- And what was it about Emily Blunt this is her first real lead in a movie so I suppose a bit of a gamble?
Yes she is just perfect, great, she's amazing and such a professional she was so generous, so good, so present and so into her character and just as Queen Victoria wanted to do good she has the same intentions and shared the same goals. So did Rupert and the magic that happened between the two of them was beautiful and the romance is quite strong.
- Was there any sort of preparation that you suggested for you cast as they got ready for their roles?
Yes Emily had a lot of homework to do a lot of reading and listenting to music, especially opera. She also had some horse riding classes and piano classes as well as diction, German and learning how to draw like Victoria, as she loved to draw.
But everyone had to know what there character was and so, as the director, we all had a lot of research to do and, particularly on my part well there part as well even thought they are British, this monarchy world is a special world and you have to research and feel a part of it and be well surrounded, which we were.
- You filmed throughout the UK in the likes of Hampton Court Palace and Lancaster House what are the benefits as a filmmaker to be a ble to shoot on location?
It's great, it's great because it looks like the real deal, it is the real deal, as you can feel the history all of the location has a soul of it's own. I like filming on location it gives you weird angles because you don't have the angles to put the camera there and you have got a piece of wall there that you can't move becasue that's the way that it is. Most of the houses that we filmed in came furnished so the sets were almost the character of the film.
- And how difficult is it to get these houses, castles and cathedrals to open their door to you?
Well you should ask Martin Joy, our location head, it's quite something and it takes a lot of time, patience and requests and we have to be very careful with the crew. casting crew, careful and respectful of the locations. It's amazing to shoot in these locations but sometimes it can slow down the shooting.
- You are trying to depict aspects of the past where ettiquete is very different so did you have a historical advisor on set?
Yes I did I had a great historical advisor called Alistair Bruce, he is a close relative to the Queen and the royal family. And he was such a great help it was a good thing I had this guy without him I don't think this French/Canadian director would have been that accurate.
- Sarah Ferguson is also a producer on the film so how did she get involved in the project?
She was remotely involved, she wasn't involved in the creative process but she was there, she was there to support the film during every level from prep to shooting to post.
It was her idea in the beginning, she gave Graham King the idea of making a film about young Vic, and she came to the set a couple of times with her daughters and supported the cast and crew as well as doing some press to support the film.
- Finally what's next for you?
I'm going to do films at home in my own language of French and I'm hoping to shoot next fall and still reading script coming from Hollywood and London so we will se if I will be back here.
Of course it's different we have more means, more money it's the big machine of Hollywood so there's pressure it's another game, it's something else. But if you succeed to get creative and tell the story it becomes more teamwork than a film by movie but it's quite a toy to play with.
The Young Victoria is released on DVD 13th July
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in The Young Victoria