BEAR ESSENTIALS
Working with the world’s nicest teddy
"The reason Paddington resonates is because we've all been Paddington. We've all moved schools, or towns, or countries." Hugh Bonneville
Imet Hugh Bonneville in a cosy hotel room, far away from the gruelling night shoots that went into Paddington II.
Acting can seem like an endurance sport sometimes.
Definitely. People say, ‘‘Oh, you’re working on Paddington, it must be SUCH fun!’’ It’s hard work when you’re filming in winter. That fairground sequence was intense because it was in the dark, and in January, so it was really cold, no matter how many warming devices you have on your feet and hands, and that saps the energy. But the finished result is what matters, and it does look gorgeous.
Was Paddington a big part of your childhood?
Certainly, I was born not long after those first books came out, so they were some of my first bedtime stories. I was nervous when the first scripts came along, because they have been a treasured part of my life. So I thought is this gonna work or are they gonna muck it up by making it a Hollywood version? I was laughing on page one of the script, and I realised that Paul [King, director] really gets it.
The tabloids would have a field-day with Paddington these days, wouldn’t they? A Peruvian stowaway smuggling marmalade in a suitcase with secret compartments.
Well yes, and I don’t think that back-story was missed when people interpreted the first movie. People saw it as a metaphor for Brexit and all sorts. But nothing’s been changed since the original books which were written in 1958.
Which was a similar period of major change for Britain.
Indeed. Michael Bond [the author] was living in a part of London where the Caribbean community was beginning to settle. And this growing multi-culturalism and acceptance of people who were trying to reach out for a new life, and reach out for the hand of friendship, was really important. And my God, isn’t that as true today as it was then, and even more so? Over and above that, the reason Paddington resonates is because we’ve all been Paddington. We’ve all moved schools, or towns, or countries.
He does go to extraordinary lengths to fit in, doesn’t he? I had no idea that the Browns got him to change his name.
Yes!
‘Hi, my name’s Pastuso.’ ‘No, we’re naming you after a train station.’
That’s very true. But he brings these gifts – the gift of marmalade. It’s his optimism, and his courtesy. I’ve always thought Paddington Goes to the White House would be a fascinating book. You know, always remembering your manners …
Paddington is a major global brand. He does Marmite commercials, sings with Pharrell. And the first movie was huge. Is it hard to keep the spirit of the character when he gets so big?
I don’t think it is, no, it’s all in the tone, and I think in a way the second movie comes even closer to the tone and spirit of the books. If anything it’s even more tightly bound into the world of the stories.
People have really responded to how Paddington’s optimistic world-view plays off against the world he finds himself in.
Absolutely. I mean in this one he ends up in prison. And he even makes that seem like a place that’s not too bad.
What’s he in for? Can you say?
Well, he’s wrongly convicted, we believe. We, the Browns, believe. And so part of our mission is to clear his name, poor old Paddington. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time, basically.
There’s also the challenge of making something appealing to kids, who’re more world aware than they used to be.
Certainly.
There’s a quote I found from when the first movie got a PG rating. They said it contained ‘Dangerous behaviour, mild threat, mild sex-references, mild bad language.’
We were racking our brains to work out what the bad language was, and there was a moment when a soldier outside Buckingham Palace mutters, ‘‘Bloody bear’’. The sexual innuendo was the security guard fancying me dressed as a cleaning lady.
There you go.
It couldn’t be more innocent, but it led to a PG rating. And publicity. There’s a similar beat with another character in this one and I’ll be interested to see how the censors play with that one.
It’s crazy. I grew up with Bugs Bunny, and he’d dress up as a saucy lady-bunny to mess with Elmer Fudd.
Absolutely!
Quite why a pig would be romantically distracted by a cross-dressing rabbit I have no idea, but that’s children’s entertainment, I suppose.
Yeah, I’d be astonished if they required this one to be PG, but we’ll see.
You might come out with an R-rated Paddington.
That would be interesting to watch. Paddington Does Dallas. ❚ Paddington 2 opens nationwide on December 21.