Australian director Scott Hicks first came to prominence with the incredible (and Oscar-nominated) Shine. While not the world's most prolific director (although, as he points out he's "done three in the last three years, so it's pretty hectic"), a Hicks film is generally a sign of quality. That's certainly the case with The Boys Are Back, a moving (and based-on-a-true) tale about a sports writer forced to cope with two sons when his wife suddenly dies. Neil Davey caught up with Scott Hicks recently to discuss the film.
By now you must have spent years with the film, from preplanning to the making, and been asked every question you could be asked about it. Is it easy to stay enthusiastic for a film, or is it a struggle to keep it all fresh?
It varies a lot, obviously. With this film it was something I was very connected to and a film that was very important for me to make and it does live on in that sense. It was one of those projects that I just absolutely fell in love with and then it took a few years for Clive Owen and me to juggle our schedules so that we could both do it. I’ve no difficulty talking about this long after the event – I just hope I can remember everything about it.
What was it about the story that attracted you? And what was it about Clive that made him the man you wanted for the role?
It’s based on a memoir, Simon Carr’s autobiographical story, which of course has been adapted for cinema, so it’s not a documentary, it’s not a slavish recreation of that. And it was the year of Closer. I was familiar with Clive before that, obviously, but when I saw him in Closer, I felt he had a stillness about him, and I found it intriguing. I thought it would be interesting to see him in a role that brought out a more emotional side to his character, and at the same time, be a strong individual. He seemed like the ideal choice to me and he just jumped at the material, he loved it, and really wouldn’t let it go, even though we had difficulty getting our schedules lined up. He was hanging on as tightly as I was. It was a very original piece that we loved.
I believe we, like many, described it as probably Clive’s greatest performance to date.
It’s wonderful, and it’s wonderful people think that. He made a lot of effort in connecting with the boys, and he brought, I think, a lot of personal elements to it from his own experiences as a father. He adores his daughters and his wife, and I think he wanted to do something that had a personal connection. Not least of which, I think it’s his first film that his daughters have been able to see! That made a difference too, he’s very proud of it.
You’re a father of two boys yourself. Is that what drew you to the book?
I do think that’s part of the connection for me. Fatherhood has been a huge part of my life, I was a father when I was 18, and I now have two grown-up sons, and it’s just been an enormous part of my life. There were elements I could recognise. I’m not saying I’m like Simon Carr but you see the kinds of issues that fathers have in just trying to be a better dad. Clive plays the role, he’s completely disconnected from his five-year old at the start, and when he suddenly realises he has to step up and be a father, it doesn’t happen overnight. You have to learn how to manage that. Being a father doesn’t come with a manual, you learn on the job, and hopefully you get better. But it’s not an exact science. The flawed nature of the character Clive is playing is so interesting, he makes mistakes, he makes bad choices, but he struggles on and tries to redeem himself.
You also got fantastic performances from teenager George MacKay and the very young Nicholas MacAnulty as the sons.
They were amazing, weren’t they? Young George is a hugely accomplished young actor, and someone we’re going to a lot of. There’s something in his character that, from the moment you see him, you know this boy has a problem. You don’t know what it is, but you know it’s there. George had a tremendous sense of the character. And the little boy, Nicholas, he’d never done anything before but he had this uncanny ability to step in front of the camera and tell the truth. It was quite remarkable to watch him do this day by day.
The Boys Are Back was also based in Australia, of course, your homeland. Was that part of the appeal, perhaps?
That was certainly a wonderful by-product, working in South Australia where I live. I hadn’t made a film here since Shine, some 12 years ago. It gave me a chance to set the story, the very emotional story, in a landscape I love and am very familiar with. I think it became another ingredient in the film. I managed to set it in areas that I know, like the wine region: I have a vineyard in the area, very close to the one in the movie. Those hills in Southern Australia, they’re a constant lure to me, I’m always returning to them, either just being there or photographically, as part of films that I make. It was great to get that chance to work in that area again.
• Read our review of The Boys Are Back
