“As You Like It” in 19th Century Japan heads towards HBO with Branagh at helm
By Carmen Wong
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 7/16/07 – The UK has two big US TV exports this week — one it’s likely proud of, Kenneth Branagh is promoting his offbeat take on Shakespeare “As You Like It,” and the other they may be happy to get rid of, David and Posh Beckham. Her TV special was soundly trashed by U.S. critics.
“I don’t have the sense of getting rid of [the Beckhams],” said Branagh in wide ranging interview with Hollywood Today. “it’s a global village and I expect that we will be hearing lots from them and it will be interesting. I am a big sports fan and I will be interested to see how they get along here.”
Thankfully, the main topic of the interview was his greatest love, Shakespeare, and his latest love, “As you Like It” — set in Japan. “Japan I think has a wonderful landscape, a celebration of nature and a return to nature and an examination, if you like, of the simple life, a connection with nature, town versus country, busy city life versus a simpler country life in connection with nature — essential as a tension in Japan,” said Branagh, and this is “the chance to introduce a different kind of feel for a very familiar Shakespeare.”
According to Branagh, the average HBO audience will be captivated by this Shakespearian play because they will be able to relate to the themes. “If you have ever been in love, then you will find something very, very potent as in ‘As You Like It.’ And if you have ever dreamed of getting away from the rat race, you will also find something very potent.”
“I feel like this film has a tremendous amount of almost heightened realism, and there are certain liberties that we took in the telling of this story,” said Bryce Dallas Howard who plays Rosalind.
Branagh justifies his decision to hire English and American actors by setting the film during the 1850’s-1900’s when Japan was becoming an industrial nation so this was the time when Westerners and Japanese citizens lived side by side in the country. “Lots of English people came as they were in all other parts of the Empire — India, Africa – they traded in silk and rice, and they often formed little mini empires, so that the mixture of Japanese and English were sometimes exactly in the kind of proportion we have in the film. So it was inspired by a specific historical place, but then, as you would expect with a poet, it’s an impression,” said Branagh.
Branagh jokes with Kevin Kline, who plays Jacques, about casting him. “As with all funny men, I would say without trying to tell my friend who he is, a kind of disposition to a certain kind of melancholy and philosophical introspection. But I just thought he was a great actor. Kevin would you like to add to that?” said Branagh.
Kline responds to Branagh, “Well, I have to disagree. No, that would be Jacques, who would like to disagree. Am I defending my casting?”
Similar to “As You Like It,” Branagh’s next directing project, “Sleuth” starring Jude Law and Michael Cane also uses a sacred text but in a different way. “I suppose the proof of sort of classic status is the ability to look at something, you know, in different ways. And in that case, we had Harold Pinter do a redo of the script, and he made it his own,” said Branagh. The film is set for a September release. Branagh will also act in “Valkyrie,” the controversial Tom Cruise Hitler assassination plot film to open in 2008. His two highest grossing films are “Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets” and “Wild, Wild West.”
Many of the scenes in the HBO film were shot all they way thorough without being broken up into different parts so that the actors could build on their characters. “You would often get to it; have a run at a scene. So in the same way that you would on stage, you got to do a scene in its entirety.” Said David Oyelowo who plays Orlando, “And like three, four, maybe even five-minute scenes without a cut. So, you know, I think Ken very much had an eye on allowing the actors to flow.”
Unlike in “Henry V,” Branagh did not act and direct this film. “It was a short schedule,” and “I wanted to try and act with everyone, but it’s fascinating for me when directing. But as an actor, to see how people arrive at how they work – and it was fun,” said Branagh.
Oyelowo was relieved to not have Branagh in a role as he would have felt intimated acting next to the world’s foremost Shakespearian thespian. “Having [Branagh] behind the camera was great because I knew I was in the hands of sort of the best, but to act opposite him…. I think it would be fine now because, I’m fine now. But at the time, it was kind of a relief,” said Oyelowo.
He also points out that Branagh is an actor’s director. “He wasn’t a director who was ever imposing something on the actors. He was freeing the actor to bring himself to the material,” said Oyelowo.
Along with Howard and Oyelowo the film also stars Brian Blessed as Duke Frederick/Duke Senior, Romola Garai as Celia, Adrian Lester as Olive, Janet McTeer as Audrey, Alfred Molina as Touchstone and Kevin Kline as Jacques. The film will be debuted on HBO this August.