A fascinating and entertaining night with The Space reveals how Weinstein impacted Robert Lindsay’s career, and the constant compromises William Nicholson makes as a screen writer.
Upon arriving at the ‘Latest music bar’, I couldn’t help but see a striking comparison to the youth clubs many who grew up in smaller towns or villages will have experienced. The floor was wooden, much like a school gym, but with a bar, and a few leather couches that hugged the walls. Admittedly, it wasn’t a great first impression, and I became struck with anxiety, a fear that this evening would be myself, the guest I had brought and 4 or 5 other adults.
Given the two big names here, I could imagine such a modest turn out dampening the mood of the interview. Thankfully, as we were called down into the lower floor where the talk would take place, my fears were quelled, as a dimly lit room, with a stage and a litany of chairs and tables strewn around, created the perfect cosy setting for the night. As the first interview drew closer, the room filled with about 50 or so people. It was the atmosphere I was hoping for and I relaxed, knowing that this would be an intimate but full capacity affair.
The interviewer (Wayne) arrived on stage to announce the first speaker, William Nicholson would be joining him on stage shortly. Wayne had an awkward presence, looking like Snape from Harry Potter, if he was really into the band Pulp. Suddenly, a loud fan-fare erupted from the speakers, as a montage of Nicholson’s films played, showcasing his many acclaimed works, all the way up to his recent Ron Howard project, Thirteen lives. The montage ends, as William is welcomed on stage and the interview begins.
As the interview went on, it became clear that, despite my initial impression of awkwardness, Wayne knew exactly what he was doing. Like the Japanese trope of the “Drunken Master” his awkwardness worked to his advantage. Getting his own laughs from the audience, but ensuring the guest is always in the spotlight, never stepping on either Robert or William’s toes allowing for a natural informal conversation. Interviews can only be as good as their interviewer, so when I give credit to the night and the guests, I must of course praise Wayne for creating an air of informality, putting the guests at ease.
Much was discussed, with William imparting wisdom on his writing process, encouraging writers not to put their eggs in one basket, revealing he writes “3 projects at once”. He wasn’t afraid to criticise the film-making industry, describing the life of a writer, as oft wrought by dissatisfaction. The lack of control a writer has over a final project, with films being chopped and cut at the expense of the story, or changed to fit the director’s less informed vision, makes screen writing a cruel and often unfulfilling, frustrating business.
He would also criticise the uglier side of Hollywood, as he revealed he was “glad Harvey Weinstein was in prison”. Sentiments the second guest would later echo, with both having had their run-ins with the disgraced producer. William lifted the lid on the truth behind Screenwriting, describing it, and film-making, as “an exercise in humility”. Remarking on the constant compromise between writer, director, and actor, humorously lamenting the fact that these people all have their own ideas that detract and compromise from the Screenwriter’s initial vision.
The first interview draws to a close as Nicholson leaves one last piece of wisdom: “Writing about history is difficult, what you have to do is soak in all your research, and then… forget about it. Create your characters. Create your plot. Write it as if you are making it all up, and then go back to the history, and stitch it back in. Because, it’s got to have a story, and the story is always going to be about what somebody wants.”
I was sad to see the end of Nicholson’s interview, as every word he said seemed to tantalise and expand the mind. Never once was there any element of waffling or filler, every word that came out of Nicholson’s mouth was poignant and fascinating, and more importantly vehemently entertaining.
There was a short break, before the same loud fan-fare shook the small basement, and a montage of moments from Robert’s career were shown on screen. As it ended, a teary-eyed, emotional Robert Lindsay joined Wayne on stage, remarking “you made me cry” as he sat down opposite Wayne.
Robert’s ability to draw laughs out of the audience while working with very little was quickly apparent. Just a slight change in expression, or short impression would send the audience into hearty laughter. Robert was honest, witty, and self-deprecating, touching on his experience as a sitcom actor with a catchphrase in Citizen Smith. The inescapability of its success; the same line shouted at him across the street for years during the late 70’s and 80’s.
Robert describes the toll this had, as he reveals that even as a director pointed out swathes of people queuing for returns to see him play Hamlet, he couldn’t feel pride, remarking in response, “They’re queuing to see Citizen Smith as Hamlet”. Robert’s 90 minutes were filled with incredible anecdotes; a wealth of stories about many famous counter-parts. Ranging from Keith Moon driving a car into the Sea in an attempt to catch up with a Ferry, to meeting Catherine Hepburn for dinner.
Much like William’s, the interview flew by, with Robert at one point revealing the possibility of being involved in a large project that I won’t risk jeopardising by name-dropping, but would certainly be a big deal. If you want to get these sorts of exclusives, you’ll have to go to these events yourself.
Robert would also touch on his own relationship with Harvey Weinstein, revealing he not just stood in the way but would actively prevent him from certain roles. This came as a result of Robert once pinning him against a wall in dissatisfaction with him secretly re-writing the entire script for the 1990 remake of Loser Takes All even going so far as to change the title, completely stripping the identity the project once had. In retaliation, Robert would be removed from multiple projects later in his career at the behest of Weinstein.
The interview reached its end, and a raffle underwent, with Robert being gracious enough as to announce the tickets. The evening, from an entertainment standpoint, was a huge success. I truly can not recommend it further. Sadly, as things wrapped up, to the audience’s, and even Robert’s dismay, Wayne announced that after 16 years this would be the last Space event for the foreseeable future. So, if you’ve been before and want to go again or want to go for the first time, let them know. If enough people show interest they might host more nights like this. Check out their website, HERE
