Life lessons from the bear of very little brain
Hayley Atwell, star of new film Christopher Robin, talks to Laura Harding about capturing the magic of AA Milne’s characters on screen and how Winnie The Pooh and friends can help us reconnect with our childhood
Hayley Atwell is reminiscing about her childhood. Like with so many kids, it involved poring over her favourite books, and skipping over the bits that were too scary.
Particularly dear to her were AA Milne’s stories of Winnie The Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood, including Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga and Roo.
“I had books and also the audio version on cassette,” she says, “which I used to listen to in bed, but I had to fast forward through the bits with the heffalumps and woozles, because they scared me.
“Like most people in the UK, it was very much part of my childhood culture.”
So it seems perfect casting that the actress, now 36, is starring in a film about the characters that were so dear to her as a child growing up in London.
In the Disney film Christopher Robin she plays Evelyn, the wife of the title character, who is now grown up and dealing with the stresses of adulthood.
Played by Ewan Mcgregor, the adult Christopher Robin has not seen his furry friends in years, and has forgotten his long days of magic and play in the wood.
Back from the war, where he fought on the front line, he is now distracted by long hours in the office and the strain of balancing work with family life.
“They were very happy at the beginning of their marriage, but she sees him becoming a workaholic and losing that connection with his family,” Atwell says.
“He is clearly traumatised by the war and overworked and trying to find his place in the world, yet Evelyn and Madeline (his daughter) are right there in front of him and are everything he could possibly need.”
For some actresses, taking on subject matter that is so dear to so many people, including herself, might be worrying. But for Atwell, who has starred in Captain America, Howard’s End and Agent Carter, it was all part of the appeal.
“I don’t get daunted by that, I’m charmed by it,” she says.
“It’s such a beautiful thing to walk into a world that is so so familiar to people and so loved.
“Quite early on, I saw an example of what they were going to be doing in the art department and with the postproduction. I thought it was so wonderful, because this is the first time we were seeing Winnie The Pooh in this way.”
Indeed the film utilises the familiar illustrations from the children’s books, and Pooh is voiced by Jim Cummings, who has provided the bear with his distinctive tones for 30 years.
Stars such as Peter Capaldi, Tony Jones and Sophie Okonedo lend their voices to other beloved characters.
“As soon as I heard Jim’s voice, it felt like it was all coming together for me,” she says.
“I found it so moving that it begins with the aesthetic of the books, the pages turning, and there is a gentleness to it, there is nothing zhush-y and Hollywood and glossed over and cool about it.
“Even with the animation, the animals feel like loved, worn teddies and toys, rather than fancy versions of themselves – and that immediately makes it accessible.”
The film also shows how a sense of wonder can be lost in adult life, as responsibilities usurp the pleasure of play, and for Atwell, that felt all too real.
“This film explores Christopher Robin, who was bogged down by every day responsibilities, and we can get distracted by having to fulfil our tasks each day and provide for the people around us.
“I think it’s very hard now to do nothing. As Pooh says ‘Nothing is impossible, I do nothing every day’, and I think a lot of people can relate to that, of thinking ‘I don’t remember the last time I sat and did nothing’.
“If I was sat down not working, I was on my phone or I was engaging in some kind of thing, I was stimulated by something. This is a nice antidote to that world.
“As an actor, I feel like being a kid is what I do for a living,
“Even with the animation, the animals feel like loved, worn teddies and toys, rather than fancy versions of themselves – and that immediately makes it accessible”
using your imagination, being creative and collaborating with playmates around you, that is what my job is.
“But combating the distractions of modern life is a personal thing really.
“I like to be in nature, hanging out with my mates, anything that slows down the nervous system.
“I find breathing helps and watching movies like this, and listening to relaxing music.
“We all have our go-to places that provide refuge from the tasks that we have got to do throughout the day.”
Because even young people can get overwhelmed by pressures and responsibilities, Atwell adds.
Offering advice to her young fans, she says: “I would say that you are enough as you are, and going out into the world is really scary – everything takes time.
“You’re going into a world where there is such an emphasis and such a celebration of success and productivity and achievement and competition and everyone’s perfect version of themselves posted on Instagram. But that’s not what life is about, we know that.
“Just remember not to get bogged down with the rat race of life. Everything that we really need is right in front of us, and within us.”
That sounds like advice Pooh would agree with.