The first thing you hear the older Nicky say is, Home as he walks through the door.
The first thing that young Nicky does when he walks into his mothers house is, Home.
All those details are there.
Anthony Hopkins and Johnny Flynn as Nicholas Winton in ‘One Life’Warner Bros/See-Saw Films
Both actors had been flirting with the project before beforeSlow Horseshelmer Hawes was contracted to direct.
They lunched at The Bel-Air, and precautions were in place because it was still only shortly after Covid.
Indeed, when Hopkins arrived in London for filming, extraordinary efforts were in place to protect the actor.
James Hawes at the Deadline Portrait Studio (Deadline)Chris Chapman/Deadline
Cast and crew were double-masked, and obviously there was regular testing.
We were very wary and respectful, Hawes recalled.
Hawes also worked with her on the television dramaEnid, whichwon Bonham Carter an International Emmy.
The actress had no hesitation in signing on forOne Life.
This is my world, this is where I come from, Hawes recalled her telling him.
Thats why I used the to the manor born phrase earlier.
That made it much more resonant to her, Hawes whispered, clearly moved.
he said, smiling.
Hawes watched reels and reels of archive footage of Kindertransport, and he was startled by what he saw.
The children thought they were going on holiday.
So the emotional honesty is questionable a lot of the time, he remarked.
Ive been to that station many times and have seen the memorials.
We were literally on the same platform where those kids left from, Hawes told me.
Every day wed come to work there and wed dress the set.
And we were coming to tell a story.
I had known something about Wintons deeds.
I may well have spoken to a few of those Winton saved.
I wish Id kept those notebooks from over four decades ago.
Rantzen now Dame Esther, thank you very much!
famously asked, Is there anyone in our audience tonight who owes their life toNicholas Winton?
The clip has been viewed tens of millions of times on YouTube.
One Lifere-creates that moment, and of course it hits right in the heart.
I found use of a handful on my way home.
We had tone words for the film, he told me.
And they were humble and restrained.
And that wasnt Nicky, and that wasnt why he was doing it, Hawes stressed.
We kept the palette subdued, we kept the costume subdued, Hawes told me.
And its only when he gets to theThats Life!studio that I start to inject color.
So it really reflected the space of the person.
Same with Johnny as well.
The idea was, Lets keep it pitched down, lets keep it real, lets match the man.
The story will do the punching, and we dont need to overcook it, Hawes reflected.
You hear Nicky say, Its not about me, and thats what he believed.
He does not want to be the story, Hawes added.
We were pretty much exactly halfway, he said.
