MY MOVIE MASTERMIND

JOHN MADDEN

Can the Miss Sloane director go it alone? 1 In Miss Sloane, when Schmidt (Mark Strong) says, “Dildos are illegal in Texas but Joe Public can walk into a sports store and walk out with a shotgun”, how does Sloane (Jessica Chastain) respond?

She says, “That would explain the low rate of dildo-related murders in Texas.” Correct.

2 In Shakespeare In Love, what are the three things Henslowe (Geoffrey Rush) says audiences want?

“Comedy, love and a bit with a dog.” That was a challenging film to make. People standing on the sidelines said it could never work. For the Weinsteins, it was about how to get an audience to see a film that had “Shakespeare” in the title. They put the title out to some creative thinking outfits and they came back with some ludicrous ones. ‘Romeo, Juliet, Viola And Will’ was one of them. They were just stupid. Correct.

3 By what method did Anthony Hopkins believe that aliens were sending him messages in Proof ?

I don’t remember that one. [Hears the answer] That’s an abstruse mathematics question! The correct answer is in Dewey Decimal codes.

4 At the end of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Judi Dench’s Evelyn says, “Someone once said, ‘Everything will be alright in the end. And if it’s not alright, then trust me, it’s not yet the end.’” Who is that someone?

Sunny. [Hears the answer] You’ve really done some research. Technically, I was right within the framework of the movie. I wasn’t even aware it came from a Shah Rukh Khan film. Half a point. The correct answer is Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om.

5 In Killshot, what was the name of the corrupt cop played by Johnny Knoxville who got cut out of the movie?

You’ve stumped me there. Elmore Leonard’s long-time researcher told me, “There is an elephant trap in every Leonard story and you’ll discover where this one is.” We had to reconfigure it quite substantially. The correct answer is Ferris Britton.

6 You directed radio versions of the Star Wars Trilogy for NPR. Who played Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back?

John Lithgow, a brilliant actor. We did Star Wars when Return Of The Jedi was still called Revenge

Of The Jedi. We were right in the midst of it. It was the first time I’d made a radio play when the audience already had the images in their head. Correct.

7 In Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, how does Captain Corelli (Nicolas Cage) respond when Captain Weber says, “Heil Hitler”?

“Heil Puccini!” I wasn’t ready for the maelstrom of criticism when the film came out. I think the audience stubbed their toe on the idea of Nic Cage’s casting but I’m still very proud of the film. Correct.

8 What is the name of the fictitious town in Ethan Frome?

The location is popping into my mind. Oh, God… The correct answer is Starkfield.

9 Who played Archie Brown in Mrs Brown?

Billy Connolly. No, no, no! The brother — Gerard Butler. It was virtually his first film. Correct.

10 You have directed three actors to Academy Award nominations. Can you name them?

Judi Dench for Mrs Brown, and Gwyneth Paltrow and Geoffrey Rush for Shakespeare In Love. When Spielberg won Best Director, there was an assumption Saving Private Ryan would win. It was incredible when that didn’t happen. There was an enormously long pause before Harrison Ford read out what was on the card. When I saw it again, it was not as long as I thought. Correct.

JOHN MADDEN SCORES 6.5

“Six-and-a-half points out of ten? Gawd blimey, that quiz was really tough.”