Ray Winstone has called for the UK industry to make more culturally British films, and not lose filmmaking talent to the US.
Speaking in his masterclass session at Sarajevo Film Festival, the UK actor was asked about his four favourite films of all time. He segued into talking about his favourite actors, who include Richard Burton, Bob Hoskins, Peter O’Toole and Michael Caine.
“I wish we could make more films like that,” said Winstone of the work of those actors.
“The French do it, they make their own cultural films. The Germans do it. Hopefully you’ll do it more here [in Bosnia & Herzegovina], and that’s the way it should be. That’s where good filmmakers come from.
“The trouble is [UK actors] get dragged to America and work with studios, and they get their hearts broken,” said Winstone. “It’s the fact of making stuff about you – that’s what I like doing, and what I like watching.”
Blockbuster studio titles such as Marvel films are diminishing the space available to UK “cultural” films, Winstone believes. “What’s happening with Marvel in Hollywood – which there is room for, we like watching those films, they’re fun – but it takes away from those cultural films, which are best for actors,” said Winstone.
The actor, who is based in the UK, said he wouldn’t want to live in Los Angeles, as he doesn’t want to “live and breathe [acting] every day of my life.”
He criticised what he described as the trend in casting for actors to not be in the room with casting directors and filmmakers, but instead record auditions remotely. “I can’t get my head around that,” said Winstone. “Part of the chemistry of making a film or series is the chemistry between the director and actor. It’s something we’re losing more and more. In England, you phone in your part – that’s bullshit. That’s dangerous. We’re losing something there. It’s a real step in the wrong direction.”
Winstone advocated for “sitting in a room with a director, just talking – not reading the part. Some people are terrible readers but they can act.”
Social media’s role in casting was another target of the UK actor’s ire. “If you’re not on social media now, you’re not even considered to be in a movie, because they want the fanbase to come with that,” said Winstone.
“You have to go on Instagram – I don’t want to fucking go on Instagram!”
“Whether that’s a good thing or not, I don’t know,” he continued. “If it brings people into the cinema and creates more jobs, all power to it. But I’d like to see more cultural films being made – I think that’s where the best cinema is.”
Marvel
Winstone also recalled his unpleasant experience working on 2021 Marvel title Black Widow. Having worked with “amazing director” Cate Shortland to develop his character and then having shot his scenes, Shortland called him to say all of his scenes required reshooting.
“They do my hair nice, put me in the suit, and I couldn’t do it,” said Winstone, who felt he’d already done the part justice. “I thought ‘I’m not doing it now, I’m done’.” However he acknowledged he had to complete the reshoots as he was contracted to the film.
The 90-minute Sarajevo session included numerous clips from Winstone’s career, including his lead role in Gary Oldman’s 1997 Nil By Mouth, for which he was nominated for the best actor Bafta.
Asked if Oldman will return to directing, Winstone said, “He’s talked about it, he’d love to. You get in a cycle – he’s just had a new dawn in his acting career.
“It takes three or four years of your life, if you’re lucky, to make a film,” said the actor. “And you have to pay the taxman. That’s the reality of it.”
Winstone recalled his debut film appearance, in Alan Clarke’s Scum, saying the 1977 television play version, withdrawn from broadcast due to its violence, was better than the 1979 film that is more widely known.
His upcoming roles include White, an upcoming biopic of snooker star Jimmy White, in which Aneurin Barnard plays the lead. Winstone said the film is “being edited… they’ve had a few things that need to be looked at.”
Sarajevo’s masterclass programme continues on Thursday with Willem Dafoe. The festival runs until Friday, August 22.
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