Regus London Film Festival Website – September, 2001

Robert Altman’s films are well known for having an ensemble cast. His latest, Gosford Park is no exception and this time around he brought most of them to the opening night of the Regus London Film Festival, where the film was making it’s world premier.

Altman himself was delighted with working in the UK for the first time, “It was the best I’ve ever had. Truthfully. I think because of the quality of the actors primarily and the crews. I couldn’t find the weakest link, with the actors that I had it was duck soup!” he said.

Richard E. Grant loved being reunited with the veteran filmmaker, “It was my third time with Robert Altman and you always have a good time because everyone is treated very democratically. The cast list is also phenomenal. It’s an upstairs-downstairs story told from the point of view of the people downstairs, but without any sentimentality. It’s done so well.”

Derek Jacobi explained the process of his casting, “I just thank my lucky stars that I could be in it. I was only just in it because I was doing a play at the time and I met Robert at a party and he said, “You must be in my film.” I said that I was doing a play and he said that didn’t matter, he will find you a little something. I play a downstairs valet.”

Emily Watson just loved working with Altman too and revealed the best moment for her was when the whole cast got together for a photo-shoot, “seeing ever body together was thrilling!” she added.

Stephen Fry, who plays the Jacques Tati-esque detective described his experience of working on the film, “I was just a small cog, but in a wonderful machine. I felt like a pig in chardonnay! It was fantastic. Robert is one of the few authentic masters of cinema working today. I have always admired his filmmaking and indeed the variety of it. This is the proof of it – although the phrase Altmaneque may be used he doesn’t stay within a single genre. He is just interested in telling stories – if that’s Hollywood, like The Player, or the army or a social gathering or country music. He just has this extraordinary way of opening up peoples’ lives with the camera. It’s almost mystical. People would crawl over broken glass to work with him.”

And as for Maggi Smith seemed to sum up the feeling of warmth towards the director when she declared, “We would do anything for him. And, indeed, have!”

-associated film: Gosford Park
© 2001 Regus London Film Festival.