend, and I'd worked with his son on a play before as well; even before Six Shooter. His son's actually in Six Shooter; you know the little scene where he argues with the guy who's selling the little bottles of booze - that's Brendan's son. And Colin; my agent sent it to his agent and he read it and liked it a lot. He kinda thought that I should use an unknown in that part, he thought he might bring too much baggage to it, but I didn't think so obviously.

LF: It's quite a refreshing role for Colin Farrell?

MM: Yeah I think he's brilliant in it. I think he's really honest and open and fun you know. I mean he's sexy and open - like he always is - but really he goes to sadder, vulnerable places there.

With Ralph (Fiennes) I wanted someone in that role who we hadn't really seen before in that kind of part. There were some obvious choices that I didn't really want, even though they were good actors. I wanted someone who pops up in the last half hour, and have someone who has an awful lot of energy and intensity and a different take on that kind of character. He's sort of perfect for it. He's actually a much shyer person than I thought, but has a brilliant intensity too that comes through.

LF: The script is quite bleak and un-politically correct in some places. What was the reaction from the studios; was there a worry that is was too difficult a content to deal with?

MM: Thankfully no; there was like three companies that wanted to do it. So I went with one with the proviso that they had to go with the script as well. I wouldn't have really listened to them; they didn't give a single note on it. There was no censorship - they just saw the story I guess.

Helen Cowley

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