Spy Vs. Spy: A Conversation with MATTHEW VAUGHN for the Home Entertainment release of Kingsman: The Secret Service
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE is this year’s most exciting espionage thriller and centres on a teenage hoodlum, whose life takes an unexpected turn when he's recruited to join a spy organisation by a veteran secret agent. Colin Firth is the suave super spy Harry Hart, who takes a tearaway teen known as Eggsy, played by Taron Egerton, under his wing in the hopes that he will ultimately pass muster in an elite spy agency. Meanwhile, a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius, Richmond Valentine, played by Samuel L. Jackson, which the agency must try and thwart.
In this interview, Matthew Vaughn tell us about finding the perfect Harry Hart, creating the world of The Kingsman and why he chose to use the Tottenham Riots in the film...
What was your inspiration for the film?
I came up with idea over a pint of Guinness with the lovely Mark Millar. Mark and I were lamenting about how serious spy movies have become and what happened to that feeling that I had and he had when we watched these Bond movies and you know James Coburn as Flint or like Matt all leav, left, you either turned the TV off or left the cinema as was like, “Right, lets go pay it. I’m going to be George, you’re going to Bond.” Yeah, something God knows you play Miss Money Penny in Mark Millar’s case. And it seems obvious to us. We just thought let’s do a spy, crazy, post-modern love letter to every spy movie ever made.
Tell us about the your reasoning to have the Tottenham Riots play a part in the film...
Actually it was born from the Tottenham Riots when I generally was sort of getting annoyed with all of these buffoons, sort of UK wannabe’s back then probably, of saying these people are dreadful and lock them up and throw them away. And then I started listening to the kids saying, we’re not rioting because we like it, we’re rioting because we’ve got no choice, no one’s listening to us, we’ve got no opportunity. And I just thought, “Wow, that’s an interesting dynamic of that sort of old school gentleman spies and the young kid, lets throw them together and see what happens."
How was it collaborating with Comic Writer Mark Millar?
Yeah we, well we plotted it together. Well we didn’t really plot it, we were just two nerds talking about spy movies and then Millar went and wrote the thing and then sent it to me, and I thought, “What the fuck?” I was like, “Really, okay, wow, all right.” And then I read it and went, “This was great. I think I’ll write a script.” And then when I wrote the script realizing there are huge mistakes in the comic. But Mark being Mark went desperate for a bit of cash and went ahead and printed the thing. So, and I’m, so I changed it for the film. And then now he’s going to change the comic because of the movie. So it’s a, I don’t know, we have a pretty funky relationship that seems to work pretty well.
Tell us about casting Colin Firth as Harry Hart...
I had David Niven in my mind when I wrote Harry Hart, and once I finished writing Harry Hart, I thought I’ve got to find a modern day David Niven and Colin Firth is that. Better actor. I mean I love and respect David Niven, pretty limited, but Colin, and he said it himself, David did, may he rest in peace. But Colin’s a modern day Niven for me.
Kingsman: The Secret Service Film Page | Kingsman: The Secret Service Review
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE IS OUT ON DIGITAL HD ON MAY 24TH AND ON BLU-RAY AND DVD ON JUNE 8TH FROM TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
No Comment