If you know anything about how movies are made, you are well aware that making a movie takes time. Not only do you have to write the script, cast the actors, find a director, and get the financing, each step of this process can take an eternity. That’s why you sometimes hear people saying it took a decade to get something made. But with director Doug Liman and screenwriter Steven Knight’s new movie Locked Down (which is now streaming on HBO Max), everything I just mentioned went out the window.
Not only did they come up with the idea in July of 2020, they started casting with only a fraction of the finished script, and then they were shooting in London in September. In addition, rather than spending months or even years working on the screenplay, everyone involved agreed to shoot the first draft. Over the course of 18 days, a very small crew shot the 180-page script during the pandemic and were the first movie given permission to shoot inside one of London’s most famous department stores: Harrods. While you might think this mad plan would result in a half-baked movie, Locked Down absolutely captures what we’re all going through and completely works due to Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s fantastic performances. Moreover, the third act consists of a heist that could only be shot during a pandemic.
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Image via HBO Max[/caption]
If you’re not familiar with the film, Locked Down is about a broken up couple (Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor) that are forced to stay together at their London home due to the mandatory lockdown. They originally got together 10 years prior and during that time have each gone their separate ways. But when Ejiofor’s character is offered a job that surprisingly intermingles with Hathaway’s world, they start to wonder if they both should do something unexpected. Locked Down also features Stephen Merchant, Mindy Kaling, Lucy Boynton, Dulé Hill, Jazmyn Simon, Ben Stiller and Ben Kingsley.
Shortly after seeing the film I had the chance to speak with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor. They talked about what it was like making a movie about the pandemic during the pandemic, how quickly the project came together and the lack of time to debate the script, the relationship between their characters and Steven Knight’s script, and Hathaway talks about how she was able to put her real emotions to use in this role.
Check out what they had to say in the player below and further down the page is exactly what we talked about.
[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUrSSYFG4gE&feature=youtu.be[/EMBED_YT]
Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor:
Image via HBO Max[/caption]
Image via HBO Max[/caption]
If you’re not familiar with the film, Locked Down is about a broken up couple (Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor) that are forced to stay together at their London home due to the mandatory lockdown. They originally got together 10 years prior and during that time have each gone their separate ways. But when Ejiofor’s character is offered a job that surprisingly intermingles with Hathaway’s world, they start to wonder if they both should do something unexpected. Locked Down also features Stephen Merchant, Mindy Kaling, Lucy Boynton, Dulé Hill, Jazmyn Simon, Ben Stiller and Ben Kingsley.
Shortly after seeing the film I had the chance to speak with Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor. They talked about what it was like making a movie about the pandemic during the pandemic, how quickly the project came together and the lack of time to debate the script, the relationship between their characters and Steven Knight’s script, and Hathaway talks about how she was able to put her real emotions to use in this role.
Check out what they had to say in the player below and further down the page is exactly what we talked about.
[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUrSSYFG4gE&feature=youtu.be[/EMBED_YT]
Anne Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor:
- What was it like making the only movie about 2020 in 2020?
- Hathaway talks about how she was able to put her real emotions to use in this role.
- How this project happened incredibly fast and they had zero time to debate the script.
- Ejiofor talks about the relationship between their characters and Steven Knight’s script.
- Hathaway on not overthinking and just diving in.
Image via HBO Max[/caption]