The challenge of casting actress Kiera Knightley who is not really
known for her singing talents, and singers such as Adam Levine and Ceelo
Green who have very little experience acting might have been daunting
to many filmmakers, but director John Carney has managed to make it a
productive, if not magical collaboration.
BEGIN AGAIN is the latest film from writer-director John Carney whose movie ONCE went from being the find of the Sundance Film Festival to winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film, earning a Grammy nomination for its soundtrack, and winning the Best Original Song Academy Award for the romantic ballad “Falling Slowly.” A stage version based on the film then went on to win the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Now, Carney has brought his unique perspective to
New York City for another film that documents the power of music as it
changes the lives and fortunes of two struggling souls.
In BEGIN AGAIN, past-his-prime record executive Dan Mulligan (played by
Mark Ruffalo) is facing a failing marriage, a career he can’t keep up
with, and a daughter he can’t connect to. But at his most desperate
moment, he hears a powerful song by Gretta (Keira Knightley), an unknown
musician on the brink of giving up her musical dreams after unexpected
heartbreak and frustration. An unlikely pair who are brought together
by equal parts inspiration and desperation, the film follows them as
their musical partnership develops into a deep friendship, and their
lives take unexpected turns.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” admits
Knightley who is best known for her costume dramas and period films such
as “Pride & Prejudice,” and “Atonement,” as well as the Pirates of
the Caribbean movies.
“A lot of the music wasn’t finished until I got to
New York. I had been working with a vocal coach to find a sound that
would work for the character, but two or three of Gretta’s songs were
just handed to me on the day we recorded them, so there was been a bit
of flying by the seat of our pants and hoping for the best. There’s an
old stage saying: ‘It’ll be all right on the night.’ So far, it all
seems to have gone all right.”
Her modest impressions of her own talent were also
playfully contradicted by her costar: “Keira is fantastic,” says
Ruffalo. “She’s fun and game for anything and a talented singer.”
Keira brought an extra dimension to the script,” says Carney. “We
suddenly had an English-American relationship which added a dimension of
charm, and allowed us to have a very different tone from a cast of all
Americans or all New Yorkers. In a way it reminded me of old films like
CHARADE, where those two cultures meeting is part of the story’s
appeal. I think as a filmmaker I need to play to the strengths of the
actors, so Mark and Keira really shaped the film. As a director, I use
the skills the people have, rather than what I wrote. Not to take
advantage of that is a crime.”
LEVINE AND GREEN TRY ACTING
For Maroon 5
frontman Adam Levine, who is making his big screen debut in the movie,
being asked by John Carney to be part of Begin Again was an honor. “I
was honored just to be asked, and right off the bat I fell in love with
the script. To have John believe in me is really exciting,” Levine
says. “John saw something in me that was this character – whether that
is flattering or not, I can’t tell, but I would not have considered
doing a film unless I was really connected to the material. I love
John’s tone – he is a musician, and I think his sensibilities are those
of a musician so we get along famously.”
“The music was easy,” admits Levine after shooting.
“That’s kind of my wheelhouse, I guess, but the acting has been quite a
challenge in a really great way. The only thing people said to me was
‘know your lines’ and ‘don’t act, just listen and react,’ and that was
great advice. I’ve also found that being comfortable and receptive to
direction makes it a lot easier. It was daunting going into this new
world, but everyone was so sweet and made me feel comfortable and at
home, so I felt like I was doing my best even though I had relatively
little experience.”
“Performing music and acting are similar,” says
industry veteran Green, another veteran of “The Voice” who plays the
part of Troublegum, one of Dan’s former success stories who helps his
old friend out by lending a hand to produce Gretta’s album. “In either
case, you reenact the emotion of the experience when you are in the
studio or on the set. There is a rhythm to the way that you walk, the
way that you talk, the way that you react. It’s all poetry in motion.
They are very kindred.” As for his own work, Green is cautiously
optimistic that he can believably play a hip-hop star: “I can’t tell if
they acted like I was doing a good job or if I really was,” he says
with a smile, “but they are making me feel very comfortable. Mark
Ruffalo said I did okay, so I think I’ll be all right.”
British-born stage and TV actor Corden, who plays
the part of Steve, a friend of Gretta’s from back home who is also on
hand to help her record, offers perhaps the most astute summary of his
cast mates of various backgrounds. “Actors and musicians are similar,”
he explains. “I think all actors secretly harbor a dream to be a
musician, and all musicians want to be an actor one day. I’m not sure
why, but it’s true of every actor I’ve met and every musician I’ve met.
I think it’s because musicians see actors and say, ‘wouldn’t it be
great to be someone else for a day?’ And actors see musicians and
think, ‘wouldn’t it be great to just walk out as yourself and have that
freedom to perform as yourself?’”
BEGIN AGAIN opens on July 9, 2014 in theaters nationwide and is distributed locally by SOLAR PICTURES.
Check out the trailer here http://youtu.be/URgf_qOvb08 and Lost Stars Feature at the Solar Pictures YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/prXttiueTdM