Arthur, The Invisibles & Luc Besson

Director Luc BessonWe were depressed, we were down, and we’d seen enough grim films to create a heavy decline in our will to live. But then, we heard it, a rustle in the grass, some whispers underfoot. There they were, and they'd bought Arthur with them. It was safe to say that Luc Besson’s Arthur & the Invisibles was just what we needed to perk ourselves up. Freddy Highmore was pulling Madonna, Robert De Niro riding atop a big white gorilla thing and David Bowie being mean-real mean. The Britfilms clan happily welcomed Arthur and his pals with open arms.
Then it seemed luck was really on our side when the credits began to roll and in walked the man himself, Luc Besson, master of the French assassin and Bruce Willis’ ‘negotiation skills.’ Behind him came the hero of the film, Freddy Highmore, with a cheeky grin he asked Besson where to sit; “in the middle?” to which Besson replied, “of
course, you’re the star”.
 
So with Arthur & the Invisibles being a clear distance to what Besson usually does, we grabbed the opportunity of talking about the rumours of a Leon sequel and his latest adventure about a tiny lad, and an even tinier world. Read on dear viewers, read on…

Animation is quite a different direction to what we usually see from you. I imagine it was very time intensive, how did you find getting involved with an animation like this, did you find it frustrating?
 
LB: First it was the story, that was my main concern, it didn't start as an animated film, it started like a normal film, and then piece by piece we went to this other world I had no clue of animation, but the 700 people working on the film, none of them had worked on an animated before. So I was not alone, we were all new. It was good because at least we had fun trying and we would come with new ideas and different ways of doing it. I really enjoyed the process, I've always had this attraction of this type of challenge, because I remember on the Big Blue, the guy takes the engine underwater and I thought, 'how am I going to do that?' so we had to build a camera to take underwater. And in the Fifth Element, when the girl is jumping in the middle of flying cars; "how am I going to do that?"
 
The casting of course is crucial both in voice and live cast, Freddy how long were you involved in the film, was it a long process for you?
 
FH: Well when I met Luc about the film, they already had some of the animation down in place; they'd done some with the actors and worked out how they were going to move etc. After that all I did was the live action stuff in Paris and Normandy which was great fun to do, and then after that I then did the voice over for the animated character.
 
Compared with other films that you've done was it longer or shorter then other films? Was it a different kind of process time wise?
 
FH: It was a little shorter for the actual filming of it, but for me it was shorter because it took Freddy Highmore as Arthurme a week or so to do the voice over and it may have taken a month or so if we had been filming it.
 
How was it finding Arthur?
 
LB: I had a big problem of finding Arthur, I had casting in England, in France, in New York in LA, and I couldn’t find him. At the time I hadn’t seen Freddy in his Chocolate Factory, I don’t think it was open in France when we met-I still haven’t seen it. There were good kids, but not the perfect one, and then it was like Joan of Arc (cue heavens opening) “ahhh,” Freddy pushed the door in slow motion and there he was (laughs). After two minutes of meeting Freddy I was sure it was him. It was the same shock I had 11 years ago when I met a little ten year old girl called Natalie Portman. It was exactly the same. You’re very lucky; you have a little genius here. You lost Beckham, but you have a new hero here (points to Highmore).
 
You said you were only going to make 10 films and this is number 11, presumably there are going to be more sequels, have you rediscovered the love of film making?
 
LB: No that’s the tenth. There’s no eleventh.
 
You’re not going to do a sequel?
 
LB: Yes but it’s the same. I’m cheating (laughs). It’s a six hour long film cut in three parts. That was the first part. No honestly, it was a hard process, five years it’s very long. But when we all separated, everyone was crying, I really had a good time. Just thinking of next summer, it’s like going on holiday when you’re thinking of going next year and want to go to the same place and see the same people; that’s the feeling I have. I can’t wait for this summer and shoot again, and see this little guy here, and Mia Farrow. I have so much joy over there I can’t wait. I’m not going to let anyone get the pleasure of doing it.
 
The InvisiblesSo if this becomes a franchise, 4, 5, 6 films….?
 
LB:….No, no, no let’s do 2 and 3 (laughs). I wrote the books already; I have the story so it’s a little bit different, the stories written for me.
 
It’s quite often that voice cast are never actually recording together did you ever record together? Or were you by yourself?
 
FH: No I never did. I was always with Luc and everything, but no I never worked with anyone else, I wasn’t recording with Madonna or anything. Although it might have been a bit odd doing some scenes together, but no I never did.
 
LB: I was doing the Princess with him (laughs) “I do.”
 
You seem very fond of the character, and refer to yourself as 50% of the wee lad, what attracted to you Arthur in the first place?
 
LB: Well I was 10 years old in the 60’s-so I relate to him. I remember my parents being busy sending me over to my grandma or my cousins. We didn’t have a TV so if you were bored you would have to invent a game. So you grab a rock, or a piece of wood and you can play for hours. I have the same rock, I could play Pirates of the Caribbean for two hours and then seconds later switch it to a spaceship with the same rock, and then you go for hours, all you need is imagination. That’s what I love about the story; it’s all set in the garden, so when kids go home they can go in their garden and play ‘Arthur’. Maybe they’d have a different vision of their garden after they see the film. My daughter, she’s three and I was worried after she’d seen the film that she would go into the garden and start tearing up flowers. I asked her when she was there “what are you doing?” she was looking in flowers and seeing if she could find the Minimoys.
 
You’ve done lots of different type of films that greatly differ from Arthur & the Invisibles, Besson Hard At Workis this down to you becoming a parent, is going through with this for the past five years, down to where you are in your life?
 
LB: I see artists as fly paper and ideas stick to them, that’s what happened to me. Ideas stick on me and I feel the need to express it. Even when  I was young I wanted to kick back at society and how they abuse people, how Nikita is lost and they abuse her and how Leon is a killer and doesn’t know how to read, and is the only one who saves Matilda, why is it not the other guys instead it’s this guy that saves her.
 
Then you get older and you watch the news and see wars and the world being destroyed a little every day and you start to care about your kids, talk to them, about the environment give them good food, in a funny way but in a deep way. And then one day I saw this drawing of Arthur sitting on a leaf and then I realized that everything I wanted to say could be said with this, thanks to this little spark (gestures to Highmore).
 
How easy was it to assemble such an all star cast and was the French version just as good?
 
LB: To be honest, when I saw the poster a few weeks ago, I was looking at it and saw all these names and didn’t realize how big they were, “Oh my gosh, we have all these names?” I didn’t realize, I mean I’d recorded Madonna and David Bowie two and a ½ years ago and Snoop also, and Robert Di Niro six months ago. But once in a while I had to get out the room with all the nerds (the name Besson has affectionately given his animators) for two three days I work with a great actor, and then for months you see no one and then you work with another one.
 
LB: I was also very lucky; I’d think “who would be the best to play this character? Well Madonna would be great-she’s a princess, it would be easy for her” and then the villain, Malthazar-David Bowie, because he has such a voice.
 
And the French cast? Are they similarly high profile?
 
LB: Well I looked at the cast (Madonna, Snoop and David) that’s three singers that all did well, let’s try it in France. Again, “who could be the princess?” Millen Farmer she’s very big in France and a good friend of mine-she said yes. All the singers are very good at it because they know how to modulate the voice and be in rhythm, after five minutes and understanding how it works it was a piece of cake.
 
Mentioning earlier that the film is a message to the kids, is part of this a reaction to the way the world is going? Are you trying to offer a nostalgic fairytale that society has moved on from?
 
LB: Totally, I mean I’m not against TV or video games but as parents we have to be careful. I saw a kid the other day and he was killing over 200 people a minute on a video game. 200 people per minute. The scary thing is he was making the gesture; he has to do that (pretends to pull a trigger. 200 a minute-that’s very dangerous. He’s the hero and he’s the best if he kills more so I’m confused with the message that we try to give them. I know it’s very practical for a parent because I’m a parent too putting a kid in front of the TV because it means I have two free hours to do something. But don’t blame the video game, blame the parent. He’d much more enjoy going to play football with his Dad then killing 200 people.
 
Besson then went on to explain how his imagination reacted towards film...
 
My first shock on film was The Jungle Book; I couldn’t talk for a week. I didn’t want to see my parents any more-I wanted to be educated by a bear and a panther (laughs) I don’t need school,  I just want the forest.
 
Freddy would you kick a football or go kill 200 people?

FH: I’m not rather a video game fan so I’d much rather play football.
 
LB: You see, you know what, I mentioned he had good parents and it’s true. It’s true. It’s not so bad with TV it’s just better a little bit and then we take care of them.
 
You mentioned other sequels to this, are there any sequels perhaps for other films. Has there been any talk of a sequel to Leon with Matilda’s character?
 
ArthurLB: No I’ve heard that through the Internet that I don’t know where it comes from its totally fake as is 90% of the other things on the Internet, you’re journalists I’m with you. It’s a real problem the Internet, but if I want to see the next 15 films I’m going to direct I go on the Internet. I’m amazed at the films I’m going to do.
 
If you are doing a sequel for Arthur and it takes such a long time-what about Freddy’s involvement?
 
LB: Well with his parents consent, Freddy would be given pills everyday to be sure that he keeps his shape (laughs). No I mean the new adventure could be a year or two later so it’s OK. He can grow.
 
FH: I’m good?
 
LB: Yeah, you can grow. I think even the animation we’re going to change?
 
FH: You think?
 
LB: Yeah, because we start before the next one, now that we know it’s you we can work more on the animation…
 
Well there ya go a slight bit of info for Arthur fans and it’s sequel that we managed to nab at the end, whether Besson means the film or not we just don’t know, we’ll have to wait for the next of our hero’s adventure…
 
It’s pretty safe to say that hundreds of kids will be dragging their parents to see Arthur & the Invisibles, and they’re going to love it. You never know, you might just enjoy yourselves as well…