The 2013 London Film Festival closed on Sunday with the first world screening of Disney’s ‘Saving Mr Banks’. I was lucky enough to attend the London press conference and report on the making of the making of ‘Saving Mr Banks’,
Tom Hanks who was as gracious and amusing as ever, plays the Hollywood impresario Walt Disney opposite Emma Thompson who plays the curmudgeonly author of ‘Mary Poppins’ P.L. Travers.

The movie was inspired by the extraordinary story of how the classic academy award winning ‘Mary Poppins’ made it to the big screen. In 1961 Walt Disney invited P.L.Travers to the Disney studio in Los Angeles so he could obtain the rights to her much loved book and character. Travers (Emma Thompson) has no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get cheapened by the Hollywood machine. But as sales of the book start to dwindle and the money stops coming in, she very reluctantly agrees to let Disney make the film musical of her book.

Despite putting together a great cast including Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke plus the extremely talented musical writing duo of the Sherman Brothers, Travers objected to most of the songs and was even dead against the use of cartoons in the film.
It’s not until Walt discovers the haunting origins of the novels heart, that he understands why Travers was so protective of her book.

Question - “Was there any sense of trepidation for you playing someone like Walt Disney?”
Tom Hanks – “There was certainly a responsibility rather than trepidation. Without a doubt it was a substantial gauntlet that was thrown down. Walt Disney was ubiquitous in our lives as much as Uncle Sam, Smokey the bear, the President and Mickey Mouse himself. I felt as though there was going to be quite a distance to go and we had not a clue as to where to begin outside my own memories. There’s a lot of video out there and a lot of audio you can listen to. Unfortunately it’s mostly Walt Disney performing as Walt Disney so when you can find film of him just talking naturally rather than acting out a commercial for Disneyland, those moments are worth their weight in gold. And I had some access to that thanks to Diane Miller Disney his daughter and the fabulous Disney museum that he established in San Francisco.”

Question – “How did you come to be introduced to this project and was it a no brainer?
John Lee Hancock (Director) – “I was actually trying to set up another movie. I’ve only ever made adult drama and this script came across the desk for me to read and was told it was quite good. I knew it was about the making of Mary Poppins and I picked it up and was enthralled by the writing and even though I’m a Texas guy from a refinery town I felt the story and it was definitely one I desperately wanted to tell. So I just had to get the job and fortunately I got hired. Thank God!”

Question – “Have you seen the film Mary Poppins since making the film and does it feel any different now you know the back-story?”
Emma Thompson (P.L.Travers) – “The first night we were all together in LA Col (Colin Farrell) had us all over to his gaff and showed Mary Poppins. And we all sat there marvelling at it and going Oh! My God look at this bit and that bit and Oh! My God it’s so long! It went on for days (joked Thompson) but it is an extraordinary bit of film making”

Question -  “Colin it seemed as though you were in a different movie at times”
Colin Farrell – (P.L. Travers Father Mr Banks) “That sounds like a big insult” joked Farrell.
Question – “Let me put it like this. There is also a back-story in the film where you play the real Mr Banks. It seems very different from any role I’ve seen you play, was this a departure for you?”
Colin Farrell – “Anytime you step into the fiction of another person’s skin it’s a real departure as an actor. It was very moving from start to finish but also funny. Like Emma I never did read the first page and the camera comes down in the opening shot and you hear my voice on the voice over and I thought Yes! This is my film!  And then I said what do you mean I’m not the protagonist? (Jokingly)

Question – “What’s it like playing someone so cantankerous and disagreeable as P.L.Travers?”
Emma Thompson – “I’ve got to tell you it was such a relief to be rude without any repercussions whatsoever. Can you imagine saying...I don’t want to go to your effing press conference because I’m bored with them. You could just come out with these things and she (Travers) did. She just said what she meant. I know I do that sometimes and still get into trouble. That is what was so great about playing this role.”

Saving Mr Banks is out in cinemas from November 28 2013.