TheDailySnitcher

TheDailySnitcher interviewed the cast and crew of the upcoming movie, Inkheart, including the author of the book that the film is based on, Cornelia Funke.

You can read what was said by clicking the "Read More" button!

What was it like working with Jim Broadbent?

Brendan Fraser: He's a versatile actor. He's been all across the London stage. He comes from a strong background of theatre and he's just a delightful man. And what I like most about him is that he's interested in other people. And he's interesting, for sure. When you have a conversation with him it's almost like all his pores open up. He's got a tractor beam - you just want to listen to him.

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As a first-time producer, how involved were you behind the scenes?

Cornelia Funke (author): I really wanted to learn about how a movie's done. I'm a craft person. I'm an illustrator. So for me to see that, to be at the sets for several weeks, to get the dailies every day, to be with Ian [Softley] and see the editing, to be at the test screenings … I did all that to understand the work. And I have to say that's quite magical to see all those people coming together and putting all their passion in. And to have somebody like Roger Pratt (Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire) for your cameraman, who'd done all the glorious movies you've seen … that for me is the true magic of the movies. Not the result, but the process. To see how well everybody tries to tell your story.

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Are you worried that some children won't get what's happening in the film? That the story's plot will be beyond them?

Ian Softley (director): It's not possible to really anticipate the development or receptivity of different children of the same age. It varies enormously. Certainly, having taken my children to see the early Harry Potters, I know that they didn't really understand what was going on. If you haven't read the book, I feel they're quite difficult to follow. But they just loved the experience, they loved the characters and they loved the world. So I think different people will get different things out of it. I think, also, beyond that we were very conscious with the caliber of cast we had. That there's a sort of level of enjoyment for the parents, simultaneously, with characters like Fenoglio (played by Jim Broadbent), Elinor and Dustfinger. So we had something for a broad range.

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What do you think of Harry Potter? Are you compared, do you think, to J.K. Rowling?

Cornelia Funke: I'm the German J.K. Rowling, yeah that's what they call me. (laughs) I actually feel flattered. I think she's a born storyteller. I think we are in a golden age of storytelling at the moment and that most of the storytellers have their niche in the children's books. And they cross over because everybody wants to read them. So I have four generations sometimes that are reading, saying that they all stole the book from one another. And I think she [Rowling] has that same gift.

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Are you planning on making a sequel?

Ian Softley: I'm planning on doing it and all the actors are planning on doing it. It's a question of how many people will go to the movie, I think. I think that's what it's down to. But we'd all love to do it.

Inkheart will be released in the U.S. on Friday, Jan. 23.