If New York cinema belongs to Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, no other British filmmaker of the past 30 years has chronicled London quite like Mike Leigh (Naked, Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy),
whose renowned, hands-on style entails months of improvisatory sessions
to shape narratives and bring fuller personality to his often
working-class characters. His latest film, Happy-Go-Lucky, is centered
around Poppy (Sally Hawkins, above left), an irrepressibly free-spirited singleton
and primary school teacher marked by an unsinkable optimism — giggling
through back pain and offering up an endless stream of cheery
rejoinders and interjections, no matter the situation. When Poppy’s
bike is stolen, she signs up for driving lessons with Scott (Eddie
Marsan), who turns out to be her polar opposite — a cynical,
rage-filled bigot simultaneously repulsed and enchanted by his new
pupil. Just in advance of the film’s release, I spoke with Leigh about
his methodology, the surprise reception of Secrets & Lies in Japan,
and the fact that culture doesn’t stand still. For the full Q&A interview, from New York Magazine‘s Vulture, click here. More from the interview to follow next week.