hugo (hugo cabret)
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http://www.hugomovie.com/intl/es/#homeTRANSCRIPT
Production Information
Throughout his extraordinary career, Academy Award®-winning director
MARTIN SCORSESE has brought his unique vision and dazzling gifts to life in a
series of unforgettable films. This holiday season, the legendary storyteller
invites you to join him on a thrilling journey to a magical world with his first-ever
3D film, based on BRIAN SELZNICK’s award-winning, imaginative New York
Times bestseller, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
“Hugo” is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose
quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those
around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home.
Scorsese has assembled an impressive acting ensemble comprised of
rising new talent working alongside venerated stars of the stage and motion
pictures, including BEN KINGSLEY (“Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,”
“Shutter Island”), SACHA BARON COHEN (“Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa,”
“Borat”), ASA BUTTERFIELD (“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” “The
Wolfman”), CHLOË GRACE MORETZ (“Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Let Me In”), RAY
WINSTONE (“Rango,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”),
EMILY MORTIMER (“Shutter Island,” “Lars and the Real Girl”), HELEN
McCRORY (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts 1 & 2,” “Harry Potter
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and the Half-Blood Prince”), CHRISTOPHER LEE (“The Lord of the Rings”
trilogy, “Star Wars” Episodes II and III), RICHARD GRIFFITHS (“Pirates of the
Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” five films in the “Harry Potter” franchise),
FRANCES de la TOUR (“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” “Alice in
Wonderland”), MICHAEL STUHLBARG (HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” “A Serious
Man”) and with JUDE LAW (“Contagion,” “Sherlock Holmes”).
Equally stellar is the behind-the-camera team of filmmaking artists—many
of whom are previous Scorsese collaborators—which includes double Oscar®-
winning director of photography ROBERT RICHARDSON, ASC (“Inglourious
Basterds,” “The Aviator”); two-time Oscar® winner, production designer DANTE
FERRETTI (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “The Aviator”);
three-time Academy Award®-winning editor THELMA SCHOONMAKER, A.C.E.
(“Shutter Island,” “The Departed”); triple Oscar®-winning costume designer
SANDY POWELL (“The Aviator,” “The Young Victoria”); Oscar® winner, visual
effects supervisor ROB LEGATO (“Shutter Island,” “Titanic”); and three-time
Academy Award® winner, composer HOWARD SHORE (“The Lord of the Rings”
trilogy, “The Departed”).
Paramount Pictures and GK Films present a GK Films/Infinitum Nihil
Production of A Martin Scorsese Picture: “Hugo,” directed by Martin Scorsese,
with a screenplay by JOHN LOGAN, based upon the book entitled The Invention
of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It is produced by GRAHAM KING, TIM
HEADINGTON, Scorsese and JOHNNY DEPP. The executive producers are
EMMA TILLINGER KOSKOFF, DAVID CROCKETT, GEORGIA KACANDES and
CHRISTI DEMBROWSKI. The music supervisor is RANDALL POSTER; casting
is by ELLEN LEWIS.
This film has been rated “PG” for mild thematic material, some action/peril
and smoking by the MPAA. www.hugomovie.com
FILM INSPIRES AUTHOR, BOOK INSPIRES FILMMAKER
Growing up in a section of New York City known as ‘Little Italy’ in the
1940s and ‘50s, a young Martin Scorsese found a deep connection inside the
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movie houses of the time—not just to the experience of viewing motion pictures,
but also a closeness to his father, who sat with him in the darkened auditorium,
fostering the future filmmaker’s nascent love of the art form. So when Brian
Selznick’s award-winning novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret landed on his desk
via prolific producer Graham King (who had previously collaborated with
Scorsese on three films), the Oscar®-winning filmmaker found the tale
profoundly resonant. For Scorsese, “It was particularly the vulnerability of a child
alone that was striking. Hugo’s living in the walls of this giant engine of a sort—
the train station—on his own, and he’s trying to make that connection with his
father, whom he has lost.”
Scorsese remembers, “I was given the book about four years ago, and it
was one of those experiences…I sat down and read it completely, straight
through. There was an immediate connection to the story of the boy, his
loneliness, his association with the cinema, with the machinery of creativity. The
mechanical objects in the film, including cameras, projectors, and automatons,
make it possible for Hugo to reconnect with his father. And mechanical objects
make it possible for the filmmaker Georges Méliès to reconnect with his past, and
with himself.”
Scorsese, in turn, shared the book with his youngest daughter, which only
confirmed his belief that the story held a magical quality: “In reading books to my
daughter, we re-experience the work. So it’s like rediscovering the work of art
again, but through the eyes of a child.”
Author Brian Selznick recalls the genesis of his book: “At some point I
remember seeing ‘A Trip to the Moon,’ the mesmerizing 1902 film by Georges
Méliès, and the rocket that flew into the eye of the man in the moon lodged itself
firmly in my imagination. I wanted to write a story about a kid who meets Méliès,
but I didn’t know what the plot would be. The years passed. I wrote and
illustrated over 20 other books. Then, sometime in 2003, I happened to pick up a
book called Edison’s Eve by Gaby Wood. It’s a history of automatons, and to my
surprise, one chapter was about Méliès.”
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It seems that Méliès’ automatons (mechanical figures, powered by inner
clockwork, which appear to perform functions on their own) were donated to a
museum once the filmmaker passed—they were stored in the attic, where they
ended up largely forgotten, ruined by the rain and eventually, thrown away.
Selznick continues, “I instantly imagined a boy climbing through the
garbage and finding one of those broken machines. I didn’t know who the boy
was at first, and I didn’t even know his name… I thought the name Hugo
sounded kind of French. The only other French word I could think of was
cabaret, and I thought that Cabret might sound like a real French name.
Voilà…Hugo Cabret was born.”
Research into automatons and clocks, the life of Méliès and the City of
Lights in the 1920s and ‘30s fueled the author’s imagination, and the tale of an
adventurous boy who lives within the walls of a train station in Paris took life,
interwoven with the stories of the colorful characters that surround him. Add in
the threads of the discovery of both an abandoned automaton and a largely
forgotten filmmaker, and you have Selznick’s beautifully illustrated The Invention
of Hugo Cabret (A Novel in Words and Pictures. Published in 2007, The
Invention of Hugo Cabret (A Novel in Words and Pictures) won the 2008
Caldecott Medal (awarded by the Association of Library Service to Children to
the artist of “the most distinguished American picture book for children”) and The
New York Times’ Best Illustrated Book of 2007. It was a number one New York
Times Bestseller, and a Finalist for the National Book Award.
Producer Graham King: “My producing partner Tim Headington and I
were enchanted by Brian Selznick’s book. Immediately we thought it would be a
beautiful story for Martin Scorsese to create into a piece of cinema.”
The team turned to John Logan—their writer on “The Aviator”—to take
Selznick’s words and illustrations and transform them into a screenplay. As with
most book-to-movie conversions, some things had to change. Logan comments,
“I had to cut and change some elements of Brian’s book to make a more
streamlined, shorter movie. The drawings were extremely helpful, because they
reminded me of movie storyboards. In effect, they presented a road map for me
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to follow. In fact, the screenplay opens with a description very similar to Brian’s
first drawings in the book.”
Producer King addresses the perhaps unexpected pairing of Scorsese
and the story of Hugo: “All of Scorsese’s films have a specific sensibility to them,
and ‘Hugo’ is no different. The beautiful imagery and fantastic performances are
all there. The main difference is that this film is not made solely for an adult
audience—it is for everyone.”
To try and replicate the experience of moving through Selznick’s work,
Scorsese also turned to a different film format. He says, “As moviegoers, we
don’t have the advantage of the literature, in which you can become aware of
Hugo’s inner thoughts and feelings. But here, we have his extraordinary face
and his actions, and we have 3D. The story needed to be changed to a certain
extent, so some elements were dropped from the book. But I think that certain
images—particularly in 3D—cover so much territory that the book resonates in
them.”
Scorsese strove to honor the author’s work with every decision, and
comments, “Brian Selznick and his book were always an inspiration. We had
copies with us all the time. The book has such a distinctive look, whereas our
film has its own look and feel, very different from the book, which is in black and
white, for one thing. We really went for a blend of realism and a heightened,
imagined world.”
‘IT MIGHT BE AN ADVENTURE’: FINDING THE CHARACTERS
When it came time to find the actors who would inhabit the rich array of
roles in “Hugo,” Scorsese made an overall decision: “I went with British actors,
for the most part to be consistent, and I use the device that the English accent is
from the world that they’re in. Even though it’s Paris 1931, it’s a heightened
version of that time and place.”
Finding the boy to play Hugo was possibly the tallest order to fill. He is the
centerpiece of the film, in a majority of the scenes and is somewhere around 12
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or 13-years-old. With casting director Ellen Lewis, young actors were brought in.
Rather early on, Asa Butterfield auditioned for the part. Scorsese remembers,
“He read two scenes, and I was convinced immediately. Before making the final
decision, I looked at one film, ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.’ Vera [Farmiga]
was in the film with him, and I worked with her in ‘The Departed.’ She told me
about him, and said he was very, very good.”
Almost in the same boat, the young Butterfield didn’t really know who
Martin Scorsese was, but he had heard good things. Asa says, “I knew who he
was, but I hadn’t seen any of his films, because most of them are 18’s [restricted
to 18 and over in Great Britain]. My mum told me that he was the best. When I
got the job, everyone said, ‘Oh, that’s amazing. He’s, like, the best director ever!’
And so I slowly began to realize how big this actually was. And he is the best
director. Marty never says ‘Do,’ instead he encourages you to experiment and
says, ‘Try this.’ And he’s such a perfectionist; there are always the slightest
changes you can play with. It’s been incredible.”
Butterfield found the character’s inherent mystery to be a big draw. He
observes, “You never know that much about him. Loads of traumatic things have
happened to him; his father has died; his mother’s died. And he ends up living
with his Uncle in a train station, doing a man’s job. And then his Uncle leaves
and doesn’t come back. By the time the story starts, all that’s happened to him,
and he’s just left alone with this robotic figure, the automaton. So he’s quite to
himself until he meets Isabelle, and then that starts getting him out of his shell.”
In order to be seen for the role of Isabelle—god-daughter to ‘Papa
Georges’ and ‘Mama Jeanne’—American actress Chloë Grace Moretz adopted a
disguise…of sorts. Scorsese recalls her audition: “I was seeing a few young
actresses from England. Chloë came in, and she spoke with a British accent,
and I thought she was from England as well. At that stage, we started reading
actors in pairs for Hugo and Isabelle, and Asa and Chloë just looked right
together. There were a couple of other actors, and we switched the pairs, but the
looks weren‘t right. Not only did they look right together, they sounded right
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together. They play off of each other very well, and they have very distinctive
personalities, very different.”
Moretz also recalls: “I met him for the first time in New York, and it was
actually the first time I set foot in New York since I started in this business. So it
was a really cool turn of events, because I show up in New York for the first time
in seven years and I am meeting Martin Scorsese for this phenomenal role. I
went in and met him, and he was just really warm. He told me a bunch of stories
and I thought, ‘Wow, he’s a really cool guy.’”
Chloë was also attracted to the mystery aspect of the story, but more in
the external sense. “Being 13-years-old, as the characters are, there’s always
something that you want to find out. There’s always something that you’re
poking and prying, trying to figure out what’s going on, or how something works.
In this movie, Isabelle and Hugo are poking and prying at people.”
As far as having his two younger leads putting on a ‘period’ style, the
director had a firm notion—don’t do it. He offers, “We don’t put up a title card
that says ‘1931.’ It doesn’t matter, because what the children are, what they
need, what they’re looking for, how they behave, it’s contemporary, it’s universal,
it’s not something of a time and place. It’s something that is natural, and
therefore, it doesn’t matter what time this film takes place. And the children
simply behave like children.”
For the key role of Georges Méliès, ‘Papa Georges,’ the director/producer
didn’t have to look very far in any direction. Per Scorsese: “I’ve always wanted
to work with Ben Kingsley over the years, and finally I got these two pictures,
‘Shutter Island’—we had a really good working relationship on that picture—and
now, this. He’s an extraordinary actor, really one of the greats, which I don’t
even need to say…just look at his body of work. His range, his versatility. In any
event, when we looked at the image of Georges Méliès, there was no doubt in
my mind that the look would be perfect for Ben.”
The look, yes, but what mattered even more to Kingsley was the
physicality of this man in decline. Scorsese was amazed at the performer’s
exacting technique: “Ben worked out a way of moving, with a sense of defeat…a
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defeated impression of his body, a defeated posture. This, after the man had
been so alive, making 500 films, three films a week, doing magic shows in the
evening, and having to shoot during the daytime. He created a whole new art
form and suddenly, he loses all of his money, has to burn everything and winds
up sitting behind the counter of a toy store in a very quiet part of the Gare
Montparnasse.”
In Kingsley’s research, he found much to admire on a personal basis in
Méliès, beyond the man’s visionary talent in cinema. The actor relates, “Georges
had the confidence and charisma of a great stage magician. He had to be very
precise in the execution of his tricks—sawing people in half, levitations,
disappearances, that sort of thing—and his sleight of hand. His precision was
contagious to his cast and crew. Given that he made hundreds of films, they
must have been very disciplined indeed. He ran a tight ship, but I hear he ran it
very affectionately. He rarely lost his temper or raised his voice, if ever. He had
a way of gently reminding people what they’d forgotten to do, reminding them
when he had said something before. What a man he must have been.”
Just as his character shifts from magic to cinema, Kingsley sees a natural
evolution in Martin Scorsese’s venture into 3D filmmaking: “I suppose it’s a little
bit like an artist going from fine portrait painting to landscape painting. It’s a shift
in the way he puts his brush, but it’s the same brush and it’s the same canvas.”
A looming presence in the train station and the constant threat to Hugo’s
independent way of life is the Station Inspector, a role slightly modified from the
novel. Per Scorsese: “We asked Brian Selznick if we could open up this part,
because I just didn’t want it to be a figure of fear—basically, a villain, just to
threaten and catch the boy. I wanted him to have a little more flavor, more levels
to him, and so I thought by working with Sacha Baron Cohen we could find that.”
Baron Cohen describes his take on his character: “Now naturally, in any
train station, it’s dangerous for children to be running around. So in the ‘20s and
‘30s, with the working conditions and such, if you have homeless children about,
unsupervised, it would present a danger to the passengers and the kids
themselves. So, you have me, a Station Inspector. He’s this wonderful fellow
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who’s utterly repulsive and horrid to children, but yet, there’s a different side to
him. He has a gentler side. He was probably in an orphanage himself, and he is
actually a war invalid. He’s limited physically by a metallic attachment to his leg,
which we imply may have been the result of a war wound, but it was most likely
self-inflicted, by accident.”
Inadvertently, the actor had already begun his own research in the
physical style of comedy of the day: “In England, I think Harold Lloyd was on
television everyday after school, so we kind of grew up watching him. I never
found him that funny at the time, but there are references in ‘Hugo’ to those films,
particularly ‘Safety Last,’ where he climbs up a building, and does this incredible
stunt and gets stuck on a clock that falls backwards. We directly reference that.
So Martin wanted me to look at these early comedians, which was very
interesting. They were doing brilliant stuff, people like Keaton and Chaplin.
Yeah, I discovered this very obscure guy called Charles Chaplin, I believe, and
his work is quite interesting—definitely worth a look.”
Scorsese also came up with another way to add facets to the ‘villain’ of the
piece. Baron Cohen explains, “When Marty and I met originally, we were talking
about ways to make the villain not seem like an archetypal villain—Marty had this
idea of bringing in some romance. And it was quite lovely to have Emily
Mortimer, who is a wonderful actress and woman, play my love interest, so there
is a bit of love. You know, the Inspector really is a nasty man. He’s a horrible
man, but deep down, he is a nice guy. It’s just really deep…down.”
Scorsese expresses, “Emily is one of the best actors around, she has a
great sense of humor, and she was a wonderful choice to play a love interest for
Sacha, which was unique for him to try.”
The Station Inspector isn’t the only threat to Hugo. He is brought to live in
the train station, in fact, by his estranged Uncle Claude, a menacing lout who
promptly pawns off his maintenance duties onto the small boy.
The director/producer: “I worked with Ray Winstone in ‘The Departed,’
which was a great experience. Ray has this passive menace—he doesn’t need
to be involved in any dialogue or anything physical, but you can still feel this
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darkness lurking in his character. I thought he would bring that threatening
gravity to Hugo’s Uncle Claude.”
Perhaps even more than performing in the role, Winstone enjoyed the
shared experience of working with Scorsese in 3D. Ray says, “The joy for me
during filming was actually watching Scorsese work, because it was like he was
falling in love with making a film again. Watching him with 3D, with something
he’d never worked with before . . . it was like watching a kid with a new toy. And
the feeling was palpable and eventually passed around the cast and crew.”
For the key featured role of Hugo’s father, Scorsese needed to find an
actor who could embody all of the warmth and goodness that the young boy had
experienced (up to that point in his life) in just a few short scenes.
“I worked with Jude Law once before, when he played Errol Flynn in ‘The
Aviator.’ I also saw him onstage as Hamlet, and he was really wonderful. He’s
so unique. He has the authority and the charm for this part, and I’d love to be
able to work with him in a longer project,” offers Scorsese.
Law professes, “I knew the book because I’d already read it to my
children. So I went back and re-read it, and I talked to my children about it and
asked them their impressions of the father. I got to talk to a clockmaker, and I
looked at automatons, so I had a certain knowledge of how to hold things, and if
they were referring to tools, I’d know what they were. But otherwise, to me,
really, it was simply about creating a very warm and heartfelt chapter in Hugo’s
life, knowing that the majority of the story sets him in quite a cold world. I wanted
to make sure that you realize he had been loved. I thought it was really
important that I carry my experiences of being a father into it.”
For the role of Monsieur Labisse, who runs a book shop in the train
station, Scorsese finally had the opportunity to work with a truly legendary
performer. He states, “On this film I finally got the chance to work with
Christopher Lee, who’s been a favorite of mine for 50, 60 years.”
The 89-year-old Lee recalls traveling in France in 1931: “I remember very
well those shops, café’s and restaurants. So to me, in a way, it’s like stepping
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into my past. My character is sort of a guardian angel, and I help open the world
to these children through literature.”
Lee was thrilled to finally be able to cross Martin Scorsese off of his list:
“Not to flatter Martin, but I said to him, ‘I have more credits probably than anyone
in the industry alive today, so I’m told. But I always felt that my career would not
be absolutely complete unless I did a film with you, because I’ve worked with
John Huston, Orson Welles, Raoul Walsh, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton, Peter
Jackson and many, many, many, many others, but never with you.’ Along comes
this story, and obviously there is something for me. So finally!”
Scorsese cast Helen McCrory in the pivotal role of Madame Jeanne, the
support and protector of the aging Méliès, who at one time was his muse.
Scorsese explains, “I had seen Helen in ‘The Queen’ as Mrs. Blair, and in a
British television series of ‘Anna Karenina,’ and she was excellent. We got to
meet, talked, and I thought she would be perfect for the role. It’s a complex
situation: Madame Jeanne, who supports her husband, has worked with him for
years and wants him to get past the bitterness of his great disappointment in life.
She was wonderful, working in different layers, shades and colors into her
performance.”
The crucial role of Rene Tabard, the film scholar who, thanks to Hugo and
Isabelle, rediscovers Méliès and arranges the gala in his honor at the French
Film Academy, went to the versatile screen and stage actor Michael Stuhlbarg.
Scorsese was delighted at being reunited with him. "This is the third time
Michael and I have worked together. He appeared in the commercial for
Freixenet champagne I shot that was an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, and he
also played a leading role in 'Boardwalk Empire.' Michael's range as an actor is
astonishing. He can switch effortlessly from drama to comedy, from a
contemporary film to a period piece. He's equally brilliant as a vicious, hardened
crime boss in 'Boardwalk' or, in 'Hugo,' as a gentle, self-effacing film historian
who idolizes George Méliès and is in awe of his movies. It was a great pleasure
working with Michael again."
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A great deal of the ‘local color’ of the train station is provided by people
who depend upon the traffic in the station’s main hall for their livelihood, which
include the flower seller, Lisette (Mortimer); the book seller, Labisse (Lee); a
gentleman who runs the newsstand, Monsieur Frick; and his neighbor, who runs
the café, Madame Emilie. For the role of the slightly eccentric (potential) couple,
Scorsese slotted two of Great Britain’s finest character actors, Richard Griffiths
(“one of the greatest actors working today,” states Scorsese ) and Frances de la
Tour (“I’ve always been a great admirer of hers,” he adds).
The director elaborates, “The characters that John Logan placed in this
little world of the station, in our impression of Paris at that time, I call them the
‘vignettes;’ they inhabit this world. They work there everyday. All these
characters were meant to weave in and out of the picture, with everybody trying
to connect with each other, the way Hugo is trying to connect with his past.”
Scorsese approached the vignettes with a light touch, and shot them
almost like a silent film. The characters quietly, almost wordlessly, move in and
out of frame as they relate to each other. Just watching them, scenarios arise,
which add to the atmosphere and the feel of the train station.
As the Station Inspector’s menacing dog, Maximillian, three trained
Dobermans were brought in (Blackie was used in most scenes, with Enzo and
Borsalino in the wings to cover). Trainer Mathilde de Cagny also oversaw the
use of the longhaired dachshunds (which play into the story of Frick and Emilie),
a cat (forever perched atop a pile of books in Labisse’s shop) and several
pigeons (what’s a clock tower without pigeons?). De Cagny herself was usually
costumed and stationed in the crowd, near enough to the action to ‘direct’ the
animals, but not evident enough to pull focus and spoil the shot. When no
crowds were present, she was outfitted in a ‘green screen’ suit, for easy removal
in post-production.
To fill the role of one very special character—who is central to the plot and
its unfolding—filmmakers turned to props master David Balfour, who worked with
‘problem solving’ prop builder Dick George, creator of Hugo’s automaton.
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Dick George offers, “He’s a character in himself, so in a way, it’s like
building a little human being.” A total of 15 automatons were built for filming,
each one, to execute a different move or serve a different purpose within the
script.
George continues, “The advantage that we have in manufacturing this
piece is that we have all modern technologies at our disposal, which early
clockmakers didn’t have. However, they had a wealth of experience and
understanding of clockwork mechanisms. The early automatons were driven on
a cam system, and the information was programmed in, letter-by-letter, so the
amount that it could actually write or draw was quite limited. In our case,
because it’s a computer program, it can draw absolutely anything.”
Of his taciturn co-star, Asa Butterfield notes, “It’s really odd. It does feel
like he’s another actor. When I heard that I was going to be working with a robot
for a portion of this movie, I thought it might look like the Tin Man from ‘The
Wizard of Oz,’ but it looks so human.”
Ben Kingsley observes, “The automaton took on a life of its own. It was
very touching and beautiful to watch the little chap turn his head, dip his pen into
a pot of ink and draw the face of the moon, which I watched it do with my own
eyes. There was one scene, where Hugo comes to Georges while cradling the
automaton, which really is a child holding a lost child. Then I take the little chap
in my arms, and we walk off—and then it’s really three children walking away.”
‘SEEING DREAMS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY’: FINDING THE REAL MÉLIÈS
“I had a DVD set, of course, of Méliès films, and there’s an image of
Méliès on the cover,” Scorsese says. “One day on the set, two of the kids in the
movie went by, both about 12-years-old. One saw the DVD box and said, ‘Oh,
there’s Ben (Kingsley),’ I responded, ‘No, that’s really Méliès.’ ‘You mean he
existed, he’s real?’ I said, ‘Oh, yes.’“
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Georges Méliès was not the first to make films—that honor belongs to two
brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumière, who invented ‘moving pictures’ in 1895
and went on to make hundreds of films, mostly documenting ‘real-life’ events
(e.g., one of their first, “L’Arrivée d’un train á La Ciotat,” had early cinemagoers
literally jumping out of their seats as a huge steam engine raced through the
frame). The story goes that the brothers, however, believed this new pastime to
be literally a passing fancy.
Georges Méliès thought otherwise. Eschewing the family business of
shoemaking, Méliès sold the factory and took the proceeds to fund the beginning
of his chosen profession—magic. He purchased a theater (formerly owned by
his mentor, Jean-Eugène Robert-Houdin, the magician who inspired the young
Ehrich Weiss to change his name to Harry Houdini) and began performing.
He saw his first moving picture when he was 34 and to him, this new art
form held great promise…for magic. He constructed his own cameras and
projectors, with the help of R.W. Paul, oftentimes repurposing parts from a
collection of automatons Robert-Houdin had left behind. His earliest films re-
created his stage performances. However, he soon began to experiment with
storytelling and editing techniques, giving rise to some of the earliest cinematic
‘special effects,’ including stop motion, time-lapse photography, multiple
exposures and dissolves and hand-painted colors. He later sold his theater and
built his studio, with a stage entirely of glass (to best utilize all available light) at
its heart.
“What’s amazing about Méliès,” offers Scorsese, “is that he explored and
invented pretty much everything that we’re doing now. It is in a direct line, all the
way, from the sci-fi and fantasy films of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s, up to the work of
Harryhausen, Spielberg, Lucas, James Cameron. It’s all there. Méliès did what
we do now with computer, green screen and digital, only he did it in his camera
at his studio.”
His ‘masterpiece,’ the 14-minute “Le voyage dans la lune” (“A Trip to the
Moon”), was filmed in 1902. He went on to write, direct, act in, produce and
design more than 500 films by 1914, with subjects ranging from ‘reality’ (re-
“Hugo” Production Information 15
creations of current events) to fantasy/sci-fi (from “Kingdom of the Fairies” to
“The Impossible Voyage”), with playing times from one to 40 minutes in length.
Méliès is often referred to as the ‘Father of Narrative Filmmaking,’ with many
crediting him with the birth of the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres.
Because of an unfortunate incident with Thomas Alva Edison (who
acquired a print of Méliès’ 1896 “The House of Devil,” duplicated and exhibited it
in the U.S. with great success…without giving any profits to Méliès), the
filmmaker began to film two prints simultaneously, one for European and one for
American exhibition. Recently, a film historian combined both prints of “The
Infernal Cake Walk” and found the resulting image to be a crude precursor to 3D
cinema.
Advances in the art of cinema later left Méliès behind, and with the
outbreak of World War I, he saw his appeal waning. He eventually abandoned
his studio, burned his costumes and sets, and sold the copies of his films to be
melted down for chemical use.
To support himself, his second wife and his granddaughter, Méliès worked
in a confectionary and toy booth seven days a week at one of Paris’ central train
stations, Gare Montparnasse, in the 1920s. He remained largely forgotten until
the artistic community of French Surrealists ‘discovered’ his work, connecting
with his dreamlike vision. Renewed interest led to a gala in Paris, with Méliès
front and center, screening many of his works. He was even working on a new
film, “The Ghosts of the Metro,” when he died in 1938.
Scorsese remarks, “When I first read the book, I didn’t realize that the
older gentleman in the toy store was going to turn out to be Georges Méliès. It’s
a true story. He was broke, and did wind up in a toy store at the Gare
Montparnasse for 16 years.”
Ben Kingsley explains, “The fictionalizing is discreet in our film. It was
believed by many that Georges died around about the time of the First World
War, but he actually isolated himself in his shop. It’s been re-created,
wonderfully, from photographs and from people who were close to him. The
nudge of history is delicate and charming.”
“Hugo” Production Information 16
BALANCING REALISM AND MYTH: SCORSESE’S PARIS OF 1931
To re-create the world of Paris in the early ‘30s, as filtered through Hugo
Cabret, a fictional character, Scorsese aimed to create, as he put it, “a balance of
realism and myth.” He brought researcher Marianne Bower onboard, who looked
to lend authenticity, supported by historical photographs, documents and films of
the period. She narrowed her search to isolate the time period of 1925 to 1931.
As a course of study for the creative departments, members of Team
Hugo watched about 180 of Méliès’ films, about 13 hours’-worth, along with films
of René Clair and Carol Reed, avant-garde cinema from the 1920s and ‘30s.
They watched films of the Lumière brothers, and silent films from the ‘20s to
study period tinting and toning. Reference was not limited to ‘moving pictures,’
as they also studied still photography of Brassaï (Hungarian photographer Gyula
K. Halász, who memorialized Paris between the Wars) for the period look of the
Parisian streets and the appearance and behavior of the background actors.
While some location filming would take place, the majority of filming was
to be done at England’s Shepperton Studios, where the production designer
Dante Ferretti would supervise the construction of Hugo’s world, which included
a life-size train station with all of its shops, Méliès’ entire apartment building, his
glass studio building, a bombed-out structure next door, a fully stocked corner
wine shop and an enormous graveyard marked by huge monuments and stone
crypts, among others.
The centerpiece of the tale, the station, was an amalgamation of design
elements and structures lifted from multiple train stations of the period—some
still in existence, which proved helpful to many of the artists; sadly, Gare
Montparnasse was destroyed and rebuilt anew in 1969. Per Scorsese, “Our
station is a combination of several different train stations in Paris at that time.
Also, our Paris is really a heightened Paris…our impression of Paris at the time.”
“Hugo” Production Information 17
Ferretti’s impressive sets were brought even more into the period with the
help of set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo, who joyfully admits that she had the
pitiable task of repeated shopping trips to flea markets in and around Paris. She
also supervised the reproduction of posters from 1930-31 for use in the station
and on some building exteriors. Some design elements were also inspired
references to some of the best of French cinema.
An experience from Ferretti’s youth also proved quite useful to the
designer—at age eight, the father of his best friend worked with clocks, and once
he began to incorporate them into his designs, “all my memory about this came
back…I had forgotten everything.” (The actual construction of the clocks
themselves was done by Joss Williams of special effects.)
When finished, the main hall of the train station filled a soundstage,
running 150 feet in length, 120 in width and 41 in height. The overwhelmingly
immersive environment allowed Scorsese and director of photography Robert
Richardson to film all the movement, bustle and collision of the multiple stories
dictated in Logan’s screenplay, including a rather breathless chase between the
Station Inspector and Hugo.
Costume designer Sandy Powell also looked to the past for information
and inspiration, but also, played fully with the idea of Scorsese’s ‘impression of
Paris’ agenda. Vintage clothing figured heavily—for reference and for actual
use—but for those actually worn by an actor, they had to be subjected to
strengthening (at the very least) or even re-made.
Powell found Hugo’s signature striped sweater, then had copies made
(several sets of identical costumes were necessary for characters who appear in
largely unchanged outfits throughout the film). When Helen McCrory appears as
a constellation in one of Méliès’ films, she was outfitted in a found skirt (from an
old costume or ball gown from the ‘40s or ‘50s, Powell surmises), which, with
added bodice, was refashioned into the airy costume befitting a ‘star.’ Kingsley’s
costumes as Méliès were taken directly from photographs, then padded, to not
only give the actor a more slumped silhouette, but also to remind him not to
stand up straight.
“Hugo” Production Information 18
But history did not always have the final say—for the Station Inspector’s
uniform, Powell rejected the bottle green color called for in favor of a near-
turquoise blue.
‘IT’S A PUZZLE—WHEN YOU PUT IT TOGETHER, SOMETHING’S GOING TO HAPPEN’: FILMING HUGO’S WORLD IN 3D Martin Scorsese is not shy about professing his affection for 3D
filmmaking, having spent his formative years attending the cinema at the same
time that 3D was being utilized for films across every genre. He says, “It was
1953, and the first one I saw was ‘House of Wax,’ directed by André de Toth—it’s
probably the best 3D film ever made.”
It was, however, a film released the following year that Scorsese cites as
having a truly lasting effect on the argument for a ‘smart use’ of 3D in service to
the story. He offers, “Alfred Hitchcock’s use of 3D in ‘Dial M for Murder’ was
really intelligent. Rather than as an effect, it deals with the story, and it utilizes
space as an element in the narrative. What I discovered working in 3D is that it
enhances the actor, like watching a sculpture that moves. It’s no longer flat.
With the right performances and the right moves, it becomes a mixture of theater
and film, but different from both. That is something that has always been exciting
to me…I’ve always dreamed about doing a film in 3D.”
As part of a primer in 3D filmmaking, crew members were shown both
“House of Wax” and “Dial M for Murder.” For Scorsese’s cinematographer,
Robert Richardson, it was also the first time working in the format. Per the
director/producer: “Bob’s a wonderful artist, and he had never done 3D, so we
were always pushing each other. We wanted to try it, and so we were both
discovering more about it as we went along.
“Probably the first images I saw in my head when I began working on
‘Hugo,’“ continues Scorsese, “were images of Hugo running and looking over his
shoulder, and there was this longing in his eyes. Faces are given a special
intimacy with 3D. We see people in a different way. They are closer to us. I felt
“Hugo” Production Information 19
that 3D would help create a stronger bond between the audience and the
characters.”
Robert Richardson states, “’Hugo’ provided an unparalleled challenge. My
hope was to evoke the romance of Paris in the 1930’s and yet not divorce the
present. French cinema has always had a special place in my heart and with the
vast potential of 3D, I hoped to sample the magic with which Melies created his
body of work.”
To help with the challenges of filming in an added dimension, 3D
stereographer Demetri Portelli was hired. During shooting, he could always be
found working from a special monitor, using a remote control to adjust each
camera's 'eye' on the 3D rig. Portelli elaborates, “3D enhances the viewing
experience. It creates a physical world closer to reality than ever before,
intensifying the audience’s involvement in the story.”
For the scene where Hugo and Isabelle venture to the library, location
filming took place at the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève. Richardson had
prepared lighting cranes outside the windows to simulate sunshine, but when it
was time to film, the sun came cascading into the voluminous library, one window
at a time. Portelli describes, “Some atmosphere was added with a white smoke,
so we could define the rays of light. On my 3D screen, they looked like solid
beams of platinum. In my experience this can only be achieved by shooting in
3D. Filming native 3D—capturing 3D on set with a motorized rig—I can move
each camera’s lens around an object from two different positions, like the eyes in
your head ‘see’ from different angles. This process enables us to build objects
with volume and gives all the images in the film a wonderful physical tangibility.”
The air of the train station received similar treatment—to give viewers the
impression of the age and feel of the place. ‘Dust’ was created from tiny bits of
goose down, and dry ice ‘smoke’ was also added.
“Hugo” was also the 3D maiden voyage of the film’s editor, Thelma
Schoonmaker, who felt the format a rich addition to the project. She says,
“Scorsese's and Richardson's use of 3D in ‘Hugo’ seems to embrace the actors.
It has a powerful effect on the emotion in the film."
“Hugo” Production Information 20
But “Hugo” is about more than an adventurous boy on a hopeful mission—
it is also about the discovery and reaffirmation of a true artist of early cinema. In
flashback, audiences are shown the entire arc of Méliès’ career…from magician
to filmmaker and then, shopkeeper. Scenes of him actually filming are key. As
he is credited with more than 500 films, Scorsese faced the challenge of
winnowing down such a lengthy list of movie titles to just a handful. Finally, he
chose the one for the full ‘behind-the-scenes’ treatment—his 1903 “Kingdom of
the Fairies.” Per Scorsese: “I wanted to show three or four scenes from it, but
actually I wound up with one that takes place under the sea. We thought that
would be interesting to show how he accomplished his underwater sequences—
how simple it is, and how charming.”
Méliès’ original glass studio was rebuilt on the backlot of Shepperton
Studios in England, constructed from existing designs, measurements and
photos of the original building. Cinémathèque Française provided Méliès’
diagram for filming ‘underwater’—Scorsese’s team could re-create the placement
of the fish tank and the camera in order to reproduce Méliès’ effect.
Visual effects supervisor Rob Legato was charged with figuring out how to
achieve the litany of filmic effects Méliès first created using only the available
tools and techniques of the time. Legato offers, “This was a magic project,
having the opportunity to go back to the very beginnings of the film business with
someone like Marty at the helm. To a large degree, what I do in my profession is
visual effects, and here is essentially the ‘father of visual effects.’ He created this
in-camera trickery and had such love for the art form—it’s so much a part of this
movie.”
Scorsese also features more of Méliès’ work as “films within the film,” such
as “A Thousand and One Nights,” which features a group of dancing skeletons
that appear to vanish when confronted by sword-wielding adventurers. The
filmmaker himself appeared as Satan in multiple projects, and Kingsley appears
in perfect imitation, down to the costume and the ‘disappearance’ through a trap
door in the floor. Other scenes are representative of several similar ones from
multiple films, and the dragon is one such multi-sourced creation.
“Hugo” Production Information 21
Whenever any Méliès film was ‘directly’ quoted onscreen by Scorsese,
hours of work went in to authentically reproducing every aspect of the film—from
the appearances of the performers and their movements, to the costumes,
lighting and effects. Footage was re-created frame by frame, in painstaking
detail. Legato confirms, “I can’t describe enough the lengths to which we went to
create the spirit of Méliès in his studio—the costumes, the makeup, the lighting,
the assistant directors working out the blocking and expressions of the actors
exactly as they looked in the original films. It’s as accurate as we could get
matching the clips, beat for beat.”
Authenticity and accuracy were indeed the mandate, and filmmakers went
above and beyond to keep the vision ‘true’…for example, the period
seamstresses shown working on Georges Méliès’ films are actually the crew
seamstresses from “Hugo.” Scorsese confesses, “It was an enormous
undertaking, and we didn’t fully realize how challenging it would be. But it was
enjoyable. We really felt, when we were working in the Méliès Studio, that it was
a celebration for all of us and an honor to be making our versions of these lasting
works.”
While Kingsley was duly inspired from watching all of the existing films of
Méliès, he found a more direct character inspiration much nearer to hand: “I
watched all of Georges’ films, but it’s not a question for me of preparation and
research. That’s minimal. It doesn’t really teach you anything about what it’s like
to be Georges. But then, working with Marty, who is such a genius, I realized
that my role model for playing Georges Méliès should be Martin Scorsese! There
he is. Why look any further? I didn’t have to go out and research someone
who’s been dead for a long time, I can’t speak with him. I feel I’m living with a
pioneer of cinema, in the same room, day after day. That’s where I looked.”
Méliès created his effects using trial and error—filming, waiting for the film
to be developed and edited, then viewing it…it either worked or it didn’t. Legato
turned to ‘tried and true’ techniques to achieve onscreen magic for Scorsese,
especially with one massive scene involving a derailed locomotive that screeches
“Hugo” Production Information 22
through the station and explodes out of one of the gigantic windows into the Paris
street below.
Just such an accident occurred at the Gare Montparnasse, on October 23,
1895. The still shocking image of the train engine in the street, the back end
leaning up against the remains of the grand window, became Legato’s reference.
He explains, “My first instinct was to photograph the scene. I had very good
experiences photographing miniature models in ‘Titanic’ and ‘Apollo 13.’ So, we
constructed the train and the window [in 1:4 scale], set up the same mechanics,
and it reacted much like it did when the historical crash really occurred, and
ultimately, matching the train’s twisted position just like in the photograph.”
Construction of the 15-foot-long train and 20-foot-tall station window took
the design team and engineers four months to build. To achieve additional scale,
models of miniature bicycles and suitcases were added to the street just below
the window. The actual model train crash took only a second-and-a-half, but
when slowed down and finished off with other effects, the result is in scale and
quite convincing.
For a few scenes, Scorsese took his 3D camera on location, to add even
more period feel and authenticity. Scenes with Jude Law as Hugo’s father,
working at his museum job, London’s internationally renowned Victoria and
Albert Museum stood in for a Parisian one. Isabelle and Hugo go to the cinema
in a historic film house in Paris—an actual one—the lobby decorated with
existing antique posters from silent films and films in release in 1930 and ‘31.
The Parisian theater where Georges is feted is, in fact, a lecture hall at the
Sorbonne—the historical landmark in the Latin Quarter, the 5th arrondissement
of Paris, which formerly housed the centuries’ old center of learning. A younger
Georges is shown levitating Jeanne in a flashback, and the sequence was filmed
at the Athénée Théâtre Louis-Jouvet in Paris (the look of the scene was inspired
by a period poster advertising the illusion, even down to Sandy Powell hand-
painting the inside of Jeanne’s skirt, which is visible while the damsel is floating).
Paris, France in 1931 is evident in every aspect of “Hugo,” from the
costumes, to the sets, the dressing and the styling. Composer Howard Shore’s
“Hugo” Production Information 23
score is a love letter, both to the French culture in the 1930s and to the
groundbreaking early days of cinema. Shore’s music is composed for two
ensembles – one nested within the other – to create a sense of layering in the
musical palette. Inside a full symphony orchestra resides a smaller ensemble, a sort
of nimble French dance band that includes the ondes Martenot, musette, cimbalom,
tack piano, gypsy guitar, upright bass, a 1930s trap-kit and alto saxophone. “I
wanted to match the depth of the sound to the depth of the image—a marriage of
light and sound,” says Shore.
‘LEADING ALL THE WAY HOME’: LA FIN D’UN RÊVE
For Ben Kingsley, bringing the ‘Father of Narrative Filmmaking’ to life was
only one of the benefits of performing in “Hugo.” Kingsley posits, “The characters
are so rich, and the actors playing them so gifted, they really have found the joy,
the glory and the surprise that one usually finds in an animated film. But it goes
far beyond that—Martin has used the natural eccentricities and energies of the
performers to great effect. It’s got mystery, it’s funny and moving. The set is
breathtakingly beautiful; the toys in my shop are exquisite. The colors, the
3D…it’s terribly entertaining, and wonderful in the most literal sense.”
From first seeing “A Trip to the Moon,” to watching his illustrated novel
transformed into a film, author Brian Selznick maintained his gratitude and sense
of wonder: “Watching the movie now, I think about myself as a child drawing day
and night, and I think about Martin Scorsese in the cinema with his father, and
Thelma Schoonmaker growing up in Aruba, and John Logan watching Laurence
Olivier as Hamlet, and Dante Ferretti sitting in a clock tower in Italy. I marvel at
the long, unexpected twists and turns that led us here…children from all over the
world who grew up and came together to collaborate on a movie about two lonely
kids who find their purpose in a train station in Paris.”
Scorsese closes, “As a moviemaker, I feel that everything done in film
today began with Georges Méliès. And when I go back and look at his original
“Hugo” Production Information 24
films, I feel moved and inspired, because they still carry the thrill of discovery
over 100 years after they were made; and because they are among the first,
powerful expressions of an art form that I’ve loved, and to which I’ve devoted
myself for the better part of my life.”
“Hugo” Production Information 25
About the Cast
After earning an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA
Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Sir
BEN KINGSLEY (Pappa Georges / Georges Méliès) continues to bring
unequaled detail and nuance to each role. In 1984, Kingsley was awarded the
Padma Sri by Indira Gandhi and the government of India. Kingsley went on to
earn three additional Oscar® nominations for “Bugsy” (1991), “Sexy Beast”
(2000) and “House of Sand and Fog” (2003). His roles have been as diverse as
his talents, from a sturdy vice president in “Dave” to the scheming Fagin in
“Oliver Twist.” Since being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve
Honors List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honors as a truly international
star.
Kingsley will next be seen in Sacha Baron Cohen’s next project, “The
Dictator,” to be released in 2012. Kingsley was last seen starring in Martin
Scorsese’s 1950s drama “Shutter Island,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo
and Michelle Williams, as well as Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Prince of Persia: The
Sands of Time,” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton.
He recently was the star of the sexually charged “Elegy,” opposite
Penelope Cruz and directed by Isabel Coixet, for which he was nominated British
Actor of the Year by the London Critics Circle Film Awards. He starred in two
films at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, giving further perspective to his work:
the Audience Award-winning and Grand Jury Prize-nominated “The Wackness,”
in which he plays a drug-addled psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck, Famke
Janssen, Olivia Thirlby and Mary-Kate Olsen; and the crime thriller
“Transsiberian,” as a mysterious traveler opposite Woody Harrelson. He also
starred in “50 Dead Men,” a thriller set against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s
Ireland, and the more lighthearted crime comedy “War, Inc.,” opposite John
Cusack.
“Hugo” Production Information 26
Steeped in British theater, Kingsley marked the beginning of his
professional acting career with his acceptance by the Royal Shakespeare
Company in l967. He was seen in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “The
Tempest” and “Julius Caesar” (as Brutus), and in the title roles in “Othello” and
“Hamlet,” among others. His more recent and diverse stage roles include those
in “The Country Wife,” “The Cherry Orchard,” “A Betrothal” and “Waiting for
Godot.”
Kingsley’s film career began in l972 with the thriller “Fear Is the Key,” but
his first major role came a decade later in the epic “Gandhi,” directed by Richard
Attenborough. He followed this Oscar®-winning performance with such early
films as “Betrayal,” “Turtle Diary,” “Harem,” “Pascali’s Island,” “Without a Clue”
(as Dr. Watson to Michael Caine’s Sherlock Holmes) and “The Children,”
opposite Kim Novak. During the ‘90s Kingsley distinguished himself through
roles in “Bugsy” (as Mayer Lansky), “Sneakers,” “Searching For Bobby Fischer”
and “Dave.” In 1994 he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his memorable
supporting role as Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg’s seven-time Oscar® winner,
“Schindler’s List.”
During the past decade, Ben Kingsley has remained a coveted and
ubiquitous talent, starring in such films as “Rules of Engagement,” “What Planet
Are You From?” and an Oscar®-nominated role as a brutal gangster in “Sexy
Beast.” He received his most recent Oscar® nomination in 2004 for his
performance as a proud Iranian emigrant in the highly acclaimed “House of Sand
and Fog.” Among his films in the last several years are Roman Polanski’s “Oliver
Twist,” the crime drama “Lucky Number Slevin,” John Dahl’s “You Kill Me” and
the Roman empire saga “The Last Legion.”
SACHA BARON COHEN (Station Inspector) made his mark in the
comedy world as his alter ego Ali G, host of HBO’s popular, multiple-Emmy-
nominated comedy “Da Ali G Show.” Initially regarded as the #1 comedy
phenomenon in England, the show was an instant success after airing on HBO in
2003. Baron Cohen originated the character of Ali G in 1998 on the British
“Hugo” Production Information 27
television comedy “The 11 O’Clock Show.” Baron Cohen served as an executive
producer on the series, in addition to acting and writing for it. Fond of performing
in character, Baron Cohen has twice hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards to
record numbers, in 2001 as Ali G in Frankfurt, Germany, then in 2005 as Borat in
Lisbon, Portugal. He won the GQ Man of the Year Award four times on both
sides of the Atlantic and delivered the 2004 Class Day address at Harvard
University as Ali G.
“Da Ali G Show” received six Emmy Award nominations. In 2003 it was
nominated for Outstanding Non-Fiction Program, Outstanding Writing Non-
Fiction Program, and Outstanding Directing Non-Fiction Program. In 2005 the
show was nominated for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series;
Outstanding Writing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series; and Outstanding
Directing, Variety, Music or Comedy Series. The show also received accolades
in the UK prior to its stateside debut, with Sacha Baron Cohen garnering two
BAFTA Awards.
After completing two seasons, Baron Cohen set out to conquer the world
with “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of
Kazakhstan,” a feature film starring his second alter ego, Borat Sagdiyev, a
Kazakhstani news reporter.
Baron Cohen is known worldwide for creating “one of the greatest
comedies of the last decade and perhaps even a whole new genre of film,”
according to Rolling Stone magazine. “Borat” opened #1 in 24 countries, while
setting a U.S. box office record for films opening on 1000 screens or less which
grossed more than $26 million. Ultimately, the film grossed more than $250
million worldwide. In 2007, Baron Cohen took home the Golden Globe® for Best
Actor in a Comedy or Musical and an Academy Award® nomination for Adapted
Screenplay.
Since its release in November 2006, “Borat” has garnered numerous
awards and honors. The film was named one of the Ten Most Outstanding
Motion Pictures of the Year by AFI. Individually, Baron Cohen received Writer of
the Year at the 2007 British Writers Guild Awards and was nominated for WGA
“Hugo” Production Information 28
Award in the Adapted Screenplay category. Baron Cohen won Best Actor
awards from the Los Angeles Films Critics Association, Utah Film Critics, San
Francisco Films Critics Circle, Toronto Film Critics Association and Online Film
Critics.
His feature film projects include the hit comedy “Talladega Nights: The
Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” with co-stars Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. He was also
the voice behind the animated character King Julien in the DreamWorks
Animation feature “Madagascar,” which grossed over $500 million worldwide. In
2008, Baron Cohen returned as the voice of King Julien in the sequel
“Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa,” which grossed $594 million worldwide. In
2007, Baron Cohen appeared with Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s film adaptation
of the classic Sondheim musical “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet
Street.” In this Academy Award®-winning film, Baron Cohen co-starred as
Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Todd’s (Depp) competitor in the haircutting world.
In 2009, Baron Cohen returned to the screen as Brüno, his other alter ego
character from “Da Ali G Show.” Re-teaming with his “Borat” collaborator, Jay
Roach, Baron Cohen helped produce and write “Brüno.” The Universal Pictures
release grossed $138 million worldwide and won The Peter Sellers Award for
Comedy.
Re-collaborating with director Larry Charles, Baron Cohen will be starring
in the upcoming Paramount Pictures’ film “The Dictator,” which is scheduled for
release in May 2012. Baron Cohen will also be working as a writer and producer
of this highly anticipated film. The comedic film is based on the best-selling novel
Zabibah and the King, which tells the story of dictator Saddam Hussein.
Undoubtedly Baron Cohen has captured audiences with his characters
Brüno and Ali G, however, the true scope of his talent will be seen in the
upcoming Freddie Mercury biopic, scheduled for release in 2013. Baron Cohen
will star as Mercury, frontman for the band Queen, in the film, which tells the
story of the years leading up to Queen’s appearance at the Live Aid concert in
1985. Academy Award® nominee Peter Morgan will write the film, with Academy
Award® winner Robert De Niro producing.
“Hugo” Production Information 29
Baron Cohen resides in both Los Angeles and London with his wife,
actress Isla Fisher, and their two daughters.
As a young actor, ASA BUTTERFIELD (Hugo Cabret) has endeared
himself to audiences and garnered the attention of critics with his brilliant and
captivating performances onscreen.
Prior to “Hugo,” he was seen in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,”
opposite Vera Farmiga and David Thewlis, for which he was nominated for Most
Promising Newcomer from the British Independent Film Awards and Young
British Performer of the Year from the London Critics Circle Film Awards. His
previous film credits include “Son of Rambow,” “The Wolfman” and “Nanny
McPhee Returns.” His television credits include a recurring role on the BBC
series “Merlin.”
CHLOË GRACE MORETZ (Isabelle) began a career in entertainment at
the tender age of five. She began in New York City as a national model in many
print outlets and television commercials. At age six she moved with her family to
Los Angeles, where her career took a theatrical turn.
Quickly after moving to California, Chloë booked a recurring role on the
CBS show “The Guardian” with Simon Baker. She had the fortune of being
directed by Emilio Estevez for her very first theatrical outing. Her first feature film
came soon thereafter in an independent film “The Heart of the Beholder.” She
immediately booked a lead role in Michael Bay's remake of “The Amityville
Horror” for MGM, opposite Ryan Reynolds, and received critical acclaim for her
work.
Chloë starred in the action-packed film adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic
book “Kick-Ass.” The story follows a 15-year-old boy’s attempts to become a
real-life super-hero; sadly, he has no powers or any reason to choose to fight
crime. Chloe plays the part of Hit-Girl, a ferocious potty-mouthed 11-year-old,
who fights crime by teaming up with her father, Big-Daddy, played by Nicolas
“Hugo” Production Information 30
Cage. For her work in “Kick-Ass,” Chloë earned the title of Most Likely to
Succeed It-girl in the Making from Teen Vogue magazine.
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” the theatrical remake of Jeff Kinney’s popular
children’s book series of the same name, was released in March 2010. Chloë
plays the role of Angie, an intense middle school girl dressed in all black who is
much smarter than her peers.
Moretz is currently in production on Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” slated
for release in 2012. Moretz will star alongside Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham
Carter and Michelle Pfeiffer in this gothic-horror tale, based on the popular "Dark
Shadows" television series.
Chloë can most recently be seen starring as Abby in “Let Me In,” written
and directed by Matt Reeves, based on the Swedish novel and film, “Let the
Right One In.” The film tells the story of a young, bullied boy who finds love and
revenge through Abby, who happens to be a beautiful young vampire.
Last year, Chloë wrapped production on “Texas Killing Fields,” for director
Ami Mann. The psychological thriller is based on true events that took place in a
small Pennsylvania town in 1973. Chloë stars alongside Sam Worthington and
Jessica Chastain.
Next year, Moretz will also be seen in the upcoming film “Hick,” also
starring Blake Lively, Juliette Lewis and Alec Baldwin. The story follows a
Nebraska teen that gets more than she bargained for when she sets out for the
bright lights of Las Vegas. Moretz is also set to play the title role in the Dark Horse Entertainment film
adaptation of “Emily the Strange,” based on the popular character created by
Rob Reger. The film will tell the story of the punk and gothic figure and her four
cats, set to release in 2013.
Chloë’s other feature film credits include: Fox Searchlight’s offbeat
romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer,” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey
Deschanel, which premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival; the
psychological thriller “Not Forgotten,” in which she starred alongside Paz Vega
and Simon Baker; the indie film festival circuit favorite “The Third Nail”; the Martin
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Lawrence comedy hit sequel “Big Momma's House 2”; and the lead in “The
Children,” shot on location in Sofia, Bulgaria.
On the small screen, Chloë recently played a guest role on the NBC hit
“30 Rock,” with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey, and can be seen throughout the
second season of the ABC series “Dirty Sexy Money” as Kiki George, starring
opposite Peter Krause and Donald Sutherland. Moretz also guest-starred on
episodes of “My Name Is Earl” and “Desperate Housewives.”
In addition to feature films and television, Chloë has also been using her
acting abilities to bring life to animation through her voice. She was cast as the
lead Darby in the new series “My Friends Tigger & Pooh” for Disney Animation,
and lent her voice for the animated show “The Emperor’s New School.”
She currently resides in Los Angeles.
RAY WINSTONE (Uncle Claude) was born in Hackney in the East End of
London. He started boxing at the age of 12, was three-time London Schoolboy
champion and fought twice for England. He studied acting at the Corona School
before being cast by director Alan Clarke as Carlin (the Daddy) in “Scum.”
This BBC Play production made Winstone’s name and since then, he has
appeared in numerous TV series and movies. After playing a starring role in
Franc Roddam’s “Quadrophenia” and being cast by Ken Loach in “Ladybird,
Ladybird,” Gary Oldman gave Winstone the lead role in his gritty biographical
drama, “Nil By Mouth,” for which he won a British Independent Film Award for
Best Actor and earned a BAFTA Award nomination. His mesmerizing
performance led to a succession of challenging roles, including Dave in the
gangster movie “Face” and Dad in Tim Roth’s disturbing drama “The War Zone.”
He also played in the comedy drama “Fanny and Elvis” before delivering one of
the finest performances of his career, opposite Ben Kingsley in “Sexy Beast.”
His television credits include the title roles in “Henry VIII” (which went on
to win Best Mini-Series/TV Movie at the International Emmy Awards) and
“Sweeney Todd” for BBC. Ray’s most recent television credits are: the role of
Quintus Arrius in “Ben Hur”; the HBO telefilm “Last of the Ninth”; and
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“Compulsion,” a co-production with ITV and the third film for television from his
company, Size 9 Productions. In 2006 Ray won an International Emmy Award
for Best Actor for his eponymous role in “Vincent” (Granada/ITV).
His additional film credits include “Last Order,” “Ripley’s Game,” “Cold
Mountain,” “King Arthur,” “The Proposition,” Scorsese’s Oscar®-winning “The
Departed,” Anthony Minghella’s “Breaking and Entering,” the title role in Robert
Zemeckis’ “Beowulf” and Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of
the Crystal Skull.” More recent projects include Gore Verbinski’s “Rango”;
Malcolm Venville’s “44 Inch Chest”; “London Boulevard” and “Edge of Darkness,”
both for GK Films; “13” for director Géla Babluani; “Tracker” for Eden Films;
“Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” for Fox 2000; and “Sex &
Drugs & Rock & Roll.”
In December 2007, Ray received the Richard Harris Award for outstanding
contribution at the British Independent Film Awards.
EMILY MORTIMER’s (Lisette) many film credits include her break-out
role in the critically-acclaimed “Lovely & Amazing,” a comical, bittersweet tale of
four hapless, but resilient, women and the lessons they learn in keeping up with
the hectic demands of their individual neuroses. The film brought Mortimer great
critical acclaim and a 2003 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting
Actress.
Mortimer most recently has been seen and heard in a wide range of
performances, including: “Our Idiot Brother,” directed by Jesse Peretz, starring
opposite Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel as three sisters whose lives are
disrupted by their well-meaning brother, played by Paul Rudd; the voice of Holly
Shiftwell in John Lassester’s box office hit “Cars 2”; Martin Scorsese’s box office
hit, “Shutter Island,” which she played a mysterious patient of the clinic where the
story is set; the hit comedy, “City Island,” opposite Andy Garcia; the crime drama,
“Harry Brown,” in which she played a detective opposite Michael Caine; the
thriller “Transsiberian,” directed by Brad Anderson (“The Machinist”), starring
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opposite Woody Harrelson and Ben Kingsley; and “The Pink Panther 2,” reprising
her role of Nicole opposite Steve Martin.
Among Mortimer’s upcoming projects include a starring role opposite Jeff
Daniels in Aaron Sorkin’s new show on HBO, “As the Story Develops.”
Other recent films include the widely acclaimed, touching comedy “Lars
and the Real Girl,” opposite Ryan Gosling and Patricia Clarkson; David Mamet’s
“Redbelt,” set in the Los Angeles world of mixed martial arts; Woody Allen’s
“Match Point,” for which she received glowing reviews, starring alongside Scarlett
Johansson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Matthew Goode; and the hit comedy
“The Pink Panther,” playing Nicole, Inspector Clouseau’s hapless secretary,
alongside Steve Martin.
Mortimer’s film credits also include starring in Shona Auerbach’s “Dear
Frankie,” earning a London Film Critics Award nomination as an impoverished
single mother who has moved to a seaside Scottish town with her deaf child;
acclaimed filmmaker David Mackenzie’s first film, “Young Adam,” starring Ewan
McGregor, for which Mortimer earned a nomination as Best British Actress at the
2004 Empire Awards and a nomination for Best British Actress in a Supporting
Role at the 2004 London Film Critics Circle Awards; leading the ensemble cast
in Stephen Fry’s directorial debut, “Bright Young Things”; Kenneth Branagh’s
“Love’s Labour’s Lost”; Shekhar Kapur’s award-winning “Elizabeth”; “The Ghost
and the Darkness,” with Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer; “Formula 51,” with
Robert Carlyle and Samuel L. Jackson; Wes Craven’s “Scream 3”; “The Kid,”
opposite Bruce Willis; and Helmut Schleppi’s independent feature, “A Foreign
Affair,” with Tim Blake Nelson and David Arquette.
Mortimer also voiced the character of young Sophie in Walt Disney
Studios’ English-language version of “Howl’s Moving Castle,” directed by the
renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki.
In addition to her several film projects, Mortimer has also starred in a
range of television projects for the BBC and played the recurring role of Phoebe,
a love interest for Alec Baldwin’s character, during the 2007 season of the hit
NBC series “30 Rock.”
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Mortimer’s theater credits include making her off-Broadway debut at the
Atlantic Theater (February, 2008 – April, 2008) in the World Premiere run of
acclaimed playwright Jez Butterworth’s “Parlour Song.” Directed by Neil Pepe,
the play looks at what happens when two ordinary people discover they hate
what they have become.
Prior to “Parlour Song,” Mortimer’s other theater credits include
productions of “The Merchant of Venice” for the Lyceum Theatre and “The
Lights” for the Royal Court. While studying English at Oxford University,
Mortimer had starring roles in numerous stage productions including: Ophelia in
“Hamlet” at Oxford Shakespeare Festival; Gertrude in “Hamlet” and Lady
Nijo/Winn in “Top Girls” at the Edinburgh Festival; Miss Burstner/Leni in “The
Trial” at the Oxford Playhouse; and Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” at
the Old Fire Station, Oxford. She also devised, directed and acted in a
production of “Don Juan,” which was a Drama Cupper’s Winner.
In November 2007, Mortimer was invited by Eric Idle (Monty Python) to
take part in his tryout run of his new play, “What About Dick?,” for two public
performances at the Ricardo Montalban Theater. The stellar cast included Billy
Connolly, Tim Curry, Eric Idle, Eddie Izzard, Jane Leeves, Mortimer, Jim Piddock
and Tracy Ullman. Subtitled “A Film for Radio,” Idle’s work-in-progress comedy
involved the eight actors gathered together on stage to perform a classic radio
drama, “What About Dick?,” at the original Lux Radio Theater in 1948.
Mortimer was born in London, England. She is the daughter of famed
writer Sir John Mortimer and Penelope Glossop. Mortimer attended the highly
respected St. Paul’s Girls School in Barnes, London, and then studied English
and Russian at Oxford University from 1990-1994. She married actor
Alessandro Nivola in 2002, and their son was born in 2003 and their daughter, in
2010.
The multi award-winning actress HELEN McCRORY (Mama Jeanne) has
appeared in a multitude of roles on the stage. McCrory has worked extensively
at Sam Mendes’ Donmar Warehouse, playing lead roles in “How I Learned to
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Drive,” “Old Times” (directed by Roger Michelle) and in Mendes’ farewell double
bill, “Twelfth Night” and “Uncle Vanya.” Helen’s other notable theater credits
include: a sell-out run in the 2005 West End production of “As You Like It,”
which garnered her both an Olivier nomination and a nomination for Best Actress
in the Theatregoer Choice Awards 2006; EndIbsen’s dramatic masterpiece
“Rosmersholm” (2008); and more recently, “The Late Middle Classes.”
Helen has also received much critical acclaim for her work on the small
screen. She starred in Peter Morgan’s “The Jury” and won the Critics Circle Best
Actress Award for her role in the Channel 4 series “North Square,” having been
previously nominated for her performance in “Fragile Heart.” Her other TV work
includes “Street Life,” “Lucky Jim,” “Dead Gorgeous,” “Split Second,” “The
Entertainer,” “Charles II” and the title role in “Anna Karenina.” She has most
recently shown her diversity as an actress by appearing opposite Ken Stott in the
psychological thriller “Messiah: The Harrowing.”
In film, Helen has starred in half a dozen British Independent features,
including “The James Gang” for Mike Barker; “Dad Savage,” opposite Patrick
Stuart; Roger Mitchell’s “Enduring Love”; and Gillian Armstrong’s “Charlotte
Gray.” Helen has also worked on American studio productions, such as” The
Count of Monte Cristo,” “Interview With a Vampire” and in Lasse Hallström’s
“Casanova.” She gained excellent reviews for her role as Cherie Blair in Stephen
Frears film “The Queen” (2006). In 2010’s “The Special Relationship,” Helen
reprised her role as Cherie Blair, starring alongside Michael Sheen. She voiced
the character of Mrs. Bean in 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” She also stars as the
evil Narcissa Malfoy in the Harry Potter films. Her most recent films include
“We’ll Take Manhattan” for BBC4 (January 2012), and is currently filming “Flying
Blind,” in which she plays the female lead.
Legendary actor Sir CHRISTOPHER LEE (Monsieur Labisse) is currently
filming the anticipated big-screen treatment of the classic J.R.R. Tolkein novel,
The Hobbit, for director Peter Jackson, for whom he starred in all three “Lord of
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the Rings” films. He will be reprising his role from “Rings,” that of the powerful
Sarumen.
Some of Lee’s most recent motion picture work includes roles in a
diverse array of films, including “Season of the Witch,” opposite Nicolas Cage;
Hammer Films’ “The Resident,” with Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan;
John Landis’ comedy “Burke and Hare”; Tim Burton’s hit version of “Alice in
Wonderland” (as the voice of the Jabberwocky); the crime thriller “The Heavy”;
Robin Hardy’s re-telling of the classic thriller, “The Wicker Tree”; the ensemble
British mystery, Stephen Poliakoff’s “Glorious 39”; the dramatic war mystery
“Triage,” starring Colin Farrell; and Duncan Ward’s comedy “Boogie Woogie.”
Lee has also recently starred in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”; “The
Lord of the Rings” trilogy from New Line Cinema; and “Star Wars: Episode II –
Attack of the Clones” and “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” from
LucasFilm. Prior to his roles in these blockbusters, Lee starred in the critically
acclaimed independent picture “Jinnah,” and the epic BBC miniseries
“Gormenghast.” He was also recently seen in “Crimson Rivers II” with Jean
Reno, as well as Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow” and “Corpse Bride.” In 2007 he
appeared in “The Colour of Magic” by Terry Pratchett (as the voice of Death) and
“The Golden Compass.”
The directors for whom Lee has worked include John Huston, Raoul
Walsh, Joseph Losey, George Marshall, Orson Welles, Nicholas Ray, Michael
Powell, Edward Molinaro, Jerome Savary, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Joe
Dante, Peter Jackson, Tim Burton, John Landis, Alejandro Jodorowsky and
Andrei Konchalovsky. Lee has appeared in more than 250 film and television
productions, amongst which the best known are “A Tale of Two Cities,” “Dracula,”
“The Mummy,” “The Wicker Man,” “The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes,” “The
Three Musketeers,” “The Four Musketeers,” “The Man with the Golden Gun” (of
which the author was his cousin, Ian Fleming), “1941,” “Airport ‘77” and
“Gremlins II.” He considers the most important point in his career to have been
as host of “Saturday Night Live” in 1978, with John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Bill
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Murray, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin. It is still the third
highest-rated show of the series.
Lee has received awards for his contribution to the cinema from the United
States, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Great Britain. He is a Commander
Brother of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the world’s oldest order. In 2001
he was made commander of the order of the British Empire, and in 2009, was
awarded a Knighthood in the Queen’s honors list.
MICHAEL STUHLBARG (Rene Tabard) will soon be seen in two highly
anticipated films: the Steven Spielberg-directed “Lincoln”; and the third
installment in the series, “Men in Black III.” Most recently, Stuhlbarg starred in
the Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man,” and for his work as the main character,
Larry Gopnik, he was nominated for a Golden Globe and received the Robert
Altman Award (shared with the Coens) at the Independent Spirit Awards. His
additional feature film credits include “Afterschool,” “Cold Souls,” “Body of Lies,”
“The Grey Zone” and “A Price Above Rubies.”
Stuhlbarg is familiar to television viewers, most notably for his series
regular role on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”—he and the cast were honored with a
SAG Award for Best Ensemble in a Drama Series. The actor has also guest-
starred on such series as “Ugly Betty,” “Damages” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset
Strip,” and in the telefilms “The Hunley” and PBS’ “Alexander Hamilton.”
Michael is also an established stage actor, and for his work in the
Broadway production of “The Pillowman,” he was nominated for a Tony Award
and received a Drama Desk Award. His additional Broadway credits include
roles in “The Invention of Love,” “Cabaret,” “Taking Sides,” “Saint Joan,” “Timon
of Athens,” “The Government Inspector” and “Three Men on a Horse.”
Off-Broadway, Stuhlbarg was seen in “Hamlet,” “The Voysey Inheritance”
(for which he received an Obie Award, a Callaway Award and a Lucille Lortel
Award nomination), “Measure for Pleasure” (another Lucille Lortel Award
nomination), “Belle Epoque,” “The Persians,” “The Mysteries,” “Twelfth Night,”
“The Winter’s Tale,” “A Dybbuk,” “Richard II,” “Henry VIII,” “All’s Well That Ends
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Well,” “Woyzeck,” “As You Like It,” “Cymbeline,” “The Grey Zone,” “Old Wicked
Songs” and “Mad Forest.” Stuhlbarg is a B.F.A. graduate of the Juilliard School,
and is a member of the LAByrinth Theater Company.
FRANCES DE LA TOUR (Madame Emilie) trained at the Drama Centre in
London from 1961 to ‘64, before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company until
1971, where her work included Hoyden in “The Relapse” and Helena in Peter
Brook’s iconic production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” For the National
Theatre, plays include: “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “Les Parents Terribles,” the
title role in “St. Joan,” “The Good Hope” and “The History Boys.”
Her other theatrical work includes Alan Bennett’s “The Habit of Art”;
Matthew Warchus’s “Boeing Boeing”; Tennessee Williams’ “Small Craft
Warnings”; the title role in “Hamlet”; Edward Albee’s “Three Tall Women”;
“Anthony and Cleopatra” for the RSC; and Noël Coward’s “Fallen Angels”
(Variety Club Best Actress Award). Frances won a Tony Award for her
performance as Mrs. Lintott in Alan Bennett’s multiple award-winning play, “The
History Boys,” and was also nominated for a BAFTA for her performance in the
screen version of the stage play. She has won three Olivier awards: in 1980 for
Best Actress in Tom Kempinski’s “Duet for One,” for which she also won the
Evening Standard Best Actress Award; in 1984 for Best Actress in a Revival for
“Moon for the Misbegotten”; and in 1992 for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for
“When She Danced.”
Her work for television includes the 1970s sitcom “Rising Damp”; “Duet for
One” (BAFTA Best Actress nomination); “Waking the Dead”; “Poirot: Death on
the Nile”; “Miss Marple: The Moving Finger”; “Sensitive Skin”; and the U.S. series
“3lbs.”
De la Tour’s feature film credits include: “Rising Damp” (Evening
Standard Best Actress Award); “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” playing
Madame Olympe Maxime; “The History Boys,” for which she was nominated for a
BAFTA; “The Nutcracker”; Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”; and “The Book of
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Eli.” Frances has just completed filming on two feature films: Iain Softly’s “Trap
for Cinderella”; and “Private Peaceful,” directed by Pat O’Connor.
RICHARD GRIFFITHS (Monsieur Frick) most recently starred in the
National Theatre production of “The Habit of Art.” Previously to this he played
alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the West End revival of Peter Shaffer’s award-
winning play “Equus.” Griffith earned a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Actor
for his performance as Hector in Nicholas Hytner’s film adaptation of “The History
Boys.” The actor had originated the role in London in Hytner’s National Theatre
Production of the play, winning an Olivier Award for Best Actor. Griffiths later
reprised his role in the regional and international tours of the play, as well as on
Broadway, where he won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Play.
An accomplished stage actor, Griffiths appeared in the West End
production of “Heroes.” He has also performed with the Royal Shakespeare
Company in “The White Guard,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Henry VIII,” “Volpone” and
“Red Star.” His major theatre credits also include productions of “Luther,”
“Heartbreak House,” “Galileo,” “Rules of the Game,” “Art,” “Katherine Howard”
and “The Man Who Came to Dinner.”
Richard originated the role Harry’s Muggle Uncle Vernon Dursley in “Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and reprised it in “Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows,” “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” “Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” Griffith’s
other film credits include “Private Peaceful,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides,” “Bedtime Stories,” “Jackboots on Whitehall,” “Garfield 2,”
Roger Michell’s “Venus,” Richard Eyre’s “Stage Beauty,” Roland Joffe’s “Vatel,”
Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” Peter Chelsom’s “Funny Bones,” “Guarding Tess,”
“Blame It on the Bellboy,” “The Naked Gun 2½ ,” “King Ralph,” “Withnail & I,” “A
Private Function,” Hugh Hudson’s “Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan,” Michael
Apted’s “Gorky Park,” Richard Attenborough’s “Gandhi,” Milos Forman’s
“Ragtime,” Karel Reisz’s “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” and Hugh Hudson’s
Oscar®-winning “Chariots of Fire.”
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On television in the UK, Griffiths is perhaps best known for his work on the
BBC television series “Pie in the Sky” and “Hope & Glory.” His other notable
television credits include roles in “Episodes,” “Bleak House,” “The Brides in the
Bath,” “Gormenghast,” “In the Red,” “Ted & Ralph,” “Inspector Morse,” “Mr.
Wakefield’s Crusade,” “Goldeneye: The Secret Life of Ian Fleming,” “The
Marksman,” “Casanova,” “The Cleopatras,” “Bird of Prey” and the series
“Nobody’s Perfect.”
JUDE LAW (Hugo’s Father) is considered one of Britain’s finest actors,
with a wealth and variety of film and theatre performances to his credit.
He next reunites with Guy Ritchie and Robert Downey, Jr. on “Sherlock Holmes:
A Game of Shadows,” reprising his role from the global box office success
“Sherlock Holmes.” His other upcoming projects include Fernando Meirelles’
“360” with Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins; and Joe Wright’s “Anna
Karenina,” opposite Keira Knightley. He recently performed in the West End’s
“Anna Christie” to rave reviews and starred in Steven Soderbergh’s “Contagion,”
alongside Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kate Winslet.
In 2009, Law starred in the title role of the Donmar Warehouse production
of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” first in London’s West End and then reprising the role
on Broadway, earning him a second Tony nomination.
On the big screen, Law first drew major critical attention for his
performance as Oscar Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas, in 1997’s “Wilde,” for
which he won an Evening Standard British Film Award. He went on to earn
international acclaim for his work in Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr.
Ripley.” Law’s performance as doomed golden boy Dickie Greenleaf brought
him both Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations, as well as a BAFTA Award for
Best Supporting Actor.
Law was later honored with Oscar®, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award
nominations, for Best Actor in a Leading Role, for his role in the 2003 Civil War
epic, “Cold Mountain,” also directed by Minghella. He also earned a Golden
Globe nomination for his role in Steven Spielberg’s “AI: Artificial Intelligence.”
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In 2004, Law starred in five very different films, including two for which he
shared acting ensemble honors: Mike Nichols’ acclaimed drama “Closer,” also
starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen and Natalie Portman, with whom he won the
National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble; and Martin Scorsese’s epic
biopic “The Aviator,” for which he shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award
nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance. That same year, Law starred in
“Alfie,” playing the title role under the direction of Charles Shyer; David O.
Russell’s “I Heart Huckabees”; and “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow,”
which he also produced. In addition, he lent his voice to “Lemony Snicket’s A
Series of Unfortunate Events.”
His wide range of film credits also includes Terry Gilliam’s “The
Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”; Kenneth Branagh’s “Sleuth,” which he also
produced; Wong Kar Wai’s first English-language film, “My Blueberry Nights”;
Nancy Meyers’ romantic comedy hit “The Holiday,” with Cameron Diaz, Kate
Winslet and Jack Black; “Breaking and Entering,” which reunited him with
Anthony Minghella; Sam Mendes’ “Road to Perdition,” with Tom Hanks and Paul
Newman; Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Enemy at the Gates”; David Cronenberg’s
“eXistenZ”; Clint Eastwood’s “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil”; and
“Gattaca,” which marked his American film debut.
Law began his career on the stage, acting with the National Youth Theatre
at the age of 12. In 1994, he created the role of Michael in Jean Cocteau’s play
“Les Parents Terribles,” for which he was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award
for Outstanding Newcomer. The play was renamed “Indiscretions” when it
moved to Broadway, where Law received a Tony Award nomination for
Outstanding Supporting Actor. His subsequent stage work includes “`Tis Pity
She’s a Whore” at London’s Young Vic Theatre and a highly acclaimed
performance in the title role of Christopher Marlowe’s “Dr. Faustus,” both directed
by David Lan. Law was recently closely involved in the fundraising efforts for the
major refurbishment of the Young Vic Theatre.
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In 2007, the French Academy awarded Jude Law a César d’Honneur in
recognition of his contribution to cinema, and the government of France named
him a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his artistic achievements.
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About the Filmmakers
MARTIN SCORSESE (Directed by / Produced by) was born in 1942 in
New York City, and was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later
provided the inspiration for several of his films. Scorsese earned a B.S. degree
in film communications in 1964, followed by an M.A. in the same field in 1966 at
New York University’s School of Film. During this time, he made numerous
prize-winning short films including “The Big Shave.” In 1968, Scorsese directed
his first feature film, entitled “Who's That Knocking At My Door?”.
He served as assistant director and an editor of the documentary
“Woodstock” in 1970 and won critical and popular acclaim for his 1973 film
“Mean Streets.” Scorsese directed his first documentary film, “Italianamerican,”
in 1974. In 1976, Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” was awarded the Palme d’Or at the
Cannes Film Festival. He followed with “New York, New York” in 1977, “The Last
Waltz” in 1978 and “Raging Bull” in 1980, which received eight Academy Award®
nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. Scorsese went on to
direct “The Color of Money,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Goodfellas,” “Cape
Fear,” “Casino,” “Kundun” and “The Age of Innocence,” among other films.
In 1996, Scorsese completed a four-hour documentary, “A Personal
Journey With Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,” co-directed by
Michael Henry Wilson. The documentary was commissioned by the British Film
Institute to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of cinema.
In 2001 Scorsese released “Il Mio Viaggio in Italia,” an epic documentary
that affectionately chronicles his love for Italian Cinema. His long-cherished
project, “Gangs of New York,” was released in 2002, earning numerous critical
honors, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. In 2003, PBS
broadcast the seven-film documentary series “Martin Scorsese Presents: The
Blues.” “The Aviator” was released in December of 2004 and earned five
Academy Awards®, in addition to the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for Best
Picture. In 2005, “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan” was broadcast as part of the
“American Masters” series on PBS. In 2006, “The Departed” was released to
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critical acclaim and was honored with the Director’s Guild of America, Golden
Globe, New York Film Critics, National Board of Review and Critic’s Choice
awards for Best Director, in addition to four Academy Awards®, including Best
Picture and Best Director. Scorsese’s documentary of the Rolling Stones in
concert, “Shine a Light,” was released in 2008. In February 2010, “Shutter
Island” premiered. That year, Scorsese also released two documentaries: the
Peabody Award-winning “A Letter to Elia” on PBS; and “Public Speaking,”
starring writer Fran Lebowitz on HBO. In October 2011, Scorsese’s documentary
for HBO, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World,” was released.
Scorsese also serves as executive producer on HBO’s series “Boardwalk
Empire,” for which he directed the pilot episode. The series went on to win the
Golden Globe for Best Television Series Drama and Scorsese took home the
DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series.
Scorsese’s additional awards and honors include the Golden Lion from the
Venice Film Festival (1995), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1997), the
Honoree at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 25th Gala Tribute (1998), the
DGA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003), The Kennedy Center Honors (2007)
and the HFPA Cecil B. DeMille Award (2010).
Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit
organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of motion picture
history. At the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, Scorsese launched the World Cinema
Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and
restoration of neglected films from around the world, with special attention paid to
those developing countries lacking the financial and technical resources to do the
work themselves. Scorsese is the founder and chair.
JOHN LOGAN (Screenplay by) is an acclaimed Tony Award-winning
dramatist and Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter, whose works span a
multitude of genres, from dramas and comedies, to action and animated films.
Logan is often hailed for his remarkable ability to capture the voice of the
character while transporting viewers into accessible worlds rich with color.
“Hugo” Production Information 45
Logan’s films have garnered a worldwide box office total of nearly $2 billion—
making him one of the most successful and sought-after screenwriters in the
industry.
In January 2012, the Weinstein Company will release John Logan’s
modern-day film adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus,” a tragedy based on
the life of the legendary Roman leader, Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Ralph
Fiennes directs and stars in the film, opposite Gerard Butler, Vanessa Redgrave
and Jessica Chastain.
Logan is currently in pre-production, penning the next James Bond film,
presently titled “Bond 23,” which will see Daniel Craig reprising the role of the title
character, and also stars Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes, with Sam Mendes
directing. Sony is set to release the film in the fall of 2012. Logan is also
collaborating with Patti Smith on adapting the film version of her best-selling
book, Just Kids, which chronicles the musician’s early years in New York.
In 2000, Logan earned global recognition and his first Academy Award®
nomination for Best Original Screenplay for “Gladiator,” which went on to win five
Oscars®, including Best Picture. The script, which illustrated Logan’s ability to
combine visceral action sequences with poetic tenderness, earned Logan both
BAFTA and WGA nominations. In 2004, Logan received his second Academy
Award® nomination for “The Aviator,” an original screenplay starring Leonardo
DiCaprio and directed by Martin Scorsese. The film received a total of 11
nominations and five wins, and resulted in BAFTA, WGA and Golden Globe
nominations for Logan.
Logan’s diverse background in film also includes “Rango” (2011),
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007), “The Last Samurai”
(2003), “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas” (2003), “Star Trek: Nemesis” (2002)
and “Any Given Sunday” (1999).
In addition to his immensely successful screenwriting career, Logan is an
accomplished dramatist with more than a dozen plays to his credit. His
masterwork, “Red,” received six Tony Awards in 2010, including the award for
Best Play. “Red” premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London and at the
“Hugo” Production Information 46
Golden Theatre on Broadway. Logan’s other noted plays including “Never the
Sinner” and “Hauptmann,” and his adaptation of Ibsen’s “The Master Builder,”
which premiered in the West End in 2003 to great acclaim.
Acclaimed New York Times-bestselling author/illustrator BRIAN SELZNICK (Based on the Book Entitled The Invention of Hugo Cabret by)
graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with the intention of becoming
a set designer for the theater. However, after spending three years selling books
and designing window displays for a children's bookstore in Manhattan, he was
inspired to create children's books of his own. His books have received many
awards and distinctions, including a Caldecott Medal for The Invention of Hugo
Cabret, a Caldecott Honor for The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins and a
Robert F. Sibert Honor for When Marian Sang. Brian divides his time between
Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.
GRAHAM KING (Produced by) won a Best Picture Oscar® as a producer
on the ensemble crime drama “The Departed,” directed by Martin Scorsese.
King’s projects have garnered a total of 38 Academy Award® nominations and
earned over $2 billion in worldwide box office.
“The Departed” marked King’s third collaboration with Scorsese. He
previously produced the widely praised Howard Hughes biopic “The Aviator,” for
which he earned an Academy Award® nomination and won a BAFTA Award for
Best Picture. He was also honored by the Producers Guild of America with a
Golden Laurel Award for Producer of the Year. King was co-executive producer
on Scorsese’s Oscar®-nominated epic drama “Gangs of New York.”
In May 2007, King launched GK Films with business partner Tim
Headington. The company is currently in post-production on “In the Land of
Blood and Honey,” written and directed by Angelina Jolie, which is slated for
release in December 2011 by FilmDistrict.
Most recently, King produced the highly anticipated Tim Burton-directed
“Dark Shadows,” starring Johnny Depp; the film is set to be released by Warner
“Hugo” Production Information 47
Bros. in May 2012. King also produced “The Rum Diary,” starring Johnny Depp;
the animated tale “Rango,” directed by Gore Verbinski; “The Town,” written and
directed by Ben Affleck; and “The Tourist,” directed by Florian Henckel von
Donnersmarck and starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.
GK Films has announced several projects in development, including the
screen adaptation of the hit musical “Jersey Boys”; the “Untitled Freddie Mercury
Story,” starring Sacha Baron Cohen; a reboot of the successful action franchise
“Tomb Raider”; and “The Battle of Britain” with a script by Robert Towne.
Previous GK Films releases include “Edge of Darkness” and the three-
time Academy Award®-nominated “The Young Victoria.” King will also serve as
executive producer on the upcoming films “Argo” and “World War Z.”
A native of the United Kingdom, King moved to the United States in 1982
and was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2009.
TIM HEADINGTON (Produced by), together with longtime friend and
colleague Graham King, formed the Los Angeles-based production company GK
Films in 2007. Under the GK banner, he and King produced Angelina Jolie’s
directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey” (December 2011). Their
previous productions include “The Rum Diary,” starring Johnny Depp; “The
Tourist,” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp; “Edge of Darkness,” starring
Mel Gibson; and the three-time Academy Award®-nominated romantic drama
“The Young Victoria.” Outside of GK Films, Headington was an executive
producer on Gore Verbinski’s animated adventure “Rango.” He will also serve as
an executive producer on the upcoming films “Dark Shadows,” “Argo” and “World
War Z.”
GK Films recently announced several new projects that Headington will
produce, including the untitled Freddie Mercury story, starring Sacha Baron
Cohen; the hit musical “Jersey Boys”; a reboot of the successful action franchise
“Tomb Raider”; and the Robert Towne-scripted “The Battle of Britain.”
Headington first met King in 2004 when he invested in King’s former
production company, Initial Entertainment Group, as it was financing and
“Hugo” Production Information 48
producing the award-winning film “The Aviator,” directed by Martin Scorsese and
starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
JOHNNY DEPP (Produced by) began his career as a musician with the
rock group ‘The Kids’, which took him to Los Angeles. When the band broke up,
Depp turned to acting and earned his first major acting job in “A Nightmare on
Elm Street.” He followed that with roles in several films, including Oliver Stone’s
Academy Award®-winning “Platoon,” before landing the role that would prove to
be his breakthrough, as undercover detective Tom Hanson on the popular TV
show “21 Jump Street.” He starred on the series for four seasons before starring
as the title character in John Waters’ “Cry-Baby.”
It was Depp’s compelling performance in the title role of Tim Burton’s
“Edward Scissorhands” that established him as one of Hollywood’s most sought-
after talents, and earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination for Best
Actor. He was honored with another Golden Globe Award nomination for his
work in the offbeat love story “Benny & Joon,” directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.
Depp reunited with Burton for the critically acclaimed “Ed Wood,” and his
performance garnered him yet another Golden Globe Award nomination for Best
Actor.
Depp starred and made his feature directorial debut opposite Marlon
Brando in “The Brave,” a film based on the novel by Gregory McDonald. He co-
wrote the screenplay with his brother D.P. Depp.
As Captain Jack Sparrow, Depp recently reprised the role for a fourth time
in Rob Marshall’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.” The other films
include Gore Verbinski’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” “Pirates of
the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (which earned more than $1 billion, making it
the third largest-grossing movie of all time) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: The
Curse of the Black Pearl.” He received his first Academy Award® nomination, as
well as a Golden Globe Award nomination, a British Academy of Film and
Television Arts (BAFTA) Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award for
“Hugo” Production Information 49
his portrayal of Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black
Pearl.”
Depp received his second Academy Award® nomination, as well as a
Golden Globe Award nomination, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination and
BAFTA Award nomination for his role as J.M. Barrie in Marc Forster’s “Finding
Neverland,” in which he starred opposite Kate Winslet and Freddie Highmore. In
2004, Depp starred in “The Libertine” as 17th-century womanizing poet John
Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester.
In 2005, Depp collaborated with Burton on “Charlie and the Chocolate
Factory,” for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor
in a Comedy or Musical, and Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride,” which received an
Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Film in 2006. In 2008, Johnny
received his third Academy Award® nomination for Best Actor for Tim Burton’s
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” winning a Golden Globe
Award for the role.
In 2009, Depp starred as real-life criminal John Dillinger opposite Christian
Bale and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in Michael Mann’s ‘Public
Enemies,” and in 2010, he starred as the Mad Hatter in Tim Burton’s “Alice in
Wonderland,” for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best
Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Music.
This year, in addition to “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,”
Depp also starred in Gore Verbinski’s “Rango,” Bruce Robinson’s “The Rum
Diary, and just completed filming Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows,” which he also
produced through his production company, Infinitum Nihil.
Other screen credits include Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s “The
Tourist,” David Koepp’s “Secret Window,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Once Upon a
Time in Mexico,” Albert and Allen Hughes’ “From Hell,” Ted Demme’s “Blow,”
Lasse Hallström’s “Chocolat,” Julian Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls,” Sally
Potter’s “The Man Who Cried,” Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” Roman Polanski’s “The
Ninth Gate,” Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “The
Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” Mike Newell’s “Donnie Brasco” with (Al
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Pacino), Jim Jarmusch’s “Dead Man,” Jeremy Leven’s “Don Juan DeMarco” (in
which he starred opposite Marlon Brando and Faye Dunaway), Lasse Hallström’s
“What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” Emir Kusturica’s “Arizona Dream” and John
Badham’s “Nick of Time.”
EMMA TILLINGER KOSKOFF (Executive Producer) is President of
Production at Sikelia Productions, working alongside Academy Award®-winning
director Martin Scorsese on all aspects of his many projects.
Tillinger Koskoff began her career in the film industry as assistant to
director/producer Ted Demme, and worked with him on the critically acclaimed
film “Blow,” starring Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz. While under Demme’s
wing, Tillinger also assisted on the Emmy-nominated documentary “A Decade
Under the Influence.”
In 2003, Tillinger Koskoff became Martin Scorsese’s executive assistant,
serving in that capacity for three years. During this period, she assisted on “The
Blues,” “The Aviator” and “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan.”
In 2006, Tillinger Koskoff was named President of Production of
Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions. She then associate-produced Scorsese’s “The
Departed,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson,
produced by Graham King and Brad Grey. The film received four Academy
Awards®, including the Oscar® for Best Motion Picture of the Year.
Tillinger Koskoff co-produced the director’s Rolling Stones documentary,
“Shine a Light,” starring Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie
Wood. She also associate-produced the Oscar®-nominated documentary “The
Betrayal – Nerakhoon,” directed by Ellen Kuras.
In 2008, Tillinger Koskoff co-produced Scorsese’s hugely successful
psychological thriller “Shutter Island.” The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark
Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams, Patricia Clarkson and Max von Sydow,
and was produced by Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and
Scorsese.
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Most recently, Tillinger Koskoff produced Scoresese’s documentary on the
filmmaker Elia Kazan, “A Letter To Elia,” and served as executive producer for
Sikelia Productions on Scorsese’s documentaries “Public Speaking” and “George
Harrison: Living in the Material World.” She is currently producing Scorsese’s
next feature film, “Silence.”
DAVID CROCKETT (Executive Producer) joined Graham King’s GK Films
as Executive Vice President of Production in 2010 and spent most of that year in
London on the set of “Hugo.”
Crockett met King while producing “The Town” in Boston for Warner Bros.
and GK Films in 2009. “The Town” was directed by Ben Affleck and was
nominated for Best Picture of the Year by the Producer’s Guild of America. “The
Town” marked Crockett’s second collaboration with Affleck, as he executive-
produced Affleck’s directorial debut, “Gone, Baby, Gone,” starring Ed Harris,
Morgan Freeman, Casey Affleck and Amy Ryan. Amy Ryan received an Oscar®
nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the mother of the
kidnapped girl in the critically acclaimed crime thriller.
Prior to “The Town,” Crockett executive-produced “Seven Pounds,”
starring Will Smith; prior to that, he served in the same capacity on “The Great
Debaters,” which was directed by Denzel Washington and was honored with a
Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture.
Crockett is also credited with executive-producing the Disney gymnastics
film, “Stick It”; the hit horror remake of “The Amityville Horror,” starring Ryan
Reynolds; and Wes Craven’s “Cursed,” starring Christina Ricci. He co-produced
“Bad Santa,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, and the 2002 romantic comedy, “The
Guru.”
Crockett began his career working on such films as “40 Days and 40
Nights,” “Frequency,” “Scream” and “Music of the Heart,” to name a few.
A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, GEORGIA KACANDES’ (Executive Producer) career as an executive producer/UPM started in NYC on
“Hugo” Production Information 52
documentaries directed by Lech Kowalski. She transitioned to feature film and
worked with such celebrated directors as Martin Scorsese (“Casino”), Steven
Soderbergh (“King of the Hill,” “The Underneath”), John Sayles (“Eight Men Out,
City of Hope, Passion Fish”), Jim Jarmusch (“Mystery Train”), Keith McNally
(“End of the Night”) and Marc Levin (“Blowback”).
On Andrew Niccol's feature film debut “Gattaca,” Kacandes served as
associate producer, segueing to co-producer on Francis Ford Coppola’s “The
Rainmaker,” followed by James Mangold’s “Girl, Interrupted.” Her other
executive producer credits include “Bad Teacher,” “Blow,” “CQ,” “Criminal” and
“Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny.” In 2004, she served as a producer on
“Syriana.”
Kacandes spent the next four years first as EVP of Physical Production for
Paramount Vantage, and then President of Physical Production at Paramount
Pictures. While there, she oversaw such Oscar®-winning films as “There Will Be
Blood,” “No Country for Old Men,” “Babel” and “Into the Wild.” Her other films
include “Case 39,” “Defiance,” “The Duchess,” “A Mighty Heart,” “Kite Runner”
and “Margot at the Wedding.”
Kacandes is currently working on Curtis Hanson's “Of Men and
Mavericks.”
ROBERT RICHARDSON, ASC (Director of Photography) is a two-time
Academy Award® winner for Best Cinematography for his work on Martin
Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and Oliver Stone’s epic tapestry “JFK.”
“Hugo” marks Richardson’s seventh collaboration with Scorsese, having
previously worked with the influential American filmmaker on “Shutter Island,”
“Casino” and “Bringing Out the Dead.” Most recently, Richardson lensed and
supervised an all-star group of camera-operating cinematographers in capturing
the rousing Rolling Stones concert film, “Shine a Light,” as well as filmed
Scorsese’s documentary, “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”
A native of Cape Cod, Richardson attended the Rhode Island School of
Design and the American Film Institute. Richardson's credits include “Salvador,”
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“Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July,” “Eight Men Out,” “A Few Good Men,”
“The Horse Whisperer,” “Natural Born Killers,” “Snow Falling on Cedars,” both
volumes of “Kill Bill,” “Inglourious Basterds” and “Eat Pray Love.” Richardson
has also photographed several documentaries with Errol Morris, including “Fast,
Cheap and Out of Control,” “Mr. Death” and the unflinching Abu Ghraib
documentary, “Standard Operating Procedure.”
DANTE FERRETTI (Production Designed by), born February 26, 1943, is
an Italian production designer, art director and costume designer for film. In his
career, Ferretti has worked with many great directors, both American and Italian,
such as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Federico Fellini, Terry Gilliam, Franco Zeffirelli,
Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Anthony Minghella and Tim Burton. He
frequently collaborates with his wife, set decorator Francesca Lo Schiavo.
Ferretti was a protégé of Federico Fellini, and worked under him for five
films. He also had a five collaboration run with Pier Paolo Pasolini and later
developed a very close professional relationship with Martin Scorsese, designing
seven of his last eight movies.
In 2008, he designed the set for Howard Shore’s opera, “The Fly,” directed
by David Gronenberg at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Ferretti won two Academy Awards® for Best Art Direction for Scorsese’s
“The Aviator” and Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
He had seven previous nomination. In addition, he was nominated for Best
Costume Design for “Kundun.” He has also won three BAFTA Awards.
THELMA SCHOONMAKER, A.C.E. (Edited by) was born in Algiers,
Algeria, where her father worked for the Standard Oil Company. She grew up on
the island of Aruba and after returning to the United States, attended Cornell
University, where she studied political science and Russian, intending to become
a diplomat. While doing graduate work at Columbia University, she answered a
New York Times ad that offered on-the-job training as an assistant film editor.
“Hugo” Production Information 54
The exposure to the field sparked a desire to learn more about film editing, and
her career was set.
During a six-week summer course at New York University’s film school,
she met Martin Scorsese and Michael Wadleigh. Within a few years she was
editing Scorsese’s first feature, “Who’s that Knocking at My Door?”. She then
edited a series of films and commercials before supervising the editing of
Wadleigh’s 1971 film “Woodstock,” for which she was nominated for an Academy
Award®. In 1981 she won the Academy Award®, the American Cinema Editors
Eddie and the BAFTA Award for her editing of Scorsese’s “Raging Bull.” Since
then, she has worked on all of Scorsese’s feature films: “The King of Comedy,”
“After Hours,” “The Color of Money,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “New York
Stories,” (the “Life Lessons” segment), “GoodFellas” (which earned her another
BAFTA Award and another Oscar® nomination), “Cape Fear,” “The Age of
Innocence,” “Casino,” “Kundun,” “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese
through American Movies” (Martin Scorsese’s documentary on the first 100 years
of American film), “Bringing out the Dead,” “Il Mio Viaggio in Italia” (Martin
Scorsese’s documentary on the Italian Cinema), “Gangs of New York” (for which
she earned another Oscar® nomination and won the American Cinema Editors
Eddie Award), “The Aviator” (for which she won her second Academy Award®
and the American Cinema Editor’s Eddie), “The Departed” (for which she won
her third Academy Award® and her fourth American Cinema Editors Eddie
Award) and “Shutter Island.”
She is currently working on Martin Scorsese’s documentary about the
British cinema.
In addition to editing, she works tirelessly to promote the films and writings
of her late husband, the film director Michael Powell (“The Red Shoes,” “Black
Narcissus,” “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp,” “A Matter of Life and Death,”
“Peeping Tom”).
Winner of three Academy Awards®—for her work on Jean-Marc Vallee’s
“The Young Victoria,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and John Madden’s
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“Shakespeare in Love”—SANDY POWELL (Costume Designer) has also been
nominated five times, for her work on “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” “Gangs of New
York,” “Velvet Goldmine,” “Wings of the Dove” and “Orlando.” She has also
received two BAFTA Awards (for “The Young Victoria” and “Velvet Goldmine”)
and has been nominated eight times. Her other recent awards include a CDG
Award for “The Young Victoria” and a CDG Career Achievement Award.
Powell studied at London’s Central School of Art and began her career in
film, collaborating with Derek Jarman on “Caravaggio.” Powell’s other feature
film costume designing credits include “Interview with the Vampire,” “Michael
Collins,” “The Butcher Boy” and “The End of the Affair,” all with director Neil
Jordan. Her work on “Hugo” marks her fifth collaboration with Martin Scorsese,
having previously worked on “Shutter Island,” “The Departed,” “The Aviator” and
“Gangs of New York.”
She also designed the costumes for Julie Taymor’s “The Tempest,”
starring Helen Mirren, soon to be released in Europe.
ROB LEGATO (Visual Effects Supervisor) received a Masters Degree in
cinematography from Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara,
California. Upon graduation, Legato went to work for the newly formed H.I.S.K.
Productions (Hagmann, Impastato, Stephens & Kerns) as the live-action
commercial producer for director David Impastato. After a period of three years,
Legato joined Robert Abel & Associates, where he served as producer, visual
effects supervisor and ultimately, director of visual effects-oriented TV spots.
The experience led to serving as a freelance supervisor and director for various
commercial companies for several years before turning to television production.
Legato served as alternating visual effects supervisor for the TV series “The
Twilight Zone” during its second season. This series led to the Paramount
Studios production of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” where Legato served as
visual effects supervisor, second unit and episode director for a period of five
years. Legato then took over as visual effects producer/supervisor for the newly
created series “Deep Space Nine,” as well as directing one of the episodes of its
“Hugo” Production Information 56
first season. Both “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine”
earned Legato two Emmy Awards for Visual Effects.
Legato left “Deep Space Nine” after its first season to join Digital Domain,
the visual effects company founded by James Cameron, Stan Winston and Scott
Ross, and became the visual effects supervisor, second unit director and effects
director of photography for Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire.” This first
feature led to Ron Howard’s “Apollo 13” with Legato serving as the film’s visual
effects supervisor. Legato earned his first Academy Award® nomination and
won the British Academy Award for his effects work in “Apollo 13.”
His next feature assignment, James Cameron’s “Titanic,” spanned the
next several years and proved ultimately to be one of the most successful films
ever made. Besides earning Rob his first Academy Award®, the film went on to
win a total of 11 Oscars® (including Best Picture and Best Visual Effects) and
became the highest grossing movie of all time (at that time). Legato also offered
some last-minute assistance to Martin Scorsese’s production of “Kundun” and
Michael Bay’s film “Armageddon.”
Legato left Digital Domain to join Sony Pictures Imageworks, where he
served as visual effects supervisor on two Robert Zemeckis films: “What Lies
Beneath”; and “Cast Away.”
Legato was senior visual effects supervisor on “Bad Boys II,” which was
nominated for a VES (Visual Effects Society) Award for Outstanding Supporting
Visual Effects in a Motion Picture, and on the international phenomenon “Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” based on the best-selling books by J.K.
Rowling. Rob then worked as the second unit director and visual effects
supervisor on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” a film about the life of Howard
Hughes. “The Aviator” garnered three VES awards and the International Press
Academy’s Satellite award for Best Visual Effects. Rob then completed Martin
Scorsese’s feature “The Departed,” which won four Academy Awards®, including
Best Picture. During the same time frame, Legato created and conceived the
virtual cinematography pipeline for James Cameron’s next feature production
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“Avatar,” which went on to become the highest grossing film ever at $2.6 billion in
worldwide receipts.
Rob has also completed working on Robert De Niro’s second directorial
effort “The Good Shepherd” as the second unit director/cameraman and visual
effects supervisor. The very next projects included Martin Scorsese’s Clio
award-winning “Freixenet: The Key to Reserva,” a 10-minute commercial project,
as well as the feature documentary on the Rolling Stones entitled “Shine a Light.”
Legato also worked on Errol Morris’ documentary film “Standard Operating
Procedure.”
Legato’s latest released film is Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island,” on
which he served as both visual effects supervisor and second unit
director/cameraman.
HOWARD SHORE (Music by) is among today’s most respected, honored
and active composers and music conductors. His work with Peter Jackson on
“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy stands as his most towering achievement to date,
earning him three Academy Awards®. He has also been honored with four
Grammy and three Golden Globe awards. Shore was one of the original creators
of “Saturday Night Live,” serving as the music director on the show from 1975 to
1980. At the same time, he began collaborating with David Cronenberg and has
scored 13 of the director’s films, including “The Fly,” “Crash,” “Naked Lunch” and
“A Dangerous Method.” His original scores to “Dead Ringers” and “Eastern
Promises” were each honoured with a Genie Award. Shore continues to
distinguish himself with a wide range of projects, from Martin Scorsese’s “The
Departed,” “The Aviator” and “Gangs of New York,” to “Ed Wood,” “The Silence
of the Lambs,” “Philadelphia” and “Mrs. Doubtfire.”
Shore’s music has been performed in concerts throughout the world. In
2003, Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in
the world premiere of “The Lord of the Rings Symphony” in Wellington. Since
then, the work has had over 140 performances by the world’s most prestigious
orchestras.
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In 2008, Howard Shore’s opera “The Fly” premiered at the Théâtre du
Châtelet in Paris and at Los Angeles Opera. Other recent works include
“Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ” in Philadelphia and the piano concerto “Ruin
and Memory” for Lang Lang premiered in Beijing, China on October 11, 2010.
He is currently working on his second opera and looks forward to a return to
Middle-earth with J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit.”
Shore received the Career Achievement for Music Composition Award
from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures and New York Chapter's
Recording Academy Honors, ASCAP’s Henry Mancini Award, the Frederick
Loewe Award and the Max Steiner Award from the city of Vienna. He holds
honorary doctorates from Berklee College of Music and York University, is an
Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France and the recipient of the
Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in Canada.
With “Hugo,” RANDALL POSTER (Music Supervisor) continues his work
with director Martin Scorsese that began with Scorsese's “The Aviator.” Poster
also works as music supervisor on “Boardwalk Empire,” the Scorsese-produced
series currently in its second season on HBO. Poster is a longstanding
collaborator of directors Todd Haynes, Todd Phillips, Sam Mendes, Richard
Linklater and Wes Anderson. Currently, Poster is at work on Anderson's next
film, “Moonrise Kingdom.”
ELLEN LEWIS (Casting by) is originally from Chicago, Illinois, but has
lived in New York City since 1982. She began her casting career as an assistant
to the acclaimed casting director, Juliet Taylor.
Lewis is a two-time Emmy winner, for HBO’s “Angels in America” and
“Boardwalk Empire.” A member of the Casting Society of America, Ellen has
also received two Artios Awards (“A League of Their Own” and “Boardwalk
Empire”). She is a recipient of the Muse Award, given to her by New York
Women in Film and Television.
“Hugo” Production Information 59
Lewis’ enduring relationship with Martin Scorsese began in 1989, with
“New York Stories: Life Lessons.” She has gone on to cast all of Scorsese’s
films since that time, including “Goodfellas,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Kundun”
and the Academy Award®-winning “The Departed.”
Ellen also works with directors Mike Nichols, Jim Jarmusch and Stanley
Tucci, as well as casting such films as “Forrest Gump,” “The Devil Wears Prada,”
“Mama Mia!” and many others.
Her upcoming work include the upcoming “Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close,” directed by Stephen Daldry, and “Hyde Park on Hudson,” directed by
Roger Michell.
She is currently casting the “Untitled Spike Jonze Film.”
DEMETRI PORTELLI (Stereographer) has been a cameraman and first
assistant cameraman for more than 15 years. As a young filmmaker, Demetri
knew that the camera was his chosen tool for a career in motion pictures. He
has worked around the world as a television cameraman and assisted on
numerous dramatic series and feature films.
Demetri worked and apprenticed under 3D innovator Vincent Pace. In
applying his technical knowledge of cameras with his creative background,
Demetri strives to make a vital contribution to groundbreaking 3D imagery.
Demetri enjoyed capturing the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in 3D for the
I.O.C. His usage of five 3D rigs to capture “Hugo” marks an exciting commitment
to the new digital 3D format by director Martin Scorsese. Universal Pictures has
also hired Demetri as their stereographer to oversee the studio’s first live-shot
and produced 3D film “47 Ronin,” coming to theatres in 2012.
As an honors student, with visual arts training and awards from Arts York,
the York Region School for the Arts, Demetri studied story and images, receiving
an English Literature Specialist and a Cinema Studies Degree from the
University of Toronto in 1995.
“Hugo” Production Information 60
MORAG ROSS (Makeup) was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland, and
attended Glasgow School of Art, graduating in art and design in 1981. After
training for several years in the BBC London makeup department, she left to
pursue a freelance career in makeup for films. She has won BAFTA Awards for
Sally Potter’s “Orlando” and Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” and in 2009,
received the BAFTA Scotland Craft Award. She currently lives in Rome.
DICK GEORGE (Automaton Created by) entered the film industry with the
first ever “Star Wars” movie. His involvement in the manufacture of the first
generation of Storm Troopers cemented his existing passion for problem solving
and creating practical solutions to physical problems. From these exciting
beginnings, Dick George went on to form his own company, which he has been
running for the past 35 years, during which time he has been involved in major
film productions, including: “Willow,” “The Mummy,” “The Da Vinci Code,”
“Alexander,” “Elizabeth: The Golden Age,” “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time”
and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”
As an adjunct to the film industry, George has been involved in
manufacturing numerous works for the display industry, the largest of which is a
full-size military aircraft, complete with cockpit and practical loading bay, with a
wingspan of more than 40 meters (believed to be the largest model aircraft ever
made).
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