n 2010, author Patrick Ness was
approached by Walker Books
and asked to write a novel based
on an idea by Siobhan Dowd, a
British novelist who had sadly passed away a
few years earlier. Although initially hesitant,
Ness agreed to look at Dowd’s notes, which
included an opening, 1,000 words, an idea
for a structure and a few characters, and was
captivated by her concept. The resulting 2011
novel, A Monster Calls, about a boy, Conor,
who receives comfort from an enormous treelike being when his mother falls ill, became
a bestseller and winner of several awards.
Five years on, this remarkable book
is now a major motion picture directed
by The Impossible’s J.A. Bayona, with a
screenplay by Ness. Here, Bayona and
Ness, together with stars Sigourney Weaver
(Grandma), Felicity Jones (Mum) and Liam
Neeson (The Monster), talk to us about the
film, which is a leading awards contender.
What attracted you to the project?
I saw this as a powerful
and important story to tell as a movie
– an adventure that anyone can relate to.
I read Patrick’s
script and found it to be a haunting and
moving story. I felt at once that I would be
in good hands with this director who could
find the balance between the reality of the
situation and the fantasy world that Conor
escapes into. The story doesn’t pull its
punches, but it is also filled with love.
Bayona is a real cinema
talent. He’s also very sensitive. He takes
care of, guides, and nurtures his actors and
that’s what I always hope a director will do.
With such emotional subject matter, how did
you go about approaching the characters?
Sigourney and I were
very keen to find the nuance in the
daughter/mother relationship. What
Lizzie wants for Conor is for him
to live independently once she is
gone. She’s never quite been able
to find her freedom independently
from her mother, so she wants that
for her son more than anything.
It was very important
to all of us to get it right, to tell
this story truthfully and with love and
respect, especially for those who will see
the movie and who have been through
this experience with loved ones.
The effects in the film are astonishing.
How were they achieved?
The giant paw that grabs Conor out
of his bedroom, the massive foot he touches,
the huge head outside his window – they are
all real, including handcrafting work. There
is nothing that can’t be done now in visual
effects, so I believe it engages audiences more
when you go back to how things were done
in the first generations of moviemaking.
What does The Monster represent for you?
The Monster harks back
to an English legend called ‘The Green
Man’. He’s sort of the landscape personified,
rising up to tell stories. He comes from,
and is, a great big, powerful force.
The Monster also represents
that part of your personality which you
haven’t yet come to terms with.
The film has been lauded around
the world. That must make
you very proud?
We have tried to
bring this novel to the screen
in the best and most faithful
way possible, while at the same
time infusing it with our
personal vision. [The book is]
beloved and iconic... I wanted
to do it justice.