
“The First Day We Got Our Four Leads in a Room Together” | James Griffiths, The Ballad of Wallis Island

Films are made over many days, but some days are more memorable, and important, than others. Imagine yourself in ten years looking back on this production. What day from your film’s development, production or post do you think you’ll view as the most significant and why?
There were so many memorable days making the film—from our first meeting with producer Rupert Majende, who got behind the project and shifted the momentum, to Carey Mulligan saying yes to playing Nell that really led to us getting the film greenlit—but I think the day I’ll remember will be day seven, SC 29, the first day we got our four leads in a room together at Charles’ house. It’s a four-page scene around a table, so on the surface a relatively simple shooting scene, but there is so much going on in that one scene between all of the characters that establishes the dynamics moving forward in the film and outlines the conflict. Consequently, each one of our characters and cast have some of my favorite comedic moments. It’s nuanced and played through the character and situation but tonally we hit the mark here and that becomes a pivotal scene in the film, but also the tonal touch point for The Ballad of Wallis Island.
See all responses to our annual Sundance Question here.