Director Luc Besson reveals “The Lady”
French film director Luc Besson talks about his latest film about the life of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi
Renowned film director Luc Besson—who gave the world the likes of The Big Blue and The 5th Element—finally went live on Thursday to talk about his latest film entitled “The Lady.”
“The Lady” is the much-anticipated docudrama about the story of one of Myanmar’s struggles and its opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Besson said during an interview that he fell in love with the script and “was so touched by it” that it was enough to bring him back into the director’s chair and make the film.
“I felt that this story should be told,” he pointed out. “She is a female Gandhi: [her] power, how she means [to] the people, and how she fought for democracy for almost 30 years without any weapons.”
There had been a lot of mystery surrounding the shooting of the film. Besson explained that the mystery was intended not to increase publicity, but for their security and safety.
“We were scared that they would shut the shooting,” he said. “We [had to shoot] in Thailand, and we almost had to give a fake script without putting her name. People were looking at us [and there were] probably some spies around. We wanted to do the film [for] as long as we [could] in Thailand. I wanted to be sure that no one can stop us [from finishing] the film.”
Actress Michelle Yeoh stars in the film as the pro-democracy leader. Besson said that she was the best person to play the film because not only did she look very much like Aung San Suu Kyi. She also was so involved in it, taking the time to learn how to speak and move like her.
Besson got a chance to meet with the Myanmar opposition leader who was released unexpectedly back in November 2010 while they were still making the film. He described it as a life changing experience he will never forget.
“It’s such a strange feeling to work for a year [on a film] about someone you never met, and finally [meeting her] after you finish the film,” he told CNN. “She’s a very strange woman in a way. She’s adorable, but at the same time, she can be [also] so strong and determined. [That's why] some of them call her the Steel Orchid.”
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Posted by Vince Huizenga
on Aug 5 2011. Filed under Entertainment, Featured.
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