Christopher Granier-Deferre (Producing)
What kind of projects attract you?
I could say I was drawn to big ballsy blockbusters with mass commercial appeal, but that would be an exaggeration. Maybe I’m drawn to strong stories with powerful messages for a discerning audience? The truth is probably somewhere between the two, but I’m not sure I really know. A couple more films and I should have an idea, but I don’t want to start second-guessing myself. I want to keep an open mind. I want to surprise myself.
You can produce the film of your dreams. What and who would that entail?
Tough one that. I can’t help thinking that if you’re always dreaming of a film other than the one you’re working on, that you might be suffering from a nasty case of “the grass is greener”. I mean there are plenty of directors I’d love to work with, writers too, some actors, and some pretty cool locations I’d be happy to hang out in but I haven’t got a dream film per se. Having said that, I’d cut my legs off to work with Ridley Scott…
What’s the best advice you’ve been given as a producer?
Get a real job! Ignored the advice entirely, obviously…
Most significant moment in your career so far?
In a way it’s crossroads that were the most significant. The choices I made that really shaped my career. Although I probably didn’t realise that at the time. Should I have gone to film school or started in a production company or worked my way up the studio ranks? Who knows? Could all be meaningless “what if?” and of course totally insignificant. But I think the most memorable moment was being asked by James Ivory why, if I wanted to be a producer, I was wasting my time firsting his films? That woke me up…
You’ll die happy when…
Not keen on this dying business but if I live long enough to figure out how to make a box-office monster drowning in awards, that lifts the soul…
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