IAN MCKELLEN SEEKS ASYLUM
FANGORIA caught up with famed British thespian Sir Ian McKellen to chat about his recently completed turn in the upcoming film ASYLUM, the second Gothic novel from Patrick McGrath to be turned into a movie following David Cronenberg’s SPIDER. Though at one time ASYLUM was meant to be a Liam Neeson/Natasha Richardson-starring movie from director Jonathan Demme adapted by Stephen King himself, a lot has changed since.
Asked why he wanted to take this particular project on after receiving so many different offers following LORD OF THE RINGS, McKellen jokes, ‘It was a British movie, yay!!! And I have slightly berated the British film industry for not having made LORD OF THE RINGS and HARRY POTTER. They’re great British books and who makes them? The Yanks! Here was a British movie, which meant I could live at home and easily travel to work. It was directed by David [YOUNG ADAM] MacKenzie, whose films I’d really liked. And it was a rattling good part. A really, really, really good story.’
The actor notes that he was not previously familiar with the McGrath novel, but was familiar with the author. ‘I knew him slightly because I know his wife, Maria [GRAVE INDISCRETIONS] Aitken, who is in the film,’ reports McKellen. ‘The screenplay was written by Patrick Marber, a very good playwright and director. I’d asked him at one point on bended knee, ‘Please, Patrickwrite me a play!’ He put me into this. All in all, it was the people. It always is. Who’s involved? Who’s directing? Who’s written it? Long before you get ’round to what other people think is important, like how much you’re getting paid.’
Courtesy of Fangoria
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