Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Mike Leigh has pushed back against “offensive and racist” criticisms of his latest film, Hard Truths.
The film, a humanist drama about a woman with depression (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and her personal relationships, has been celebrated by critics.
In an interview with The Times, Leigh, 81, responded to those questioning whether he had the right, as a white filmmaker, to direct a project featuring an almost entirely Black cast.
“It’s b*****ks,” he replied. “First of all, it’s offensive and racist. I’ve got absolutely no time for it at all. I’ve looked at all corners of society.
“I did a play about Greek Australians [Greek Tragedy], a film in Northern Ireland [Four Days in July], plus three films set among a very remote people called 19th-century human beings [Topsy-Turvy, Mr Turner and Peterloo]. The fear of ‘Am I allowed to tell this story?’ — it’s shocking. It has no justification whatsoever.”
As is the case with all of Leigh’s films, the film’s screenplay was developed in collaboration with the actors, during a lengthy rehearsal process.
Leigh noted that the authenticity of the dialogue between Black characters of different generations led to some viewers suggesting it was “presumptuous [of me] to take the writing credit when plainly I can’t have written that dialogue”.
He explained: “That’s based on the somewhat limited notion that the writing is just the dialogue, and actually my input into the dialogue is massive.
“David Thewlis was brilliant at improvising Johnny [in Naked], but I’m brilliant at working with that kind of material once I get into the bloodstream of it. [When the Hard Truths] characters say proper expressions that I’ve never heard of before, that’s great, and that is in the nature of bringing to life that particular territory”.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
Jean-Baptiste, who previously worked with Leigh in the Palme d’Or-winning 1997 drama Secrets and Lies, has drawn wide acclaim for her turn in Hard Truths.
The actor, 57, won the prize for Best Lead Performance at the British Independent Film Awards, and the prize for Best Actress at the New York Film Critics Circle.
Many have speculated that she could be in the running for a Best Actress award at this year’s Oscars, where she would be competing against likely nominees such as Anora’s Mikey Madison, The Substance’s Demi Moore, and Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez).
This post was originally published on here
