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| Hollywood hotshot says yes to
novice filmmaker |
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Ewan McGregor
Sophie Okonedo
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A NOVICE director from Kentish Town has persuaded one of the
world’s biggest film stars to be in his low-budget film which
is set on Hampstead Heath.
Ewan McGregor, the star of the new crop of Star Wars films, who
commands millions of dollars per film, has agreed to be in Scenes
of A Sexual Nature by Edward Blum and Aschlin Ditta, which will
cost just £500,000 to make.
Oscar-nominated actress Sophie Okonedo and a slew of home-grown
stars including Gina McKee, Dame Eileen Atkins and Benjamin Whitrow
have also all waived their normal fees to appear.
Mr Ditta, of Lady Margaret Road, and Mr Blum, of Carleton Road,
Tufnell Park, both 37, have been friends since they were boys at
school together in Cambridgeshire – but to date have only worked
on Crimewatch reconstructions and TV dramas.
Their first movie, which won over the stars with its “brilliant
writing”, according to Mr McGregor, tells the tales of seven
relationships during one afternoon on Hampstead Heath.
Mr McGregor – whose breakthrough hit was as heroin addict Rents
in Trainspotting – plays a gay man discussing whether to have
children with his partner, while Dame Eileen and Mr Whitrow play
a couple who have sat on the same bench each week for half a century.
Mr Ditta told the New Journal: “I’ve lived in Kentish
Town for several years now and I’ve spent a lot of time on
the Heath so it seemed a good place to set the film.
“Visually it’s beautiful and a lot of the actors we’ve
cast live in NW5 so it’s easy for them.”
The whole movie is being shot for just £500,000 – peanuts
compared to big budget Hollywood films, and was put together in
just six weeks.
Shooting began on the Heath over the weekend and is expected to
continue today (Thursday) and tomorrow.
Mr Ditta added: “We are so blessed with this cast.
“We are getting these amazing performances.”
The film follows reports that three teenage couples were spotted
having sex on the top of The Writer, the 20 ft sculpture installed
on the Heath over the summer.
n Notes On A Scandal, the film based on Zoe Heller’s novel
about a teacher who has an affair with a pupil on the Heath, began
filming this week in a cloud of mystery.
Director Richard Eyre used the pages of the New Journal to search
for an untrained 14-year-old Camden boy to take the lead role of
seducing Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett.
But the identity of the successful youth has yet to be revealed
as film-makers kept tight wraps on their set this week. |
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