Jessica Hobbs was responsible for many episodes of The Crown, and the world owes Stephen Frears films such as The Queen, Dangerous Liaisons or Pop Girls. The two directed the series The System, which shows how dictatorships work. I had a bit of a messy conversation with them, but it was more interesting.
Stephen Frears The directing legend is 83 years old, and when someone is this old and has such a history, nothing can make him put a padlock on his mouth. This is exactly why talking to him was such a great experience, because he avoided the usual politeness during interviews, and there was even a point when he turned the interview around and started asking me questions. the system Three of the six episodes of Frears' HBO Max series, and three of my other interviews, Jessica Hobbs Arrange it.
Producer Tracey Seward, directors Stephen Frears and Jessica Hobbs at the premiere of The Regime (Photo: Marion Curtis/StarPix for HBO Max)
Hello. I am Chapa from Viktor Orbán's country.
Stephen Frears: Oh, my God! According to them, you know a lot about dictators. Did we do it well?
The system shows very amazing things, but sometimes it occurred to me that reality often produces things much wilder than the most clickable fantasy. do not you think so?
Stephen Frears: Have we exercised too much self-control? Was there a need for things uglier and darker?
Jessica Hobbs: However, it was important to us to make this series fun. However, for the entertainment factor, it had to be funny and clever, and it was also important that our main characters be charismatic, because we wanted people to want to watch them. I think that if we had painted a darker picture of them, we would have turned away many viewers from the series.
Stephen Frears: Do you live in Budapest?
Yes, I live here.
Stephen Frears: As a journalist, are you free to write and ask questions?
However, this is not a real dictatorship yet, although the situation is getting worse every year.
Stephen Frears: The fact that you can write and ask questions doesn't sound bad.
Fortunately, there is a part of the Hungarian press where this can be done.
Stephen Frears: Kate Winslet should have closed the pages a long time ago. (name)
Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts the system C. In a series (Image: HBO Max)
The series reminded me several times of the Romanov family, Rasputin, the Ceausescu couple, and even Margaret Thatcher. Was that intentional or am I just seeing it?
Stephen Frears: I definitely remember that Rasputin It also occurred to us, so we mentioned it several times. Kate Winslet's appearance in the series already has something that attracts many Margaret ThatcherReminds me of the Ceausescu couple, it was their infamous palace that inspired us in the first place, Imelda Marcos I thought of him because of his many shoes. But I wouldn't be surprised if anyone remembered Putin about the series, or even… Donald Trump And Marine Le Pen They can also be included in a deck.
Jessica Hobbs: The fact that so many names and so many countries are mentioned suggests that this is a widespread problem that has been with us for a long time. The authoritarian regime always returns in some form, and the world cannot get rid of it. Will Tracywedge (Series presenter – author) The great thing about his text is that it relied on so many things that it highlighted the phenomenon itself rather than criticizing one country or one dictator. This will make the final result unique.
What do you think Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts brought to their characters on paper?
Stephen Frears: Thanks to them, we believe that these two people are attracted to each other and eventually form a loving couple. We're talking about two great actors who immediately understood what this series was about and made the most of it.
Jessica Hobbs: Thanks to them, we worked as a band, and the two of them were the leaders of our band. They make sure everyone is happy working with them. Keep working to find the truth about the ridiculous story. They knew the situations their characters were in were funny, but they took the characters themselves seriously, and both gave genuinely dramatic performances. It clearly exceeded our expectations. Kate's performance was amazing even on the first reading test, and was truly impressive when she posed for us dressed as Elena on the first day of filming.
Can you tell us about how you put The Regime images together?
Stephen Frears: We didn't do it together, but everything was as I wanted. I am the director of a bloody tyrant. There is no democracy in my buds. (smiling)
Jessica Hobbs: (Laughs a lot) When I joined the production, there were already a lot of plans in place, but Stephen was really generous and appreciated my ideas. He had an absolutely excellent creative team behind him, whose work I inherited from him, and I was very happy with everything I got. Visual designers and fashion designers have really come into their own.
What did you enjoy most about making The Regime?
Stephen Frears: It is not every day that you have to invent and create an entire country with its population for the sake of a series. This part seemed immediately exciting.
How do you think viewers will react to the wild mix of comedy and drama?
Stephen Frears: We should really be asking this question, since you're the first to see it the systemet al. At least for the first viewers we get a chance to talk to them. Since you've already seen it, you'd better answer the question, because we're interested in that too. When you make a movie, you have no idea what the outcome will be for a long time. You only encounter this when viewers encounter it for the first time. Sometimes, of course, I have a guess about how they will react, however the system It's so different from anything I've made before and I have no idea whether people will like it or not.
Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts the system C. In a series (Image: HBO Max)
Jessica Hobbs: One journalist recently told us that he had never seen anything like this before. I was very happy about that, because one of our goals was to create something really special. I hope the viewers find it funny, but at the same time I hope it's a little uncomfortable for them to watch. Although the series interacts with real-world events, we did not do so with the intention of depicting a specific country or era. We explore the nature of dictators and the work of dictatorships, showing how and why populism is gaining strength in the world, and where it can lead. All of this is presented through the relationship and love between two people, which makes it even more personal.
Elena is a funny character in some ways, but becomes a tragic figure by the end of the episode. Do I see dictators as tragic figures?
Stephen Frears: I don't see anything tragic in dictators. It was a wonderful day for me when the Ceaușescu family was executed.
It may sound terrible to say this, but it's pretty amazing that people who have done so many terrible things can survive for so long. How can they not commit assassinations against them? Why didn't anyone try to assassinate Donald Trump?
Killers just evade. I don't see dictators as tragic figures for one minute. Our series is coming to a seemingly tragic end, but there was a reason for that.
Jessica Hobbs: (He laughs a lot, then speaks after a short pause) We wanted to get people thinking about why people with this power and this position are able to command the public's sympathy.
the system (Image: HBO Max)
What do you think, will the series be shown in China?
Stephen Frears: (Laughs a lot) And in Russia?
China is mentioned several times in the series, but Russia is not, making the former more realistic in the world of the series.
Stephen Frears: correct.
What importance can the regime have in today's political reality?
Stephen Frears: Unfortunately, we are forced to learn this thing, which you have been experiencing firsthand for some time. We need to know what it means. This series is part of learning. I look forward to welcoming you in the coming weeks.
Jessica Hobbs: The world is changing rapidly around us, and more and more wild things are happening in politics, and that's what keeps this series alive. the system It was made so that we can use it to talk about the world that surrounds us. I hope we can make people think.
