- And there’s a very sweet line in the film ’Happiness is doing what you love with the people that you love’ how far do you go to endorse that and was that a factor behind making the film?
Yeah I have actually said that and that’s how I feel about my career and it was a very natural step to make that the theme of my movie, I get to come to work and have fun every day with people that I adore. My greatest hope for my kids is that they find the same bliss so I wanted to make a movie about that theme.
- So you have got the likes of Stiller, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria and Ricky Gervais so how did you find working with them all as well as keeping them all under control?
Well the key is you don’t try to keep them totally under control, when you have a cast like that you want the free flowing atmosphere of improvisation because we had a very funny script but nothing is as funny as the combustion that happens with that bunch of comics. So you keep them mildly under control but you keep it fluid and you find happy surprises.
- How about casting the new roles, particularly bringing in Amy Adams?
We were so spoilt by the first movie, the first movie has such a great cast, and I knew going into the sequel that I wanted an even better cast so every new actor that we added had to be high end and brilliant in their own right.
Amy Adams has a charm and intelligence and range, perhaps most notably the last point, that’s practically unrivalled amongst actors of her generation so she can inhabit Amelia completely and do so winningly and so entertaining.
- Bringing her in with all these comedy characters, not really being know as a comedy actress, is quite a big risk but having said that she is incredibly funny how shocked or surprised were you by her performance?
Having seen enchanted I knew that she had the comedic charm, Enchanted really illustrated Amy’s range and her ability to do comedy, I didn’t consider Amy a risk I was thrilled to have her say yes and she did the brilliant job that I expected of her.
- Obviously CGI plays a huge part in the movie so how difficult is it working with characters that aren’t there? And what issues do you face in making sure that the effects don’t overshadow the actors?
To answer the first part it’s imperative that everything be crystal clear inside my head so that I can be very very specific and clear with my actors and crew, so I make sure that I see every image clearly before we start shooting.
The unusual thing about this franchise is there is a lot of improvisation within the visual effects scenes and we always screen the movie for audiences with no visual effects and we make sure that the movie works without relying on those effects that way we know that when they are added it will sing even more.
- As a father yourself how great is it to be able to make a movie like this?
It’s been one of the privileges of my life to make a movie that is not only loved by family audiences worldwide but one that has a real world impact on museum attendance and actually catalyses interest in history and museums amongst kids that’s a something that I’m really proud of.
- You say that you were surprised by the success of the first movie so how do you feel now having done it a second time, because this movie was just as successful?
I’m thrilled, I’m really thrilled. I think that there is a real love for these characters and again the premise of this franchise has tapped into something universal, some magical what if, and I credit the success of the franchise to that and it’s been executed in a way that’s educating for young audiences but is also smart, unexpected and funny for adults.
- The movie was a success so would you do a third film and if so where would you go with it?
Ben and I are beginning to have those conversations so I think that it’s definitely a possibility. I wouldn’t be surprised to find us on European soil for the next instalment, and that’s all I will say right now.
- And you have the likes of Night at the Museum, Just Married and Cheaper by the Dozen under your belt as a filmmaker so what is it about the comedy genre that you enjoy so much?
There is something great that happens in a dark theatre, with hundred of strangers connected in something as primal as a really great laugh and as a filmmaker when you have had a taste of that, that wave of laughter that connects all these strangers in the dark, it’s an insanely good feeling and it’s hard to not crave more.
- Finally what’s next for you?
Date Night which is an action comedy starring Steve Carell, Tina Fey, James Franco and Mark Wahlberg and it’s a action comedy about a married couple whose regular weekly date night goes terribly, but fortuitously, awry.
Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is released 9th November
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Shawn Levy