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Feature by: Jack Foley
"TO empower someone, you have to allow them to be flawed,"
observes Romola Garai, one of the co-stars of Inside I'm Dancing,
the new film from East is East director, Damien O'Donnell.
"You have to allow people to be human to accept them,"
she adds.
Being perceived as human is an essential part of O'Donnell's
movie, for its two central protagonists - Michael and Rory - are
both disabled; the former suffers from cerebral palsy, while the
latter suffers from muscular dystrophy.
Yet, far from being a depressing, message-laden affair, Inside
I'm Dancing is an uplifting and frequently funny film that deservedly
won The Standard Life Audience Award at this year's Edinburgh
Film Festival, for being the biggest crowd-pleaser.
And Garai, who is fast making a name for herself as one of the
UK's emerging actresses (alongside the likes of Keira Knightley
and Kate Beckinsale), knew immediately that she wanted to be a
part of the project.
"This is a great story," she commented in a recent
interview. "These two young guys break out, get their freedom
and move into a flat together, then a girl they both fancy comes
to work with them - it's a male fantasy, but these guys happen
to be disabled."
The disabled duo in question are played by James McAvoy and newcomer,
Stephen Robertson, and they first meet at the Carrigmore Residential
Home for Disabled People where Michael (Robertson) has been forced
to spend most of his life.
Following the arrival of the rebellious Rory (McAvoy), however,
Michael is forced to question his existence and make his own way
in the world, which he does with the help of his wheelchair-bound
companion, and Garai's home-help, Siobhan.
The originator of the story was Christian O'Reilly, who had previously
worked as a personal assistant for Dermot Walsh, a man who has
cerebral palsy, and whose drive and determination to live independently
inspired O'Reilly to consider the possibility of making a film.
Enter producer, Juanita Wilson, and first-choice director, O'Donnell,
who acted on instinct from the outset.
"To me, the film was about liberation. After a number of
meetings with the producers, I committed to direct in April last
year," he explained.
With O'Donnell on board, and strong interest in the script, it
wasn't long before the film-makers attracted the interest of Working
Title, the company responsible for some of the biggest British
hits of recent years, including Bridget Jones, Notting Hill and
the recent Wimbledon.
Yet, even with funding in place, both Wilson and O'Donnell knew
the film wouldn't work unless the casting was absolutely spot
on.
"Ninety per cent of getting the film right is in the casting,"
maintains O'Donnell. "Rory and Michael are total personality
opposites. Rory was much more difficult to cast, but that's the
irony of casting.
"He can be an annoying bastard at times, but that's also
what makes him special. When casting, the challenge was to find
somebody that could be obnoxious, but likeable, and James achieved
that complexity and just grew in the role.
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"James had just done Bright
Young Things, with Stephen Fry, and he has a strong presence on
screen, a very raw, powerful talent, that made him perfect for
Rory. He could express the rebel spirit but also the vulnerability
behind the bravado."
With McAvoy in place, O'Donnell then turned to the virtually
unknown Robertson for the role of Michael.
"Steven had never done a film before but Wendy had seen
him on stage and was really impressed.
"As soon as I met him and he read for the role, I knew immediately
that he was right for the part of Michael," continued O'Donnell.
Having been cast, however, the actors themselves then set about
the important task of studying extensively to get their performances
just right - particularly as neither are disabled.
"Every little detail was investigated because it was important
for the story we were trying to tell," explains McAvoy.
"How would Rory drink his Guinness? How do we get ready
for bed? Everything was informed by very practical research."
The actors were also given five weeks of rehearsal time in wheelchairs,
while Scottish-born McAvoy had to work on a Dublin accent with
dialogue coach, Brendan Gunn.
But the extensive research paid off.
"I'm a physical actor and do a lot of physical work as an
actor," he explained. "Your accent actually changes
your physicality and the way you play a character.
"You're holding a position in the wheelchair that is often
painful and unnatural - very still - and that affects the way
you speak.
"I found I was licking my lips more than usual... that I
had this craving to express.
"After all the rehearsals and the research, I was confident
that I had the reason and understanding for Rory and his whole
'rage against the machine' story. The time we spent on preparations
was really worth it."
Likewise, it also helped to ensure that the actor didn't feel
under any extra pressure to get his portrayal right because he
wasn't disabled.
"We didn’t set out to make a film about the disabled
community - we made a film about these particular individuals
who happen to be disabled.
"I think you have to approach it like that, otherwise you
end up with cliches. And I don’t think the film is about
the disabled community - it’s about growing up, and first
loves and mortality, things that everyone feels. And it’s
very funny.
"It’s a cautionary tale for everyone - we all feel
trapped and feel that we can’t grow anymore, until we meet
somebody who can open our eyes to the world around us.
"You make different types of films as an actor. Sometimes
you make a film about an ordinary person in extraordinary
circumstances, like a man being thrown into World War Two.
"This isn’t that - Rory and Michael are not representative
of the disabled community - they are exceptional people, they
are not everyday people you will meet.
"That’s what’s exciting about them. If people
say ‘I don’t know if a disabled person would do that’,
I say well that is Rory. That’s hopefully why people will
enjoy watching this, because Michael and Rory are slightly off
the scale!"
Inside I'm Dancing opens on October 12.
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