Director Ol Parker on Cher, Lily James – Variety



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It's been a decade since the hit "Mamma Mia" hit the screen, and yet the director Ol Parker knew that the public was still hungry for a sequel

Parker, known for writing "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". "Series, originally planned just to write the sequel, before Universal decided that it would also be the right choice to lead.

With the opening of the film Friday, Parker spoke to Variety on how Richard Curtis, the screenwriter and director of the original, played a role in pushing him to work, Lily James' total commitment to the role and the famous suite from which it was inspired.

Have you been surprised at all? Always thirsty after even ten years?

I am grateful for beginners When I had the concert, I spent a few terrified days! Obviously, we are here because of the huge success of the first, and I soon realized that if I succumbed to the pressure that I could never get out of bed and would never write a word, so I tried to see that I was lucky enough to to laugh at those characters that people knew and loved, and those extraordinary songs and music, as well as those wonderful actors with whom I have the opportunity to work and not be too scared by the level of

When did you decide, with Universal, to do a flashback, an essential part of how the story would be told in this sequel?

Before I started, Richard Curtis wrote me an email and asked me, "Random question – do you like Abba?" And I thought, "Well, who is not? "And it was like two years ago, and I thought he was going to invite me. dine with them, because he knows everyone and that is how he rolls. Then he wrote me again and asked, "How do you feel about writing the sequel to Mamma Mia?" So when I was trying to understand the story I contacted Richard to tell the story after so many years and his brilliant daughter, Scarlet, who is also a writer and happened to be with Richard driving a car said , "Well, you should do" Godfather 2, "and I just went" Shiny, I'll take it. "

I would never think of putting" Godfather 2 "and" Mamma Mia "together [19659011] It is not often that they are mentioned in the same sentence – this is not a comparison, it's just a structural flight.

What did Lily James do at first to think that she could play a character that Meryl Streep had already played?
So she met, but soon after, she went to advertise for "Baby Driver". "And because it was going so well, they continued to extend the advertising tour.Although we were seeing great actresses, I was just waiting for Lily to come back in. Lily is in life and art, completely uninhibited and only commits to the screen.

Moreover, she sang in "Cinderella" and had a beautiful voice and what I did not know was that her voice was beautiful and harmonious I had no idea how she could act with it so she came with a half-day between the "Baby Driver" tour and I knew it would be brilliant but what I am also came to discover, it was that she was kind.For me, one of the key of the cast was to cast people that I really liked, because I can attest to having seen the first movie and see this cast really unite and see that close bond that they formed, I wanted that with this younger cast

Like was the casting of Cher?
There is a sporting saying, if you do not play the attack, you play in defense, so if you come back for a sequel, no better, but you have to aim higher and bring back something else. 39, other in the mix. I therefore wrote this part specifically for Cher in the script and when I delivered it, I told them, by the way, that role is Dear. I have refused to consider that anyone else is on the list. So we are waiting for a moment, on Cher, because Cher has time. In the end, Ron Meyer called her and said "You make Mamma Mia 2" and she said "OK." It was a good day when she said yes but it was a better day when the plane arrived in London. She is also an absolute love, she is warm and funny and she was very charming on the set.

Had you been dealing with a musical direction before getting the job?
working with an adorable choreographer who insisted that we work together. Initially, I thought that 40% of the film would be just his. We also had this brilliant cameraman, Bob Yeoman, and it was really a big problem when he signed. We knew we were in a different echelon with him and it was fantastic obviously. We just had fun and no idea was too silly.

What was your favorite musical sequence? The hardest?
"Waterloo" was probably my favorite. It was very fun and we laughed a lot. Hugh was in this scene, we just laughed for four days. "Dancing Queen" was the hardest to remove, all those boats and people dancing in the street with boats coming around the corner. Pierce, God bless him, he hurt his Achilles tendon, so he continued, "I have not left too much in me," and then something is wrong with a boat so we we should apologize and he would like, "No, everything is fine." So yes, it was hard.

What do you hope the viewers take away from this approach?
It's always hard to say with sequels. I wrote the series "Marigold Hotel" and with the first, people hated it in the UK but in America they really liked it. On the sequel, it was the direct opposite, really well tested here (in the UK) and absolutely pissed off in the US. This has taught me how much the sequel is seen through the prism of the first and really can not get away from it. I remember reading an interview with Meryl when the first came out, saying "This is the kind of movie the world needs." God knows that things have become darker since then, almost desperate times now. So, if we can add joy and lighten up the day of someone, then I will take that.

(In the photo: Christine Baranski and Ol Parker)

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