Inspiring true story Eddie the Eagle has landed in New Zealand, bringing the memorable ski jumper's tale to our big screens.
Director Dexter Fletcher is a former child star, appearing in dozens of films and TV shows since the '70s including The Elephant Man, Kick-Ass and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.
I had a chance to interview Fletcher and talk about his actors, the real Eddie and what it is about his story that is so appealing.
Eddie the Eagle was a big deal, even in New Zealand. What is it about his story that universally people can connect with? I think he's the archetypal tryer. He's the archetypal guy who, with no good reason, gets to these lofty heights of being an Olympic ski jumper. I also think it's because he was enjoying himself so much. It was such a huge achievement for him to get as far as he did. He was very unabashed in his celebrations. Ski jumping at that time was a very uptight sport, they were very serious guys. So to have someone who really revelled in the moment, enjoying himself so unashamedly, that really engaged people.
I remember watching it when it happened, but it wasn't until I saw the film until I got a real sense of just how high they were and how scary it is.It really is. It's a difficult thing to communicate with film because you've just got two dimensions and everything becomes flat. So there's a bit of crafty placement of people that gives the audience a sense of perspective. The neat trick is communicating how high it is and how dangerous it is. But yeah, it's reckless, it's crazy.
What did you seen in Taron Egerton that made you think he'd be best for Eddie?He's great on the surface, but as an actor, he really quickly caught onto the spirit of it -- the way Eddie engaged with the world. What's so important about our character, is a lot of people give him a tough time, and it's not like he doesn't hear that, but he chooses to ignore it. So he feels it and it hurts, and inside we can see a bit of that pain, but he moves through it, he bends the world to his will rather than bending his will to the world. Taron is super charming, good looking and he's funny, but also there's a core inside him of someone who feels the world around him.
When you have a career such as yours, what do you take from your years of acting into the director role?I have an innate love for actors and their craft. What amazes me is to have met so many actors and know they're all heading for the same destination, but all on different routes to get there. Each is doing their own thing in a very specific and unique way. But there's a delivery point that they're all trying to get to and I really love that process. I think about how I can work with them to help them deliver their best -- how to make them feel secure, let them take risks. I have a good time with actors, I've been on sets since I was about six years old so I revert to being quite young. I love it, but I have to maintain this air of discipline and being in control.
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Eddie the Eagle opened in New Zealand cinemas this week.
Newshub.
