Mike Leigh has pushed back against “offensive and racist” criticisms of his latest film, Hard Truths.
The film, a humanist drama about a woman with depression (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and her personal relationships, has been celebrated by critics.
In an interview with The Times, Leigh, 81, responded to those questioning whether he had the right, as a white filmmaker, to direct a project featuring an almost entirely Black cast.
“It’s b*****ks,” he replied. “First of all, it’s offensive and racist. I’ve got absolutely no time for it at all. I’ve looked at all corners of society.
“I did a play about Greek Australians [Greek Tragedy], a film in Northern Ireland [Four Days in July], plus three films set among a very remote people called 19th-century human beings [Topsy-Turvy, Mr Turner and Peterloo]. The fear of ‘Am I allowed to tell this story?’ — it’s shocking. It has no justification whatsoever.”
As is the case with all of Leigh’s films, the film’s screenplay was developed in collaboration with the actors, during a lengthy rehearsal process.
Leigh noted that the authenticity of the dialogue between Black characters of different generations led to some viewers suggesting it was “presumptuous [of me] to take the writing credit when plainly I can’t have written that dialogue”.
He explained: “That’s based on the somewhat limited notion that the writing is just the dialogue, and actually my input into the dialogue is massive.
“David Thewlis was brilliant at improvising Johnny [in Naked], but I’m brilliant at working with that kind of material once I get into the bloodstream of it. [When the Hard Truths] characters say proper expressions that I’ve never heard of before, that’s great, and that is in the nature of bringing to life that particular territory”.
Jean-Baptiste, who previously worked with Leigh in the Palme d’Or-winning 1997 drama Secrets and Lies, has drawn wide acclaim for her turn in Hard Truths.
The actor, 57, won the prize for Best Lead Performance at the British Independent Film Awards, and the prize for Best Actress at the New York Film Critics Circle.
Many have speculated that she could be in the running for a Best Actress award at this year’s Oscars, where she would be competing against likely nominees such as Anora’s Mikey Madison, The Substance’s Demi Moore, and Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez).
