“Writing Didn’t Cost Anything, so I Started Writing”

Two ex-cons kidnap a woman, but the tables turn and turn again in this tight, smart tale. J. Blakeson’s “The Disappearance of Alice Creed” is a terrific little thriller starring Eddie Marsan, Martin Compston and Gemma Arterton. We gave Blakeson and others a free-form style interview to gather their thoughts on their careers individual projects.

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“The Disappearance of Alice Creed”…

“The Disappearance of Alice Creed” all came together extremely fast. I first met with CinemaNX (the production company/financiers) in September 2008. We shot the film in February 2009. So it was a mad rush – which was great, as it gave me no time to be nervous. I just had to get on with it and trust my instincts.

Gemma Arterton only had a short gap between filming two huge movies – “Prince of Persia” and “Clash of the Titans” – which luckily coincided with our schedule. She was the first person to read for any role and about twenty seconds into her audition I was thinking “let’s hire her now. Right now.” She was phenomenal.

Up until about two weeks before the start of shooting, we still hadn’t cast the role of Danny. We had sets, a crew, locations, but no Danny. We’d auditioned a lot of really good actors, but none were right for the part. Then Martin Compston sent us a tape from Scotland. Two days later he was reading with Gemma in London. Next day he had the part. A week later we were in the Isle of Man shooting the film. And he was perfect.

Your Influences…

I watch way, way, way too many films (though somehow it’s never enough). I like all genres, all nationalities, all budgets. From low brow to high art and everything in between. Good or bad, they all provide inspiration.

I was spurred on to make my first serious attempt at a short film after seeing David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart” and Lynch has remained an influence ever since.

For the look of “The Disappearance of Alice Creed”, we had a lot of touchstones, including Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Kubrick’s The Shining because they both have an off-kilter, but very cinematic feel.

The Future…

Hopefully people will love and champion the film in Toronto. I’m especially looking forward to seeing the film with a big crowd of people and watching them react. As well as seeing a lot of other films while I’m there.

We only just finished “The Disappearance of Alice Creed” before the festival, so after a much needed break, I’m keen to get started on my next project. I loved the experience of directing “Alice Creed”, so am hungry to do it again as soon as possible.

And my long term plan is to try to write and direct some really good films. And as many as I can. Simple as that.

Source: indieWIRE