From acting to writing, Tom Stuart has done it all. Now he starts a new journey with his directorial debut, the Oscar-shortlisted for Best Live Action Short and BAFTA-qualifying Good Boy. Screened at several British and international festivals, including the Aesthetica Short Film Festival and Leeds Film Festival, the film narrates the story of Danny (Ben Whishaw), who attempts to rob a bank after receiving an eviction notice from them, and his mother, the boisterous Jackie (Marion Bailey), who’s cheering him on from the backseat. Stuart crafted a bittersweet and heartfelt tribute to his late mother, and it will sweep the rug from underneath your feet just when you think you know where it’s going.
We sat down with Tom to discuss everything from grief to love to funny paraphernalia.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Screen Speck: Congratulations on the movie. It’s so bittersweet and brilliant. What stood out to me the most is that despite its heavy themes, it’s aggressively optimistic, from the color, the music, the locations, and the greenery. No spoilers, but even the ending. How did you manage to balance these themes out, especially when it’s such a personal story to you?
Tom Stuart: I love that you say that, and I think that is exactly right. As a writer, if you’re going to talk about something tricky like grief, you need to engage your audience by making them laugh and relax because the more relaxed they are, the more they invest in what they’re watching, and then you can take them on a journey.
So, that was conscious because the warmth is a way of inviting people in rather than hitting them over the head with something unfortunate. Also, I suppose that’s sort of who I am and how I communicate in the world. I’m a pretty positive person; I love people, and that’s in my DNA. The other thing is that the film is a love letter to my mum, so the whole thing is imbued with positivity and love because she was a very positive and funny person and because I really love her. I suppose it happened naturally, and that’s how the story came out.
Screen Speck: This is your first collaboration with Ben Whishaw, who is brilliant in this movie. I heard he’s the one who suggested you should start directing. How did that happen?
Stuart: Yes, I’ve been an actor for a long time, and Ben and I knew each other when we were leaving different drama schools. I hadn’t seen him for a long time, and then we bumped into each other, so I was filling him in about what’s happening because I’ve been a writer for about ten years now, and the other different projects. Then, out of the blue, he said, “I think you should try directing. You would be really good at it.” I’d been thinking about it, but I hadn’t had the confidence to say it out loud, and when he voiced it gave me the confidence to give it a go. So, I went home and wrote the short film. Then, once I had a producer, I sent it to Ben and told him, “Well, you told me to do it.” Luckily, he loved the script and came aboard.
Screen Speck: He is just incredible. I read what you said about how he did that one emotional scene repeatedly.
Stuart: I’ve been around actors for 20 years on stage and screen, but I’ve never been as close to such extraordinary acting as I was with Ben at the film’s peak. Some [actors] sort of fake it from a technical point, as in they know how to cry on cue, but with him, it’s something pure and honest. He just kept going. We had to cut and reset the camera about five or six times, and every single time, he was amazing. One take would’ve been enough regarding his performance, but I was weirdly enjoying watching him be brilliant. I was like, “We probably got it now”. It says much about his acting technique, generosity, and commitment to the project. We are so lucky to have him.
Screen Speck: It’s such an interesting choice that we don’t know much about the character besides his financial struggles. He exists in this dreamlike fugue state, and he’s so fixated but also scattered. It was like he was fighting for her and his grief for her to stay with him in a bittersweet way. It reminded me of this Andrew Garfield quote about his own late mother.
Stuart: That’s such a beautiful thing for Andy to say, and I really agree. That’s one of the questions I wanted to explore in the film. There’s this fear that if you get over your grief, and you never do, will I lose the connection of my mum? Because the pain is a reminder of her and how much I love her. So the film is really about someone who doesn’t want to face their grief and who doesn’t want to move forward because he’s scared of losing [his mother].
Screen Speck: How was your second collaboration with Gia Coppola after co-writing Mainstream together?
Stuart: She is incredible. She’s really like a big sister. I learned so much from her, particularly how to move around on a set and treat people with kindness, generosity, and humor, and be an open person. That was really inspiring to see in the crazy world of a movie set where there’s so much going on. I told her I wanted to direct, so she came on, supported the film, and gave me advice. She watched an early cut and was really helpful and complimentary. It has been fantastic knowing that she is on the other end of the phone where I can call her and go, “I don’t know what I’m doing! What do I do?”.
Screen Speck: The movie is driven by different props, but why Elvis?
Stuart: Everyone wants to know that! For me, the character is trying to garner some confidence from Elvis because [at the beginning of the film] he’s attempting to rob a bank. He’s so far away from [Elvis] regarding confidence, swagger, and success, so he’s looking at the figurine to get confidence from him. But also, I quite like Elvis because he’s a bit camp and it’s a mad thing to put into that world, it’s just fun.
Watch the trailer for Good Boy here.
For more information and screening dates for Good Boy, you can visit their website here.
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