Best Laid Plans is a film inspired by John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, which instead of being set in Depression era California, transposes the action to current day Nottingham. Centering around the relationship’s between thuggish Danny, his prostitute girlfriend Lisa and his best friend Joseph, an intimidatingly large man with the mental age of seven.
Here director David Blair and the cast of Best Laid Plans, Stephen Graham, Emma Stansfield and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, talk to View’s Matthew Turner about staying in character off set, room for improvising on set and the realistic nature of the sex scenes.
Stephen, I believe Chris Green wrote the script and approached you with it? Did you have a history with him?
Not necessarily a history. I got sent the script then it was Mike [Knowles, producer] that came and met me, in the little village I live in, in Leicestershire. And he came and we went and had a cup of coffee and I just loved the script, I thought it was a fantastic script and I just really wanted to be a part of it, really. And Mike was talking about directors and stuff and instantly David just sprung to mind and as soon as he saw David's work, he realised David was the one to do it.
Casting is crucial and the person you’re paired with on screen as your best friend is very important to the piece. How did you come to get Adewale on board?
I was told Adewale was on board and I’m a big fan, anyway. I mean, I used to watch Oz and then obviously Lost and loads of other stuff that he's done. We didn’t really spend much time together but the chemistry just seemed to be there. We didn't really have many talking scenes together, but what I loved about him was that in the morning, you'd see him and he'd be in for about ten minutes and then he'd go off and he'd get changed and then he'd come back and he would be Joseph, which was a great technique on set as well, because it kept us all very focussed. And I think he’s a fantastic actor, but it was the way he sort of played that Method – I mean, he would still ask for a cup of tea and that, sit down and have his dinner, but he had elements and traces of Joseph about him, which was lovely. He was such a great person to act with. It's a lovely cast - I think it's a lovely ensemble piece. Maxine Peake, as well, I think she's a legend, so it was lovely to be involved with everyone else.
Adewale, can you talk about the decision to stay in character throughout the day? Was that necessary to keep that level all the way through?
Yeah, for me, I think that's just the way I work. I don't really want to cheat the audience of a single beat. And I think particularly with this character, Joseph, the movie somewhat hinges on getting him right. And as Stephen said, we didn't really have the luxury of preparation – I was working on something else and had to come straight in – and so initially it was a strong reliance on just my instincts. I talked with David briefly and we said that we really didn’t want to emphasise the physical impairment, it had to be something from within and almost subtle. But for me, to keep the consistency, I just had to be there for the whole month.
I signed on as Joseph and it was very, very nerve-rending, because you're constantly on the kilter of a breakdown. And for a whole month, that's how it was and I was a nervous wreck by the end of it. But it was a rewarding journey and I was shepherded by, I think, a great director David, who is brilliant. Because he trusted you. I remember having a chat with him and saying, you know, 'What were you thinking? Do you have any thoughts about how I should do this?' and he said, 'Well, that's what I hired you for ...' And then you just had to go off and figure it out. And if you were off, you'd know, but we had good guidance, really. And great actors, a great cast.
I think it's also about keeping a lid on any excesses in Adewale's part, which is one of the things we wanted to do. Because in a sense, in the film, ostensibly it's Adewale depending on Stephen, but in fact, hopefully the question is raised throughout the film that Danny [Stephen's character] may well be depending on him just as much.