Eddie Marsan plays Scott, the depressed and angry driving instructor to Sally Hawkin's bubbly learner Poppy, in Mike Leigh's latest film Happy-Go-Lucky
Eddie Marsan plays Scott, the depressed and angry driving instructor to Sally Hawkin's bubbly learner Poppy, in Mike Leigh's latest film Happy-Go-Lucky
How did you go about forming such a troubled character?
Mike knows what he wants, and he nudges you in that direction. Scott started off a very lonely character, isolated. He reveals complicated views on women and immigration. Very early on Mike wanted him to be a conspiracy freak. The more Scott looks into conspiracies the more it affects his psychosis, and all his other views.
The anger affected me. When I'd go home I would tend to snap a bit, because I had been snapping all day. Some of the things he says, things like being powerless amongst women, as a man you could let yourself slip into feeling that if you wanted. It's whether you want to be a victim in life, or a grown-up.
I strive to think the thoughts of the character. Everything should be seen and nothing shown. The audience should be able to see in essence what the person is, but not see a performance.
Did you do any research into driving instructors, their language for example, when you were working on the character?
I spent a lot of time sat in the back of cars listening to driving instructors, hearing things they say like 'peep and creep' and 'if you can walk you can drive' and 'if there's a van there's a man'. Which when put into the context of Scott, are quite funny. But the phrase 'Enraha' came from an improvisation, and out of Scott's own neurosis.
Next page • "I thought it was going to be a Mike Leigh slasher movie"
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