Empire of Light
Empire of Light
Neal Street Productions
Searchlight Pictures
Release date
December 9, 2022
Directed by
Sam Mendes
Written by
Sam Mendes
Produced by
Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes
Starring
Olivia Colman as Hilary Small
Micheal Ward as Stephen
Colin Firth as Mr. Ellis
Toby Jones as Norman
Tom Brooke as Neil
Tanya Moodie as Delia
Hannah Onslow as Janine
Crystal Clarke as Ruby
Monica Dolan as Rosemary Bates
Sara Stewart as Brenda
Ron Cook as Mr. Cooper
Justin Edwards as Jim Booth
Cinematography
Roger Deakins
Edited by
Lee Smith
Music by
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Sam Mendes discusses EMPIRE OF LIGHT
For most people, their most formative period is their teenage years. For me, that was the late ’70s and early ’80s: the music, the movies, the pop culture of that period generally formed who I was. It was a period of great political upheaval in the U.K., with a great deal of very incendiary racial politics – but at the same time, an amazing period for music and for culture generally – very creative, very politicized, very energized. EMPIRE OF LIGHT itself, however, is a movie almost entirely born out of the pandemic. Lockdown was a period of intense self-examination and reflection for all of us. And for me it meant starting to confront these memories that I’d been wrestling with since childhood. That was the spur to write – to explore those memories and to see if I could unlock anything interesting.”
Movies deal in mythic landscapes. You’re always looking for a point where the past becomes somehow bigger in scale, and greater in theme, and more fabled than the present. Looking back now, this period in England seemed to me one where the intersection of racial politics and music and movies was particularly special and unusual.”
Olivia Colman's Hilary
She doesn’t really feel anything very strongly. She’s going through the motions at work, going through the motions with Mr. Ellis. She lives alone, doesn’t speak to anyone – it’s a pretty lonely existence, and she wants more. She wants to feel more.
I loved playing Hilary because of the different emotional states that we find her in.
Micheal Ward's Stephen
He’s been rejected by universities and he’s at a crossroads and trying to find himself.
When something like that is taken away from you, you have to find something else that fulfills you. He’s a young Black man, excited by the opportunities in life; he loves people, loves to connect with music and movies, and he refuses to allow an oppressive society to define who he is.
For Stephen, the film is a coming-of-age story, where he's finding himself and his place in this world. But for me, when I first read the script, my reaction was focused on how much of an impact the character could have – not just in the story, but for a lot of young Black people. It’s so important for them to see themselves in something like this, because then they realize everyone’s stories are relevant and worth telling.
Stephen gives Hilary a lot of optimism, a lot of love, a lot of enthusiasm, exposure to different culture and art, and his experiences.
She gives him her perspective, life impression, her love of poetry and words, and just simple encouragement. She sees him. They both have been slightly ostracized from society, and that connective tissue draws them together, whether they realize it or not. It’s an exchange of energies and love. They give each other things that they don’t even know they need. Hilary has never met anyone like Stephen before, and that allows her to figure out who she is as a person as well.
Colin Firth's Mr. Ellis - the manager of the theater
Sam and I talked quite a bit about the relationship between Ellis and Hilary, because the short answer is, he’s a predator.
He’s unfaithful to his wife, he doesn’t have Hilary’s best interests at heart. The way he treats her is atrocious.
My job as an actor is find why he is the way he is. I think he is frustrated – he dreamed of bigger things professionally. I do think he cares for his wife and Hilary, or believes he does. But he’s not really fluent in the language of consent – and that’s especially apparent in a man of his age at that time.
Toby Jones' Norman - the projectionist
He’s an old-school projectionist – it’s a very skilled job and he takes it incredibly seriously. Because he has to change reels every fifteen minutes, he pretty much lives constantly in the projection room, where he has to attend each film.
What we find out is that – like many of the characters – he has found a refuge in the cinema.
He loves film, and he’s an enigma… until he isn’t.
Tom Brooke's Neil
The script says, ‘Neil entertains everybody.’ Everybody finds Neil hilarious. You’ve got to be funny, and you’ve got to be funny all day. If you do forty takes, you’ve still got to be funny. So I prepped it – ad-libs, tweaks, a range of pitches, voices, sounds – all kinds of stuff that would keep it light and moving.”
Hannah Onslow's Janine
She’s eighteen years old, in that in-between stage of being a teenager and becoming an adult. It’s a turning point in her life and she doesn’t really know what she wants to do, so she’s focusing on simple things – music, going out with friends and looking for a boyfriend.
Like Hilary, she forms quite a strong relationship with Stephen, but she contrasts with Hilary – Janine’s whole life is ahead of her, while for Hilary, there are a lot of ‘could haves’ and ‘should haves.’
Crystal Clarke's Ruby
Ruby is very carefree. She represents home, a sense of comfort – something familiar. She was really fun to play, because in most of her scenes with Stephen, there’s a bit of flirtation and she’s harmonious. It’s refreshing to be able to play somebody who’s always in a good mood.
Tanya Moodie's Delia
Sam doesn’t shy away from tough things. During the rehearsal weeks, we talked about the elements in the script that we could bring into sharper focus, from my experience, and Micheal’s, as an African-Caribbean person. That is what makes Sam a master – he acknowledges, he has the dialogue, and we bring as much input from our authentic experiences into the film and character creation as possible.
@jovintardif #EmpireofLight #SearchlightPictures #SamMendes ♬ original sound - Jovin Tardif
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