Itchy Chat to the Cast of Perrier's Bounty
Jim Broadbent, Brendan Gleeson, Cillian Murphy and Jodie Whittaker impart their wisdom
Interview
Itchy had a ball watching Irish modern-western style gangster comedy Perrier's Bounty, released 26th March, and we think you will to. But isn't it far more fun seeing a film when you know just a bit more about the cast and what they think of it? Of course it is. So we decided to have a bit of a chat with the four delightful leads, Cillian Murphy, Jodie Whittaker, Jim Broadbent and Brendan Gleeson.
Perrier's Bounty is remarkable for several reasons, particularly its top-notch script, its fun mix of violence, death and humour and its humble, low-budget Irish roots. So we thought those were the best things to ask about. The general consensus was that the script was what sucked in these A-Listers in the first place, with Jim even having to extricate himself from another project just to be involved.
Although he has one or two complaints about the project, sorrowfully admitting that ”it was the first time I'd been called an old timer on screen“ and that the scenes where he downed dry instant coffee were fairly unpleasant despite the trade secret (”crushed up bourbon biscuits“), we got the impression that filming was such a blast that they'd do it all over again. Jodie ”turned into a bit of a tomboy“ with all those boys to hang out with but speaks fondly of filming, which apparently was ”really playful“, even if she was ”a bit of a wimp, I'm not great with dogs.“
Brendan's character Perrier is certainly an effective vehicle for the comedy/brutality mixture, but he has little patience for his gangster's behaviour. ”Bullies don't find it too hard to be terrifying and funny really, they all find an excuse to be funny at your expense.“ Despite his contempt for the baddie as a person, he still enjoys giving that sort of character a go; ”there's a great liberation in being able to leave your conscience at the door.“
Cillian conceded that Irish cinema was in a fairly healthy state just now, but that ”it's important not to be complacent about that,“ especially when Ireland just doesn't have the population figures to support its own productions. Brendan adds that recessions can be a productivity boost for artists – ”this should be a very very creative time for everybody, and I think it is, but that doesn't make it any easier, it's really difficult to get anything made.“
Thankfully for us Perrier's Bounty dragged its fine construction past so many obstacles and its playful, bully-filled screen time is ready and waiting to be enjoyed by any of you that should wish to see it, especially proud Irish cinema lovers and those who like their characters with a twist.
Read our review of Perrier's Bounty here
Perrier's Bounty is remarkable for several reasons, particularly its top-notch script, its fun mix of violence, death and humour and its humble, low-budget Irish roots. So we thought those were the best things to ask about. The general consensus was that the script was what sucked in these A-Listers in the first place, with Jim even having to extricate himself from another project just to be involved.
Although he has one or two complaints about the project, sorrowfully admitting that ”it was the first time I'd been called an old timer on screen“ and that the scenes where he downed dry instant coffee were fairly unpleasant despite the trade secret (”crushed up bourbon biscuits“), we got the impression that filming was such a blast that they'd do it all over again. Jodie ”turned into a bit of a tomboy“ with all those boys to hang out with but speaks fondly of filming, which apparently was ”really playful“, even if she was ”a bit of a wimp, I'm not great with dogs.“
Brendan's character Perrier is certainly an effective vehicle for the comedy/brutality mixture, but he has little patience for his gangster's behaviour. ”Bullies don't find it too hard to be terrifying and funny really, they all find an excuse to be funny at your expense.“ Despite his contempt for the baddie as a person, he still enjoys giving that sort of character a go; ”there's a great liberation in being able to leave your conscience at the door.“
Cillian conceded that Irish cinema was in a fairly healthy state just now, but that ”it's important not to be complacent about that,“ especially when Ireland just doesn't have the population figures to support its own productions. Brendan adds that recessions can be a productivity boost for artists – ”this should be a very very creative time for everybody, and I think it is, but that doesn't make it any easier, it's really difficult to get anything made.“
Thankfully for us Perrier's Bounty dragged its fine construction past so many obstacles and its playful, bully-filled screen time is ready and waiting to be enjoyed by any of you that should wish to see it, especially proud Irish cinema lovers and those who like their characters with a twist.
Read our review of Perrier's Bounty here
