Inspired by true events, EDDIE THE EAGLE is a feel-good story about Michael
“Eddie” Edwards (Taron Egerton), an unlikely but courageous British ski-jumper who never
stopped believing in himself – even as an entire nation was counting him out. With the help
of a rebellious and charismatic coach (played by Hugh Jackman), Eddie takes on the
establishment and wins the hearts of sports fans around the world by making an improbable
and historic showing at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics. From producers of Kingsman:
The Secret Service, Eddie the Eagle stars Taron Egerton as Eddie, the loveable underdog with
a never say die attitude.
Eddie’s story is inspirational. Although he was never athletically gifted, from an early
age he dedicated his life to achieving one goal: to become an Olympian. Eddie tried his hand
at various sports and disciplines, before settling on downhill skiing. Having narrowly failed
to make the British team at the Winter Olympics in 1984, he recalibrated and switched to ski
jumping.
There were several problems here: Britain had never had a ski jumping representative
at a Winter Olympics. And Eddie had never even attempted a ski jump before. He was
heavier than most ski jumpers, all of whom started at a very early age, he had no funding,
very little training and his terrible eyesight meant that he had to attempt jumps while wearing
glasses that would dangerously mist up mid-jump.
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Yet his indefatigable spirit prevailed. Begging and borrowing equipment, Eddie was
the sole British entrant at the 1987 World Championships, where placing 55th was enough to
see him through to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.
Calgary was where Eddie really took off, literally and figuratively. Although he
placed last in both his events - the 70 meter jump and 90 meter jump - he became a media
darling (he was quickly dubbed “The Eagle” by the tabloids) and something of a folk hero,
famous for his unorthodox style, appearance and will to compete. It was only a matter of
time, surely, before someone made a movie about this unassuming hero’s life.
THE EAGLE IS ALOFT
It actually took almost thirty years. One night, towards the end of 2014, Matthew
Vaughn - director of Kingsman: The Secret Service, X-Men: First Class and Layer Cake - sat
down to watch a film with his children. The film was Cool Runnings, the comedy about a
Jamaican bobsled team that defied all the odds to compete in the 1988 Winter Olympics in
Calgary.
“My kids were loving the film,” says Vaughn, “and I started thinking, ‘Why does
nobody make movies like this anymore?’ I wanted to make a movie that you could watch and
just come out feeling inspired. And I wanted to do a film I could show my kids!”
Perhaps spurred on by the remarkable coincidence that the Jamaican bobsledders and
Eddie Edwards competed at the same Olympics, Vaughn turned his thoughts towards The
Eagle. Fifteen years or so earlier, Vaughn and his then directing partner, Guy Ritchie, had
been sent an Eddie The Eagle screenplay with a view to turning it into a movie. That deal
hadn’t worked out, but something about it resonated with him. “I thought it was charming,
and worth making. Loads of people had bought it since, but nothing had happened,” Vaughn
explains. “I tracked down the script, said I wanted to buy it, and three months later we were
filming.”
Vaughn quickly assembled his dream team both in front of and behind the camera.
Deciding immediately that he didn’t want to direct (“This is a whole new experience for me,
making a family-friendly feel-good film!”), he turned to his old friend, Dexter Fletcher.
Fletcher had starred in the first movie produced by Vaughn, Lock, Stock And Two Smoking
Barrels, and the two had remained in touch ever since, during which both had become
directors. Fletcher’s helming debut, Wild Bill, in particular, caught Vaughn’s eye.
“I loved Wild Bill,” says Vaughn. “Dexter’s good at heart, and he’s good at looking
after people.”
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Unlike Vaughn, who was glued to Eddie’s exploits in Calgary, Fletcher has little
memory of the time. “I was in my 20s, he wasn’t cool, and everything had to be cool when
you were in your 20s,” laughs Fletcher. But he had been impressed when Edwards showed up
in, and won, the British high-diving reality show, Splash!, “I thought, Eddie has the right
attitude. He was 45 years old, but he had an Olympic approach to it, a real singlemindedness.
He had no fear.”
So, when he got the call from Vaughn, Fletcher was more than ready to make the
Eagle soar. “It was a great opportunity to work with Matthew as a producer, but there’s
something really interesting about this story. It’s not just what we think we know,” he
explains. “And then Matthew started talking to me like I was doing it! The train had left the
station. I just happened to be on it!”
Fletcher and Vaughn wanted to keep the focus firmly on Eddie’s drive for glory. “The
story is all about when he’s there and what he achieves,” says Fletcher.
Edwards’ exploits were solitary. Largely shunned by the ski jumping community, he
would either train himself or go through a string of short-lived coaches. For the film however,
Vaughn and Fletcher wanted to create a character to join Eddie through every step of his
journey. “We needed someone we can relate to, a participant we can imagine ourselves to
be,” says Fletcher. “Our attitude towards Eddie would be that he’s mad, but we’re won over
by his inspirational enthusiasm and approach.”
Enter Bronson Peary, a hard-drinking, chain-smoking American and former ski
jumper who takes Eddie, very reluctantly at first, under his wing. It was a role created for a
movie star. And one of the benefits of being as successful as Matthew Vaughn is that you
have movie stars on speed dial. Hugh Jackman, for one.
“I rang Hugh up and sent him the script,” says Vaughn. “He remembered Eddie The
Eagle. He told me he used to jump off the roof of his house in Australia and pretend it was a
ski jump! Hugh loved the idea of doing this. He’s never done anything like this before.”
Jackman says he was indeed a huge Eddie the Eagle fan growing up -- just another
reminder of the huge impact Eddie’s exploits had on the world at large. “Eddie was a legend
who embodies that pure spirit of having a go. And he had a go at the most crazy, almost
suicidal event in sport, the ski jump. I mean, I wanted to be in the Olympics as a kid; I just
wasn’t going to go this far!”
Jackman was also drawn in by the chance to play Peary, a fictional character, who is a
damaged, cynical soul who was kicked out of the U.S. Winter Olympics team at the peak of
his powers. His friendship with Eddie enables a long-overdue healing process for Peary.
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“Eddie’s dogged determination intrigues Bronson,” adds Jackman. “He likes this kid. He
thinks he’s flat out crazy, but he relates to him. They’re both outsiders, they’ve both been
shunned by the world, and it’s a redemption tale for both of them. Through that growing
friendship, Bronson starts to believe in himself again.”
A key part of Peary’s arc is his relationship with his former coach, Warren Sharp,
who kicked Bronson out of the U.S. team all those years ago. Sharp remains a huge presence
in Peary’s life, particularly in a climactic scene where the two meet for the first time in
decades. But the character presented Vaughn and Fletcher with a casting challenge. “It had to
be someone on a par with Hugh Jackman,” says Fletcher. “That’s Christopher Walken. When
he came on set, it was just brilliant. What he does is so ‘Walken,’ but it’s powerful and
moving, and means that Hugh’s character is more three-dimensional as well.”
Jackman loved working with the legendary actor. “Honestly, no acting required!” he
laughs. “For one scene, the script says, ‘the godfather of the sport walks into the room and
everyone goes still.’ That’s pretty much what happened. It’s Christopher Walken! And he’s
the coolest, most relaxed guy from take one until the end of the shoot. It’s all gold.”
Vaughn and Fletcher had their Bronson Peary. And they had their Warren Sharp. Now
they just needed the biggest piece of the puzzle: the Eagle himself.
HUNTING THE EAGLE
As it happens, the hunt for Eddie didn’t take very long, because Vaughn realized he
had the perfect candidate right under his nose. He had just put the finishing touches on
Kingsman: The Secret Service, starring Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Caine, Mark
Strong, and as the film’s hero Eggsy, Taron Egerton, a young Welsh newcomer in his first
film role.
“I knew Eggsy was a performance,” says Vaughn. “Eggsy is so not Taron. I said to
him, ‘It’s important you do a character now which surprises people.’ I didn’t have a doubt
that Taron was going to pull Eddie off.”
Egerton wasn’t even born when Edwards was soaring through the Calgary air, but the
young actor quickly jumped at the chance. A test with Jackman in New York swiftly
followed, before Egerton was officially offered the role just before Christmas 2014. But he
took it on one proviso. “I have absolutely no interest in sending Eddie up,” says Egerton. “He
can be funny, he can have mishaps, but he needs heart and soul and to be real and
believable.”
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His initial fears were misplaced. “I wanted to dial up the emotion,” says Vaughn.
“That’s what I’m most excited with this movie. Audiences will no longer think of Eddie the
clown, but as Eddie the hero.”
To prepare for the role, Egerton did meet with the real-life Eddie, which helped
inform his performance. “Eddie is a very reasonable and pleasant, affable chap,” he says. “He
has optimism, and he’s focused. There are things about Eddie that are heroic.”
Egerton transformed himself for the role with the addition of a subtle wig, the
trademark thick glasses, a little extra weight, a Cheltenham accent and, towards the movie’s
end, Eddie’s iconic moustache. “But I also need to be really innocent,” he says. “Hugh’s
bringing all the movie star pecs, and he’s given me the room to be a bit eccentric.”
The young actor also learned how to ski for the role, in order to replicate the positions
required for ski jumping, from the Inrun position (the first position a ski jumper adopts as
they come down the slope) to the take-off move and the “Telemark,” which allows the
jumper to land with one foot in front of the other. “Well, I did about fifteen hours!” he
laughs. “I was quite nervous doing it. It’s hardcore. You realize how dangerous it is when
you’re doing it.”
Be under no illusions - ski jumping is an incredibly dangerous sport. “I won’t be
doing the 90 meter jump,” laughs Egerton. “You have to do it every day from the age of four
just for it to be safe. It’s why Eddie kept hurting himself.” Jackman, no stranger to doing his
own stunts, was also daunted by the sheer difficulty of a 90 meter jump, which requires total
focus and mastery of the human body just to take off, let alone land safely.
“I had to do a scene where I sat on top of the jump, and I had a wire on to stop me
from killing myself if I fell,” recalls Jackman. “And even then I was pretty freaked out! When
you think that Eddie did that in the Olympics after doing hardly any jumps in his life, he had
some serious courage.”
Perhaps Vaughn sums it up best. “Whoever invented ski jumping was insane,” he
remarks. “There’s no logical reason for doing it.”
To accurately depict Edwards’ training routine, and the big jumps he undertook at the
Calgary Olympics, Fletcher and his director of photography George Richmond had to find a
way of doing it safely, and repeatedly. “There are thirteen or more jumps in the film, and it’s
always the same action - a guy goes up somewhere steep, he jumps off and then he lands,”
notes Fletcher. “We had to find a lot of new ways to do that. And as soon as you get on a
screen, everything becomes flat, and the height of something is reduced by 50 percent, at
least.”
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Other problems encountered by the production while on location in Germany and
Austria, was amazingly, a lack of snow. “We were filming in spring and at the tail-end of a
mild winter,” says Fletcher. “There was one shot where Taron goes to the top of the 70 meter
jump and looks down, and there was no snow! We had to bring some in from higher up the
mountain in a truck, and spread it out around the slope.”
Other solutions involved judicious use of CG, helmet-cams to increase the feeling of
speed as the skier speeds down the slope, and the construction of complex platforms in and
around the 70 meter and 90 meter jumps. The latter allowed Fletcher, Richmond and second
unit director, the legendary Vic Armstrong, to devise shots where the camera would swoop
and fly and be able to depict the sheer speeds of a ski jumper as they leap into the unknown.
“George and I got very creative,” adds Fletcher. “We found ways of coming up with fun
angles, and ways to communicate how high and dangerous this is. It’s about choosing the
right people to help you bring it to the next level.”
THE EAGLE HAS LANDED
Sadly, it now seems almost impossible for someone to replicate Eddie’s
achievements. As detailed in the film, the standards required to qualify for the ski jump were
almost immediately increased by the International Olympic Committee. Eddie never qualified
for the event again, although he was selected as a torchbearer for the 2010 Vancouver
Olympics.
Yet the film was devised by Fletcher and Vaughn as a testament to the unshakeable
faith that Edwards possessed. “He’s a hero,” says Vaughn. “Eddie literally risked his life with
every jump. He was being bloody brave. The word ‘no’ is not in my vocabulary, and it wasn’t
in his, either. That’s for sure. I admired Eddie.”
The film ends with a famous quote from Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the
modern Olympics. ‘The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but
taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering, but fighting well’. It sums up why
Vaughn and Fletcher wanted to tell this story, and why they wanted to celebrate the fighting
spirit of an unlikely hero. Eddie the Eagle Edwards may not have won an Olympic medal, but
his example is an inspirational one. Says Vaughn: “This film shows that no matter how big a
problem you may have, you can solve it. Having heart and determination and tenacity does
work.”
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ABOUT THE CAST
TARON EGERTON (Michael “Eddie the Eagle” Edwards), an RADA trained
actor, starred as the lead role of Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin in Matthew Vaughn’s 2015 box office
smash hit Kingsman: The Secret Service, opposite Colin Firth, Michael Caine and Samuel L
Jackson. For his performance, Egerton won Best Male Newcomer at the Empire Awards.
Last year also saw the release of Legend, a biopic about the Kray twins, where
Egerton played Edward ‘Mad Teddy’ Smith opposite Tom Hardy, and Testament of
Youth, based on the life of Vera Brittain. For his role as Edward Brittain, Egerton was
nominated for the Rising Star Award at the BFI London Film Festival.
Egerton’s first role out of drama school was on stage in The Last Of The
Haussmans at the National Theatre, opposite Helen McCrory. He was then cast as series
regular, Dennis ‘Asbo’ Severs in Sky’s well-reviewed drama “The Smoke.” Egerton was on
the Screen International’s ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ list for 2014 and as one of the top 50 best
dressed men in the UK of 2015 and 2016 by GQ.
Egerton, along with Matthew McConaughey, provided voices for the new musical
animation comedy Sing, which will hit cinemas in 2016. Egerton is currently
filming opposite Ansel Elgort in a movie version of Billionaires Boys Club and will then will
begin filming the much anticipated second Kingsman film. Egerton has just been named one
of the “30 under 30” list in Forbes magazine and has been nominated for this year’s BAFTA
EE Rising Star Award.
HUGH JACKMAN (Bronson Peary) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden
Globe and Tony Award-winning performer who has made an impression on audiences of all
ages with his multi-hyphenate career persona, as successful on stage in front of live crowds as
he is on film. From his award-winning turn on Broadway as the 1970s singer/songwriter
Peter Allen, to his adamantium claw-wielding Wolverine in the blockbuster X-Men franchise,
Jackman has proven to be one of the most versatile actors of our time.
The Australian native made his first major U.S. film appearance as Wolverine in XMen, a role he reprised in the enormously successful X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand. He then
starred as the title character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, a prequel to the popular series,
which grossed an outstanding $85 million domestically in its first weekend of release.
Audiences once again went to see Jackman in the popular role in The Wolverine, which
grossed over $400 million worldwide. In 2014, Jackman and the X-Men team reunited for X7
Men: Days of Future Past.
Jackman garnered his first Academy Award nomination, for Best Actor, for his
performance in Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables, based on popular stage show created from
Victor’s Hugo famous novel of the same name. Jackman’s standout performance as
protagonist Jean Valjean also earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a
Comedy/Musical, as well as Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nominations, for both Best
Ensemble and Best Male Actor in a Leading Role, and a BAFTA Award nomination.
In 2009, Jackman took on host duties at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, earning an
Emmy Award nomination for his work. This wasn’t, however, Jackman’s first foray into
awards show hosting. Previously, he served as host of the Tony Awards three years in a row,
from 2003 to 2005, earning an Emmy Award for the 2004 ceremony, and an Emmy
nomination for his appearance at the 2005 ceremony.
Jackman’s additional film credits include Prisoners, Shawn Levy’s Real Steel, Baz
Luhrmann’s Australia, Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain,
Woody Allen’s Scoop, Deception, Someone Like You, Swordfish, Van Helsing, and Kate and
Leopold, for which he received a 2002 Golden Globe nomination. In addition, Jackman lent
his voice to the animated features Happy Feet, Flushed Away and Rise of the Guardians.
On Broadway, Jackman most recently received rave reviews for his performance as
The Man in the The River. In 2011, he made a splash on the Great White Way in his one-man
show, Hugh Jackman – Back on Broadway. Backed by an 18-piece orchestra, the revue,
which previously opened to rave reviews during its limited engagements in San Francisco
and Toronto earlier that year, was comprised of both Broadway hits and a selection of some
of his personal favorite standards. Jackman’s continued dedication to the Broadway
community was fêted at the 2012 Tony Awards, where he received a Special Award from the
Tony Awards Administration Committee, recognizing his accomplishments both as a
performer as well as a humanitarian.
In 2009, Broadway audiences could see Jackman in the Keith Huff-penned A Steady
Rain, in which he starred with Daniel Craig. For his portrayal of the 1970s singer/songwriter
Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz, Jackman received the 2004 Tony Award for Best Actor in a
musical as well as Drama Desk, Drama League, Outer Critics Circle and Theatre World
awards.
His additional theatre credits include Carousel at Carnegie Hall; Oklahoma! at the
National Theatre in London, for which Jackman received an Olivier Award nomination;
Sunset Boulevard, for which he garnered Australia’s prestigious ‘MO’ Award; and Beauty
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and the Beast, for which he received a ‘MO’ Award nomination.
Jackman’s career began in Australia in the independent films Paperback Hero and
Erskineville Kings. His performance in the latter earned him an Australian Film Critics’
Circle Best Actor award and The Australian Film Institute Best Actor nomination. In 1999,
he was named Australian Star of the Year at the Australian Movie Convention.
CHRISTOPHER WALKEN (Warren Sharp) won an Academy Award and the New
York Film Critic's Circle Award for his performance in The Deer Hunter. Walken also
received an Academy Award nomination and won BAFTA and SAG awards for Catch Me if
You Can. Additionally, in 2010, he was nominated for a Tony Award and Drama Desk
Award for his performance in A Behanding in Spokane.
His film credits include Annie Hall, Pennies From Heaven, The Dead Zone, At Close
Range, Biloxi Blues, King of New York, Man On Fire, Man of the Year, Wedding Crashers,
Hairspray, True Romance, Pulp Fiction, Batman Returns, Seven Psychopaths, A Late
Quartet.
Theatre credits include The Lion In Winter (Clarence Derwent Award), The Seagull
(Obie), The Rose Tattoo (Theatre World Award), James Joyce's The Dead, The Seagull (NY
Shakespeare Festival). Walken also performed in a Spike Jonze-directed music video for
“Weapon of Choice.”
Walken starred in Jersey Boys in 2014, which was directed by Clint Eastwood, When
I Live My Life Over Again, co-starring Amber Heard and Oliver Platt, The Family Fang,
alongside Justin Bateman and Nicole Kidman and “Peter Pan Live” for NBC, as Captain
Hook. Walken recently starred in Nine Lives alongside Kevin Spacey and Jennifer Garner,
with Barry Sonnenfeld directing.
KEITH ALLEN (Terry Edwards), a celebrated actor, musician, comedian and
filmmaker, has enjoyed a career spanning over 35 years across film, theatre and television.
Allen has appeared in some of the most memorable films of the past 20 years,
including Michael Winterbottom’s 24 Hour Party People, Steven Soderbergh’s Kafka, and
two films for Danny Boyle -- Trainspotting and Shallow Grave. Most recently Allen was
seen in 2015's Hector.
Allen has also enjoyed a broad career in television, with numerous notable roles,
including his portrayal of the Sheriff of Nottingham on BBC 1's successful Saturday evening
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adaptation of “Robin Hood,” which ran for several seasons. Additional television credits
include Tony Whitman in BBC’s “Bodies,” D.I Hale in “The Body Farm,” and Danny Dixon
in Sky’s “The Runaway.” Most recently in 2015, Allen appeared in “My Mad Fat Diary” in
the role of Victor and could also be seen in “We're Doomed! The Story of Dad's Army,”
which was part of the BBC's Christmas programming.
Allen made his directorial debut with three episodes of Channel 4's iconic “The
Comic Strip Presents” series, which Allen also contributed to as a writer and actor.
Subsequent documentary projects include Glastonbury (2002), inspired by the UK’s most
famous music festival, You’re Fayed (2005), Tourette de France (2007), Keith Allen Will
Burn in Hell (2007) and Keith Meets Keith (2009).
Allen’s career on stage has been just as varied. His roles include taking on two Harold
Pinter plays in 2000: playing the role of Lambert in Celebration and Mr. Sands in Room.
Both plays were later staged in New York for the Lincoln Center Festival in 2001. Allen is
currently starring in Harold Pinter’s The Homecoming, in the role of Sam, alongside Gemma
Chan, Ron Cook, Gary Kemp, John Macmillan and John Simm.
JIM BROADBENT (Commentator) is an Academy Award, BAFTA, Emmy and
Golden Globe-winning theatre, film and television actor, best known for roles in Iris (for
which he won Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes in
2001); Moulin Rouge (for which he was awarded the BAFTA for performance in a
Supporting Role in 2001) and the International phenomenon the Harry Potter franchise.
Broadbent was BAFTA nominated most recently for his role alongside Meryl Streep
in The Iron Lady (directed by Phyllida Lloyd, 2011). He has continued to appear in an
eclectic mix of projects, including John S. Baird’s scurrilous Irvine Welsh adaptation Filth;
Roger Michell’s romantic comedy drama Le Weekend (for which he was nominated for a
British Independent Film Award as Best Actor); and The Harry Hill Movie, in which
Broadbent appeared in drag as a three-armed cleaning lady.
Previous film credits include Christopher Smith’s Christmas comedy Get Santa and
Paul King’s critically acclaimed Paddington, based on the beloved children’s books by
Michael Bond. More recently, Broadbent starred in John Crowley’s Oscar-nominated drama
Brooklyn, adapted by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibín’s novel and The Lady in the Van,
starring Maggie Smith and directed by Nicholas Hytner. Upcoming films include the long
anticipated Bridget Jones’s Baby and The Legend of Tarzan, the latter directed by David
Yates.
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Since his film debut in 1978, Broadbent has appeared in countless successful and
acclaimed films, establishing a long-running collaboration with Mike Leigh (Life is Sweet,
Topsy-Turvy, Vera Drake and Another Year) and demonstrating his talents as a character
actor in films as diverse as The Crying Game (directed by Neil Jordan, 1992), Bullets Over
Broadway ( Woody Allen, 1994), Little Voice (Mark Herman, 1998); Bridget Jones’ Diary
(Sharon Maguire, 2001); Hot Fuzz (Edgar Wright, 2007); The Damned United (Tom Hooper,
2009) and Cloud Atlas (Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski, Lana Wachowski, 2012).
Honored for his extensive work on television, Broadbent recently received a Royal
Television Award and BAFTA nomination for his leading performance in “Any Human
Heart” (based on William Boyd’s novel of the same name), and had previously been
recognized for his performance in Tom Hooper’s “Longford,” winning a BAFTA and a
Golden Globe, and for his work in “The Street,” for which he won an Emmy.
Broadbent’s earlier role in The Gathering Storm (2002) earned him Golden Globe and
Emmy nominations. Other selected credits include Birth of a Nation – Tales out of School
(Mike Newell, 1983); “Black Adder” (John Lloyd, 1983); “Only Fools and Horses”;
“Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV”; “The Young Visitors” (David Yates, 2003); “Einstein &
Eddington” (Philip Martin, 2008); “Exile” (John Alexander, 2011); “The Great Train
Robbery” (James Strong, 2013). Broadbent will star alongside Ben Whishaw and Charlotte
Rampling in “London Spy,” an original production by BBC America.
Having studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Broadbent has
appeared extensively on the stage, notably with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal
Shakespeare Company. His has appeared in the acclaimed productions Our Friends in the
North by Peter Flannery at the RSC Pit, A Place with Pigs by Athol Fugard at The National,
A Flea In Her Ear by Georges Feydeau at the Old Vic, Habeas Corpus by Alan Bennett at
The Donmar, and The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh at The National.
Broadbent performed for many years in Patrick Barlow’s comedy troupe The National
Theatre of Brent and in 2005, Theatre of Blood at The National, which was directed by
Phelim McDermott.
TIM MCINNERNY’s (Dustin Target) television work includes “Blackadder Series
1– 4”; “Edge of Darkness,” “A Very British Coup,” “Gunpowder,” “Treason and Plot,” “The
Line of Beauty” and “The Devil's Whore.” Most recently he starred in “Strikeback,”
“Outlander” and “Sherlock: The Abominable Bride” and will soon be seen in the ITV/Sony
series “Houdini and Doyle” and in “Game of Thrones.”
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McInnerny’s first film was Wetherby in 1985 and since then he has appeared in Eric
The Viking, Richard III, 102 Dalmations, Fairy Tale-A True Story, Notting Hill: The
Emperor's New Clothes, Casanova, Severance, Black Death, and Automata. Most recently
McInnerny played Oliver Mace in Spooks: The Greater Good. Apart from Eddie The Eagle,
his most recent films are Race and The Hippopotamus, both to be released in 2016.
On stage McInnerny has played roles ranging from Andrew May in Pravda opposite
Anthony Hopkins, to Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show and Dr. Prentice in What
The Butler Saw both in The West End, to Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet for The RSC and
Iago in Othello at Shakespeare's Globe. Most recentlyMcInnerny played Urgentino in Scenes
From An Execution at The National Theatre.
JO HARTLEY (Janette Edwards) was born in Manchester, and has appeared in some
of the UK's most cutting edge films and television dramas. Starting her professional career in
Shane Meadows' dark, emotionally turbo-charged and disturbing Dead Man's Shoes with
Paddy Considine and Toby Kebbell, her career has shown huge range and versatility.
A number of primetime dramas followed, including “Moving On,” appearing
alongside acting heavyweights John Simm, Dervla Kirwan, Joanne Froggatt and Joe
Dempsie, starring alongside the formidable Julie Walters in “The Jury”; Stolen, co-starring
Damian Lewis and Vicky McClure; and the runaway critical hit “The Mimic” on Channel 4,
directed by Kieron Hawkes, in which Hartley co-starred with Terry Mynott.
Many will recognize Hartley from the universally loved, critically acclaimed and
multi award-winning This Is England, a project that has been the heartbeat of great British
cinema and drama since 2007, with This Is England, “This Is England 86,” “This Is England
88” and“This Is England 90.” She plays Tomo's mum, Cynth, a hugely likeable character
who has faced many challenges in her time. Hartley also starred in Channel 4's successful
comedy drama Not Safe for Work with Zawe Ashton and Sacha Dhawan.
Later this year, Hartley will appear in a new feature by Ricky Gervais called Life on
the Road, where a camera crew catches up with David Brent, the lead character in the
fictional British series “The Office,” as he now fancies himself as a rock star on the road.
ABOUT THE FILMAKERS
DEXTER FLETCHER (Director), during a career spanning 40 years, has made a
name for himself on both the small and big screens. His break as a child actor came when he
was cast as Babyface alongside Jodie Foster and Scott Baio in Bugsy Malone. As a child
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actor, Fletcher was a regular feature in British productions in the early 1980s, including The
Long Good Friday, The Elephant Man and The Bounty. At 16 years of age, he was the
youngest member of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In 1985, at age 19, Fletcher landed the role of Ned Dobb in Revolution, playing the
son of Al Pacino’s character. At age 23, Fletcher portrayed American teen Spike Thomson in
the British series “Press Gang.” Fletcher has since appeared in gangster films Lock, Stock and
Two Smoking Barrels and Layer Cake, as well as the Golden-globe winning series “Band of
Brothers,” and the BBC One historical drama “The Virgin Queen.”
In 2011 Fletcher made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed film Wild
Bill, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Outstanding Debut by a British
Writer, Director or Producer. Fletcher then directed the Scottish musical Sunshine on
Leith. Set to the music of The Proclaimers, the film was a critical and commercial success.
SEAN MACAULAY (Screenplay) grew up in north London and worked as a
journalist in the days of Fleet Street before moving into screenwriting. He was the L.A. film
critic for The Times (1999-2007) and has also written for Punch, The Daily Telegraph, The
Mail on Sunday, The Guardian, The Sun, Daily Beast and British GQ.
Macaulay was a Special Consultant on Hitchcock, starring Anthony Hopkins and
Helen Mirren, and Creative Consultant on Anvil! The Story of Anvil!
SIMON KELTON (Story, Screenplay) completed Master’s degrees in English
Literature at Oxford and Stanford Universities before attending UCLA Film School, where he
earned an MFA in screenwriting, and won a BAFTA Los Angeles Scholarship, a Samuel
Goldwyn Award, the Harmony Gold Award of Excellence, and was a top ten Finalist in the
prestigious Disney Fellowship.
Since then, Kelton has written over thirty screenplays for numerous production
companies, with directors Ash Brannon, Andy Fickman, John Stevenson, Kirk Jones, Simon
Wells and Nigel Cole attached to his work. He has also performed as voice talent in the
movies Polar Express, Beowulf and A Christmas. Last year he was an Executive Producer on
Jeff Lowe’s Metanoia, a climbing documentary that has won numerous awards at film
festivals, such as Kendal, Banff, Boulder, Vancouver, Trento and Sheffield.
An award-winning member of the Society of American Travel Writers, Kelton has
written articles for the Telegraph, Daily Mail, Time, Harpers and Queen, Fall Line
and Worth.com. His adventures have included everything from snowboarding and naming
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four premier descents in Alaska, swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon, playing
football on a glacier at 15,500 feet in Afghanistan, and reading the Dalai Lama's palm in
India.
Kelton is the author of two books, The Rich Bastard's Guide to Los Angeles and The
Crush Guide to New York. The Rich Bastard’s Guide was Book of the Month in both Maxim
and FHM, was listed as one of 25 must have items by GQ, was featured on Channel 7
Eyewitness News, CBS, BBC, Channel 4, and ZDF, as well as in the Evening Standard,
Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph and numerous other publications. The Crush Guide was a
comprehensive nightlife guide and early online social networking site for New York,
covering every bar, restaurant and club in New York City for Matthew Freud and Elizabeth
Murdoch’s Oxygen Media.
Kelton is currently working on a diverse slate of projects David Parfitt’s Trademark in
the UK and Todd Garner's Broken Road in the U.S.
MATTHEW VAUGHN (Producer) is a leading British filmmaker who has
produced, written and directed an impressive array of films. Vaughn began his career as
producer with Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, which starred
Brad Pitt and received wide acclaim.
Through his production company, MARV, Vaughn debuted as a director with Layer
Cake, which starred Daniel Craig. Vaughn followed that up by directing and co-writing with
his writing partner Jane Goldman, Stardust, which starred Robert De Niro and Michelle
Pfeiffer. In 2009, Vaughn produced Harry Brown, which starred Michael Caine. 2010 saw
Vaughn producing and writing The Debt, which starred Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington,
and directing, producing and writing Kick-Ass. In 2011 Vaughn wrote and directed X-Men:
First Class and in 2012 wrote and produced Kick-Ass 2.
In 2014 Vaughn co-wrote, produced and directed the box office smash Kingsman:
The Secret Service. A sequel Kingmsan 2 has been announced. In 2016 Vaughn will be
directing and producing the film version of spy thriller novel I Am Pilgrim.
ADAM BOHLING (Producer) produced, with David Reid, Matthew Vaughn’s
directorial debut Layer Cake, as well as Vaughn’s Kick-Ass. As producing partners, Bohling
and Reid went on to produce the BAFTA nominated Indian box office hit Rang De
Basanti, Mr Lonely, Nick Moran’s directorial debut Telstar, Kick-Ass 2, and Vaughn’s box
office smash Kingsman: The Secret Service.
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DAVID REID (Producer) produced, with Adam Bohling, Matthew Vaughn’s
directorial debut Layer Cake, as well as Kick-Ass. As producing partners, Bohling and Reid
went on to produce the BAFTA nominated Indian box office hit Rang De Basanti, Mr
Lonely, Nick Moran’s directorial debut Telstar, Kick-Ass 2, and Matthew Vaughn’s box
office smash Kingsman: The Secret Service.
RUPERT MACONICK (Producer) has a long track record of working with major
feature film and documentary directors.
In 1994, Maconick founded Saville Productions, which has produced projects with
some of the most prominent and award-winning documentary and feature filmmakers,
including Martin Campbell (Casino Royale), Fernando Meirelles (City of God), Stephen
Daldry (The Reader), James McTeigue (V For Vendetta), Gavin O’Connor (Warrior), Barry
Levinson (Rain Man), Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects), Spike Lee (Inside Man), Paul
Haggis (Crash), Wim Wenders (Paris Texas), Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom), and
Werner Herzog (Cave of Forgotten Dreams).
Saville produced a Global World Cup short film with Adidas, directed by Fernando
Meirelles (City Of God). He also produced a Werner Herzog-directed 35-minute film for
AT&T, From One Second to the Next, which was a huge web and PR success. The film is
now being shown in over 40,000 schools and colleges.
Other notable projects include “Bending the Light.” a project directed by Michael
Apted (The Up series), about the art of photography, told through the lens of photographers.
Maconick is currently in production on several documentary and broadcast series
projects. Most recently, he produced Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World, a
Werner Herzog feature length documentary, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
in January 2016.
VALERIE VAN GALDER (Producer) has headed marketing for the Hard Rock
Cafe, and was a founding executive of both Fox Searchlight Pictures and Sony Screen Gems,
and served as President of Marketing at Sony Pictures. Van Galder marketed The Full
Monty, The Da Vinci Code, Spider-Man 3, Superbad, Talledega Nights, Snatch, Casino
Royale, Quantum of Solace, Stepbrothers, Pineapple Express, The Pursuit of Happyness,
Adaptation, Closer, Big Fish, and countless other films. She was also the President of Tri
Star Pictures, overseeing production and marketing on Running with Scissors, Premonition
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and Silent Hill.
Van Galdar joined New Regency Productions in 2012, and was a key member of the
marketing team for the Academy Award winning film 12 Years a Slave.
She will next be producing, with Matthew Vaughn, Ghostgirl, based on Tonya
Hurley's popular young adult series.
A passionate mental health advocate, Van Galdar runs the Depressed Cake Shop, a
social awareness campaign supporting those with mental health issues. She is also on the
Board of Directors of St. Joseph Center in Venice, California, and A Sense of Home in Los
Angeles.
ZYGI KAMASA (Executive Producer) is the CEO of Lionsgate UK, one of the
leading independent distributors in the UK. Zygi started his film career in 1993 as the
Founder and Managing Director of TV production company Scorpio Productions, based at
Pinewood Studios.
In 1998, he co-founded the independent film distribution company Redbus Film. In
October 2005, Redbus Films Distribution was sold to Lionsgate Entertainment.
Through Redbus to Lionsgate UK, Zygi has overseen the investment, production, and
distribution of over 350 films and has had over 150 UK Top Ten Box Office hits including,
most recently, massive blockbusters The Expendables 1 & 2, The Hunger Games and its
sequels The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay Part 1 & 2,
Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-winning Hurt Locker, Olympus Has Fallen, Cabin in the Woods
and Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike.
In the last three years, Zygi has made investing in UK projects a key part of his
strategy, beginning with Lasse Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen starring Ewan
McGregor and Emily Blunt; Great Expectations starring Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham
Carter; the Irvine Welsh-scribed Filth starring James McAvoy; Dom Hemingway starring
Jude Law and Richard E. Grant; the adaptation of Eric Lomax’s autobiography The Railway
Man starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman,; A Little Chaos directed by Alan Rickman and
starring Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts; and the acclaimed Brooklyn starring Saoirse
Ronan.
Lionsgate releases to look forward to in 2016 include Pride & Prejudice & Zombies,
London Has Fallen, and La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
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GEORGE RICHMOND’s BSC (Cinematography) career began in 1990 when he
started on working on films in the UK and the U.S., as a camera assistant. For the next seven
years he worked his way up the industry ladder to land his first camera operating credit on
Rough Riders (1997)
Richmond then worked on Legally Blonde (2000), Alexander (2004), Children of Men
(2005), The Golden Compass (2006), Burn After Reading (2007), Quantum of Solace (2008),
Clash Of The Titans (2009), War Horse (2010) , Safe House (2011) and Snow White & The
Huntsman (2011).
Richmond shot commercials for many well-known consumer and commercial giants,
including Jaguar, Adidas, Yohji Yamamoto, Marks & Spencer, Aldi, Guinness, Carlsberg and
Johnny Walker.
His camera operating work for a Johnny Walker commercial was awarded the BTA
Craft Award in 2009 for Best Camera Operator. In 2012 Richmond was awarded an SOC
Lifetime Achievement Award for his operating on Children of Men.
In 2008, as Richmond‘s career as a camera operator was at its peak, he became
director of photography on The Hide (2008). From his debut on The Hide, which won Best
Cinematography at the Monaco and Syracuse Film Festivals, he went on to work on the films
Wild Bill (2011), Blood (2012), Sunshine on Leith (2012), Kingsman: The Secret Service
(2013) and Unlocked (2014).
MIKE GUNN (Production Designer) works in film, television and commercials.
Having graduated from Newcastle College of Art and Design in 1990, Gunn worked in
various roles within the Art Department on both film and television productions before
establishing himself as a Production Designer.
Gunn has designed a wide range of films, including Filth (2013), Sunshine on Leith
(2013), Africa United (2010) and Guy X (2005). Most recently, he completed work on Sand
Castle, staring Nicholas Hoult and Henry Cavil.
Gunn’s television credits include the critically acclaimed “Cambridge Spies” (2003),
“God On Trial” (2008), “Robin Hood” (2006), “Bletchley Circle” (2012), “Shetland” (2014),
“Our Zoo” (2014) and “Black Work “(2015).
His awards include two BAFTA nominations for television and film and a win in the
category of Best Film Craft, for Late Night Shopping (2001). Gunn won the Golden Arrow
award for Commercial Design for his work on the Robinsons commercial, for creating a
miniature set of a birdhouse interior.
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Gunn has also provided tutorials at Universities across the country.
MARTIN WALSH, A.C.E. (Editor) has more than 30 film credits dating from 1985.
Walsh began his career in Britain before landing the major Hollywood projects V for
Vendetta, Clash of the Titans and Chicago, the latter winning him an Academy Award, ACE
Eddie Award, and a BAFTA nomination.
Additional credits include Bridget Jones’s Diary, Strictly Sinatra, Iris, Thunderbirds,
Prince of Persia: The Sand of Time, Wrath of the Titans, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and
Cinderella.
Walsh’s next project is the much anticipated Wonder Woman, which is currently in
production.
MATTHEW MARGESON (Music) is an American composer who has worked on a
variety of successful Films, television series and videogames. Margeson began studying
multiple instruments at a very early age, and feels blessed to be able to write music for a
living.
In 2010, Margeson completed his first studio feature, Skyline (2010), for Universal
Studios. This score led to a nomination for the BSOSPIRIT Revelation Composer Award at
the Úbeda Film Music Festival.
Margeson has also composed the music for the Universal Studio Tram Tour and the
Warner Bros. Backlot Tour, as well as multiple TV shows and videogames, including HBO’s
“Eastbound and Down” and Sony Playstation’s “All-Star Battle Royale” and “Knack.”
Margeson has composed and arranged music to some of the most memorable films of
the last 10 years, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), X Men: First Class
(2011), Wreck-It Ralph (2012), Captain Phillips (2013), Into The Woods (2014), Matthew
Vaughn’s Kick-Ass and Kick-Ass 2 (2013), Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), and Scouts
Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015). Margeson is currently composing the score for Tim
Burton's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiars. Both films will be released in theaters
worldwide in 2016.
ANNIE HARDINGE (Costume Designer) is a veteran of British film and television.
Her film credits include Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead, Run Fatboy, Run.
Hardinge has worked on some of Britain’s best loved comedies, including Spaced,
Black Books, The I.T. Crowd, The Mighty Boosh, Episodes, Extras and Rev. She has won
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three Royal Society Awards for her work on Little Britain.
Hardinge recently completed work on Hippopotamus, based on the novel by Stephen
Fry and is currently working on The A Word for BBC One.
ANDREW BUCKLEY (Locations Manager) is an experienced location manager
working on high-end films and commercials both in and out of the UK.
From 1987 through 2010, Buckley served in the Royal Marines Commando. It wasn’t
until 2009 that he began working in the film and TV industry, when he became the Royal
Marines Marketing Coordinator for the Head of Marketing, facilitating many TV
commercials and launches, including James Bond, Carte Blanche.
Buckley went on to work first as a location scout and then a location manager on
many big TV commercial and film projects.
Buckley has worked on many successful films as a location manager. His first major
movie was Age of Heroes, where he helped assist on locations. He went on to work on The
Iron Lady, X-Men: First Class, World War Z , Kick Ass 2 and Kingsman: The Secret Service.
Buckley has worked on commercials for Google (2012), Paddy Power (2012) and
Dove Chocolate (2014), scouting and providing locations for each.
Recently, Buckley worked on several upcoming projects, including Deep Water, a
film focused on the 1968 Golden Globes Race, with Colin Firth and Rachel Weisz starring.
NADIA STACEY (Hair and Make Up Designer) trained through a program funded
by Yorkshire Television. Her first film opportunity came through Oscar winning makeup
designer Lisa Westcott, who brought Stacey on board Miss Potter (Phoenix Pictures). Over
the years, she gained experience in hair, make up and wigs as a trainee and then, assistant, in
theatre, ballet, opera, television, drama and film productions.
Stacey’s first credit as a hair and make-up designer was for the feature Tyrannosaur,
for director Paddy Considine. The film won numerous awards including the BIFA for Best
Independent Film and the BAFTA for Outstanding British Debut and the Evening Standard
Awards for Best British Film.
In 2012, Stacey had three features in the London Film Festival: Good Vibrations
(directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn) for Revolutions Films; Ben Wheatley’s
dark comedy Sightseers (Big Talk); and Spike Island, directed by Mat Whitecross for
Waterfall Films.
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Stacey’s television credits include “Mayday,” a five-part series for Kudos and the
BBC, for director Brian Welsh; the BAFTA nominated “The Fear,” a World Productions /
Channel 4 production for director Michael Samuels; and the BBC zombie drama “In The
Flesh,” for director Jonny Campbell. The latter earned Stacey an RTS North-West
nomination for Hair and Make-up Design. The series was also nominated for RTS Award for
Best Drama Serial and won the BAFTA for Mini-Series and Best Writer.
Her period design credits include 1980s-set BAFTA winning feature Pride (dir.
Matthew Warchus), the 1960s-set ITV drama Breathless, and two series of The Suspicions of
Mr. Whicher, starring Paddy Considine.
This year, Stacey designed the hair and make-up for the features She Who Brings
Gifts, starring Glenn Close, for director Colm McCarthy and Warner Bros. Pictures, and she
is currently filming The Sense of an Ending, starring Jim Broadbent, for BBC Films/Origin
Pictures, directed by Ritesh Batra. Stacey’s work will next be seen in the upcoming Horrible
Histories feature Bill, for Cowboy Films and director Richard Bracewell.
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