Interview with Sarah Monteith (Executive producer)

Category: Press Pack Article

Could you tell us about the filming process?

I’m sure it would surprise nobody to know that we did not have long to shoot our schedule. Stephen Frears likes to work with two cameras, which enabled us to approach the interview scenes more theatrically than we might normally work. Nathalie Pitters (Director of Photography) did wonderfully. Her lighting preparation helped to keep the cameras rolling, with little time needed between set ups. We didn’t want to resort to solely copying the original interview camera angles. Stephen and Nathalie planned their shots to compliment the heightening drama as it unfolded. Authenticity was essential with our production design. We secured Elstree and Pinewood Studios as locations. Both had old style studios which remain exactly as they would have been in the 80s. Everything looked as it should have done. Christina Moore (Production Designer) recreated the two original interview sets brilliantly. Everything else followed from there design wise. Constructing the House of Commons chamber, set the stage for Harriet to command the house in the way Maggie did so memorably in her final Prime Minister’s questions. Establishing our LWT offices alongside the River Thames was done so using shots of the view from the old LWT Tower block; and some visual effects cleverness. Rather fittingly, we began the shoot on the South Bank, right next to the old LWT Tower block. By being particular with the choice of camera angles, astonishingly there was barely anything which was not correct for the period. Above all, we had a very good crew who worked incredibly hard and smart and our Producer, Dan Winch, was outstanding.

 

Were you involved in the casting process?

The casting process was very much a team effort. Steve was of course attached from the outset, followed by Harriet, prior to Stephen joining. Stephen is instinctive when it comes to his casting decisions, so the process was particular to this project. We had decisions to make early on about how to approach the decade span of this story. Do we cast older actors to play younger, younger to play older or do we not overthink it? Shaheen Baig (Casting Director) assembled the perfect ensemble. Everyone felt like they belonged, whether that be in Brian’s circle or Maggie’s. We thoroughly enjoyed working with them all.

 

What did you think of Harriet Walter’s transformation into Margaret Thatcher and Steve Coogan into Brian Walden?

James Graham’s incredible script did so much heavy lifting, but there’s clearly a challenge to bringing known characters to the screen, especially Margaret Thatcher. Executive Producer, Delyth Scudamore, was generally phenomenal and particularly brilliant at keeping us authentic right down to the last detail, be it dialogue, timeline, or costume. Gabi Yiaxis (Costume Designer) and Vanessa White (Makeup Designer) made great sense of the stages in transformation across the late 70s to late 80s. Both Brian and Maggie’s fortunes changed, and it was important for the story that this was reflected. The 80s was an iconic fashion era. Maggie grew into her style as her confidence grew, ultimately becoming a fashion icon. Authenticity and avoiding cliches was key. We had no wish to create impersonations with any of our characters. Subtlety was everything with Maggie, from teeth, to eyes and hair. Harriet’s real hair was actually used in one of her three wigs. As ever, we were keen to avoid losing shooting time for costume and makeup changes. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone involved for being so good at what they do! Everything happened so quickly. Once we had completed the edit, we used our post-production grading process to help Maggie’s transformation a little. Steve’s performance is so clever. It’s beautifully sparing. The rhythm and the expression of Walden but centring our attention on his sentiments. Harriet’s performance is mesmerising. Utterly believable as the Maggie we think we know, but able to take us unquestioningly into a very human place. I can’t take my eyes of her.