I got by... with a little help from my friends
DANNY BOYLE, RICHARD CURTIS AND THE BEATLES - FILM NEWCOMER HIMESH PATEL COULDN’T BE IN BETTER COMPANY FOR HIS BIG SCREEN DEBUT. FINDS OUT MORE
HE’S NO longer steering Bond, but Danny Boyle is tackling another British institution
– The Beatles.
The Academy Awardwinning director, who stepped down from the 007 franchise earlier this year, has paired up with rom-com master Richard Curtis for fantasy film Yesterday.
But while he’s never been afraid to genre-hop, it’s not exactly the project you’d envisage from a man who made his name with Trainspotting more than two decades ago.
“It’s true that you wouldn’t expect a romantic comedy [from me], but I’ve always loved Richard’s work,” says Danny, 62, who took home an Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire.
“You’ve got to remember that Richard produced and wrote Blackadder, which is one of the pinnacles of British comedy, and subversive comedy as well.
“So, to be able to collaborate with him was a real joy; he’s remained in a slightly narrower corridor than I, and he’s dedicated his life to romance and comedy, and I really admire that,” he follows.
“He’s spent a career trying to perfect it, so you can’t help but learn by working with him.”
The film tells the story of Jack Malik (Himesh Patel), a struggling singer-songwriter in a tiny English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the support of his best friend, Ellie (Lily James). Things take a turn, however, when, after a freak bus accident, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never
existed. Bizarre, maybe. But fast forward – and with the help of his American agent Debra (Kate McKinnon), and his roadie Rocky (Joel Fry), he takes their music to the stage himself.
Featuring new versions of The Beatles’ most beloved hits – expect a soundtrack album – the concept was a dream for screenwriter Richard, who is a huge fan of the Fab Four.
“My life has been about The Beatles, really,” he confesses. “From [the age of ] seven when I stood outside a hotel in Sweden waiting for them to come out on to the balcony – to 62, on my last birthday, when we had a ‘What’s our favourite Beatles’ song?’ countdown with six friends of mine.
“But, actually, someone rang me up and said, ‘I’ve got this script which has this plot’, and I
said, ‘Stop right there,” he recalls. ‘If you let me write my version, then it will be the happiest two years of my life!’.”
Pairing up with Danny was also a huge appeal.
“If you saw us together, you would think, ‘Oh yeah, actually they’re both quite perky’!” Richard reasons. “We were born within a week of each other and he’s a huge music fan, and actually a softy like me, really.”
One thing the film-making duo – who also produce the
movie
– weren’t clear on, however, was who would play the film’s reluctant hero, Jack. They needed an actor who could sing and act – but who wasn’t a movie A-lister.
Enter Himesh. A familiar face to EastEnders fans – he’d grown up on the prime-time soap having played Tamwar Masood for nine years – but a 28-year-old newbie to veterans Danny and Richard, who were taken by his first audition.
“He played ‘USSR’ on acoustic guitar, and it was one of those ‘bing!’ moments,” Danny remembers. “As soon as he sang it, I knew!”
It’s a hard job to find the right person, adds Richard. And the writer - whose credits include everything from the Bridget Jones series to Notting Hill, Love Actually and About A Boy – should know.
“It’s interesting,” he says of recruiting someone relatively under the radar. “Because I wanted to cast somebody not famous in Notting Hill. I thought that would have been really exciting to have a total newbie with Julia [Roberts], but we got bored after a day of auditioning, and gave it to Hugh [Grant]!
“But we’d found the right person,” he agrees.
“Danny and I absolutely loved Himesh,” Richard says simply. “He was witty and charming; he stuck to this beautiful clarity that let The Beatles’ songs breathe on their own.
“We loved the fact that he wasn’t particularly famous... unless you’re a fan of EastEnders, in which case he’s one of the most famous people in the world!”
Himesh’s casting would draw more parallels, too – the decision to catapult him into the global spotlight mirrored the rise of The Beatles themselves. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison hailed from Liverpool and created something extraordinary.
Did he take it all in his stride? “It is a bit odd!” says Himesh. “I am a bit baffled by everything that’s happening, but I am supported well by Danny, by Richard, and I have been from the start really.
“I never felt that pressure when I was preparing songs, trying to learn them,” he reasons. “It wasn’t like Danny was knocking on the door every five minutes going, ‘Have you learnt it yet?’ I was well guided through it and that’s carried forward to now,” he insists.
“So yeah, it’s crazy, it’s kind of mad. But you keep your loved ones close, which is kind of what the story tells us,” he concludes. “That no matter what success or fame comes your way, you need those people who know you.”
■ Yesterday is in cinemas now