Mike Leigh is known for asking his cast of actors to develop their characters in rehearsal. It is an improvisational method that has helped make the British director’s long run of acclaimed films so distinctive. But the production team who worked closely with Leigh on his new film, Hard Truths, have revealed they had to follow the same creative process to find the suburban settings and locations for his latest story.
"I went on a similar journey to the actors," says Suzie Davies, production designer on Hard Truths, whose recent credits include contrasting work on the glamorous hit Saltburn and the papal screen drama Conclave.
"Working with Mike, I discover the story as the characters are developed. It is a case of dipping in and out and learning as much as I can. Mike gives me what he can. He is pragmatic and knows the designers need to find out who these people are as soon as they can. Then, eventually, I will sit down with the actors, one by one, to hear the detail."
Hard Truths tells the story of two London sisters, Pansy and Chantelle, played by Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Michele Austin, and is largely set inside their different domestic worlds. They have trouble connecting because Pansy is an unhappy, agoraphobic housewife, while her single-mother sister is a fun-loving hairstylist who finds ample joy in her flat with her daughters.
The colour of the walls, the furniture and, of course, the style of the buildings themselves, are only pinpointed as rehearsals conclude.
"When I got to speak to Marianne she was able to write down a list of the homes that her character would have lived in throughout her life, including places in Hillingdon, Crouch End, Willesden and Kentish Town," Davies says. "She even mentioned where she would have gone to school, so that we could look at that too."
These clues all led Davies and the location manager, Duncan Laing, to a picture of the characters’ "levels of affluence".
"It was clear Pansy must have done quite well," Davies says.
Davies worked with Leigh on two acclaimed costume-dramas, Mr Turner and Peterloo, but was keen to work with him on a modern plot.
"I was excited because this is classic Mike Leigh," she says. "I knew it was going to be set in northwest London, but not much more."
Once chosen, the house and the flat between which the action is split, were filled with the props and clothing owned by the characters, just like the site of a piece of live immersive theatre. Davies and the film’s producer, Georgina Lowe, explain that before filming started the actors were also given time to get used to their fictional homes, exploring the contents of cupboards and wardrobes.
Suburban lives are often Leigh’s creative canvas, subject as they are to the dual forces of aspiration and financial threat. Lowe has worked with Leigh since his 1993 film Naked. So she has fond associations with suburban streets all over the capital.
"The new film is supposed to be Harlesden, although we don’t specify. The cast do mention going to Kilburn though, and the character of Moses is shown walking down Harlesden High Street," Lowe says.
Leigh always works with his actors before he speaks to the production team, Lowe confirms.
"Only at a certain point do I get any information," she says. "Then we loop in the actors and costumes, designers, decorators and hair and make-up."
Possible location addresses receive a letter drop, and the strongest possibilities are talked through with Mike. Access is a crucial element, as the owners must move out and the film-makers cannot predict how many days will be needed.
The place chosen for Pansy and her plumber husband is a semi-detached corner house in East Finchley. It had to become as uncluttered as the character would demand at speed.
"It was quite lucky that we found one that was being sold and so we were able to come in between owners," said Davies. "It also helped that Mike is a national treasure, so those people who agree often like his films."
The house was shown to Marianne, who suggested plain, neutral decor.
"This is different to the way I usually establish a character, but it did the job just as well. I always ask an actor where they would have bought the kitchen table, if they were in character. Marianne said Homebase or MFI, 10 years ago. And we made it glass so Pansy can keep cleaning it," said Davies.
"It was actually a delightful part of London, near a park, but because of Pansy, you have that suburban sense that you don’t know what is going on behind closed doors," said Davies.
Chantelle’s flat, found in Stoke Newington, looks very different.
"She is high up, among the trees. She almost talks to the birds, while we show that Pansy, in direct opposition, has put up anti-pigeon devices around her home," said Davies.
And that all-important kitchen table?
"At Chantelle’s we made the table deliberately too small for everyone to sit around," said Davies, proudly. "I think it feels very real." — The Observer
