Thanks to Amazon Prime Video, We had the opportunity to sit & talk with Gina Mckee about all things ‘MY POLICEMAN’ from the movie itself and the book it’s based on, to it’s production during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the experience of working with fellow cast members, Harry Styles, David Dawson, Emma Corrin, Linus Roache & Rupert Everett…
(The Following Has Been Transcribed For The Easier Flow Of Reading)
What did the moment look like for you when you read the script or got the picture? And thought this is something I want to be a part of and something I can add to?
I think the very simple response to the screenplay for me was how fascinating that this triangle of people make choices in their youth which forever link them. And also those choices mean that their lives are going to be lived in a certain way, profoundly. And I think then the dynamic that there is a catalyst to bring those people together again 40 years later to try and perhaps examine what happened in the past. I think those elements of the script made me feel like this is very exciting to explore.
Of course, this is based on a book, how important was it for you to get your character right? And working with director Michael Grandage to translate that from page to script to screen?
What’s interesting is our screenplay, like any screenplay of an adaptation of a book, is a distillation. And I thought that the elements, the distillation of our screenplay was really good. Once I’d read the book, I thought that’s a very clever way to extract the main narrative thread and put it into this format for the screen. And so I thought that was a really encouraging thing. But also, sometimes what happens when you read a book if you’re doing a project based on a book, is it might give you the odd detail, which helps. It may not come to the fore, but it just kind of gives you a bit of support or affirmation in some of the choices you might make.
You’ve got a great team behind you to help bring this project to life and you (& Linus Roache) play the older versions of Harry Styles and Emma Corrin’s characters. I’m just wondering, did you get any advice from them on how to sort of stay true to what they brought to the character while adding something of your own to them?
What was interesting is, because it was shot in 2021, we had COVID protocols in place. We couldn’t be together and the 1950 stuff, most of that was shot first. So as the older counterparts, we could take a look at some of the younger counterparts, we had maybe three or four scenes that we could look at. And we also talked to one another and we had a few zoom, a couple of Zoom meetings. And so that’s how we put it together.
Was there any particularly challenging scenes for you to do? Because, of course, your character does go through quite a lot during this film?
Yes, it’s interesting. Even some of the more how can I put it? Everyday scenes have their challenges because essentially, for Marriott & the older three are in a confined space where they have been forced, even if they are trying to avoid, they are now forced to face things that they’ve avoided for decades. And so even when seemingly an everyday scene is happening, it’s fueled by this energy, you know, the elephant in the room, if you like. They’ve got to address it. And so, even though there’s everyday things happening, there’s an undercurrent which is very vibrant.
Is there any advice you can offer to someone going through a similar situation to Patrick in this movie?
Well, my hope is that since the 1950s, there are more organizations and we have all learned a huge amount more, and we’ve all got more opportunities to hopefully live the lives and have the loves that we would like…But when Patrick and Tom and, in fact, Marion in the 1950s, they were on their own. They didn’t have that support, they didn’t have that education, and they didn’t have those role models that we have now.
To View The Full Interview In It’s Original Form, You Can Click The Link Here..
My Policeman Hits Prime Video On November 4th.
