Filmmaker suggests financial windfall can create nightmare
British director Danny Boyle begs to differ with those who believe that having a fortune represents heaven on earth. In the feel-good movie “Millions,” the 48-year-old filmmaker suggests that a financial windfall can result in a hellish experience.
“When you haven’t got any money and you read about someone saying you don’t need money to be happy, it’s sickening,” Boyle said at his Philadelphia hotel during a publicity stop for “Millions,” which opens April 1. “When I grew up, I wanted to make money, but I’ve seen what money does to people, and I wanted to have a go at that topic in this film.
“Money can cause trouble, especially in relationships. We see it now in real estate in England, where people take on massive mortgages to pay each month and in the end, they hope they’ll be able to sell the house for a great profit.
“It’s nonsense. We saw the real-estate market collapse about 10 years ago, and it brought down the conservative government. Now, we’re in a similar place, and if house prices collapse again that assumption that your house will gain in value will disappear.
“Then, people will be crippled by debt and won’t (financially) survive.”
In “Millions,” a 7-year-old boy (Alex Etel) literally has a cash-filled bag land on him. Obsessed with the lives of the saints, the boy believes the money should be given away to the poor, something opposed by his 9-year-old brother (Lewis Owen McGibbon), who’s at an age where he’s just discovering things like greed.
Their journey with the cash eventually involves their widowed father (James Nesbitt of “Bloody Sunday”), the frightening thief (Christopher Fulford of “Wetherby”), who stole and then lost the satchel of money and their dad’s new girlfriend (newcomer Daisy Donovan).
“This was my first time working with kids, and I found you can’t make them look like mini-adults or the audience will feel manipulated,” Boyle said. “The audience makes a pact with children on screen and the youngsters have to be as honest and truthful as possible or people won’t accept it.”
Some fans of Boyle may be surprised at his work on “Millions,” an uplifting $9 million tale with a mild mood and positive message. The filmmaker became famous for films such as the stylish thriller “Shallow Grave” (1994) with Ewan McGregor, the edgy heroin tale “Trainspotting” (1996,) also with McGregor, the international hit “The Beach” (2000) with Leonardo DiCaprio and the zombie smash “28 Days Later” (2002) with Cillian Murphy.
Boyle is continually amazed at the popularity of “28 Days Later,” which grossed more than $75 million globally before becoming a video store and pay-cable favorite.
“We made ’28 Days Later’ as a small film in Britain, and Sept. 11 happened while we were shooting it,” Boyle said. “When the film (which concerns a virus breakout that quickly turns people into zombies) came out, that tragic event made people feel more vulnerable to things out of their control.
“Our film fit right into that theme.”
Casting calls
– Billy Crystal and John Travolta may star as Wilbur and Edna Turnblad, respectively, in the big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical “Hairspray.”
According to Daily Variety, Crystal, now enjoying huge success on the Great White Way with his autobiographical smash “700 Sundays,” has been approached to play the father role in the comedy, based on the film about prejudice and acceptance by John Waters. Travolta may tackle the cross-dressing role originally created on screen and then stage by the late Divine and Harvey Fierstein, respectively.
Fierstein and Dick Latessa won 2003 Tony Awards in the acting categories for their performances as Edna and Wilbur. Marissa Jaret Winoker also won a Tony Award for her role as the full-bodied Tracy, and like her stage co-stars, Winoker hasn’t been invited to recreate the role on screen.
– Rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube, who’s enjoying a change-of-pace smash with “Are We There Yet?,” will again go the family friendly route in “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House.”
Cube steps into the shoes of Cary Grant in this remake of the 1948 comedy favorite about a Manhattan couple who leave their apartment for the country life and discover they’ve purchased a money pit. Myrna Loy stars opposite Grant in the original and a co-star is now being sought for the updated version.
– Nicole Kidman (“The Hours”) will play ill-fated photographer Diane Arbus in “Fur,” based on the biography by Patricia Bosworth. Steven Shainberg (“Secretary”) will direct the drama. The hugely talented Arbus, who committed suicide in 1971, photographed eccentric people in whom she saw great beauty.
– Edie Falco (HBO’s “The Sopranos”) will co-star with Julianne Moore (“The Forgotten”) and Samuel L. Jackson (“Coach Carter”) in “Freedomland,” which chronicles the fallout from a racially charged carjacking incident. Joe Roth (“America’s Sweethearts”) is directing the intense drama, based on the novel by Richard Price.