Original-Cin Q&A: One Life Director James Hawes on Capturing a Hero’s Essence

By Bonnie Laufer

The remarkable and heart-wrenching true story of Sir Nicholas Winton comes to life in the new film One Life, which premiered last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Based on the efforts of British humanitarian Winton, the film follows him as he looks back on his past and his remarkable efforts to help groups of predominantly Jewish children in German-occupied Czechoslovakia to hide and flee in 1938–39, just before the beginning of World War II.

Johnny Flynn plays the younger Nicky Winton and Sir Anthony Hopkins gives a riveting performance as the older Nicky. We spoke with director James Hawes about his film. One Life is in theaters March 15. And be sure to read our review of One Life.

ORIGINAL-CIN: At a Q&A following the film’s screening at TIFF last fall, someone asked, ‘Who in this audience is here because of Nicholas Winton.’ There were at least a few dozen or so people who stood up. As if my emotions weren’t already at their height, I just burst into tears. It was one of the most moving experiences I've had at a screening.

JAMES HAWES: I remember that screening and that moment you're describing. I was there at the end as people stood and applauded and I've always taken that applause honestly, to be less about the film and more about the story and Nicholas Winton. I was so moved and as I went on to the stage, I was near tears. My confession to the audience is that this is part of a director's toolkit. I'm not going to apologize if I start sobbing here. This is how I create emotion, by feeling emotion and being able to empathize. So yeah, there are a lot of tears shed during the making of this movie.

O-C: When did this remarkable story come onto your radar?

JH: I knew what most people knew, which was that rather extraordinary piece of television history from the 1980s and the video clip that survives. I think that's one of the great things that works for movies. It's a hook and there's enough to make you want to dig deep. Funnily enough, since I've been doing the movie a couple of other filmmakers have said to me, ‘I looked at it but thought there's 10 minutes, what's the other 90 going to be about?’ and they didn't go any further.

Thankfully for me, the producers on the film dug deeper and they imagined the rest of the movie and they came up with this idea of looking at Nicholas as a young man, what he did to save these people and then as an older man and how he lived his grief. So, managing to find a structure that worked between the two time periods became what intrigued me and brought me on board.

Anthony Hopkins with director James Hawes

O-C: How involved was Nicolas’s remaining family? Were they supportive throughout the project?

JH: Considerably. The producers first approached the family when Nicky was still alive, and they talked to him. Nicky being the humble man he was, dismissed the idea. He felt that anybody that needs to know about me and the story they know already, there's nothing more to tell. It's not about me. Barbara, his daughter, felt there was still a story to tell and that there was still an important message to send out from that story. So, she carried on after her father died.

When the writers became involved, again before my time, they even visited and stayed at the family house. They spent a lot of time with Barbara, a lot of interaction with her and her husband, their children who became keepers of the Winton Memorial Trust. Even Helena Bonham Carter, who is in the film, contacted Barbara asking for advice.

Barbara was happy to give permission for their father’s life story to be adapted into the film and had only one request: that Sir Anthony Hopkins play him. Her wish came true. Barbara sadly died while we were in the midst of shooting the film, but she was with us every step of the way until her passing. There was a lot of involvement and support from the family. We screened the film last night in New York and Nicky’s son was at my side.

O-C: Speaking of the fabulous Anthony Hopkins, he never ceases to amaze. What a beautiful performance. Was there anything about him that surprised you?

JH: Oh, so much but mostly, the fact that he was 84 when we were shooting and to have the energy and the freshness and the joy for what he does every single day was astounding. I suppose it's silly to be surprised by it because otherwise why would he keep doing it (laughs)? He still gets such a thrill and a buzz out of the process and creating that was thrilling.

O-C: Then you have the wonderful Johnny Flynn playing Nicky as a younger man. Did Johnny and Anthony spend any time together to get their mannerisms to match, have a steady flow?

JH: Yes, they did. We enabled that for various reasons partly just out of respect to Antony, he was doing his section of the movie first. There's one solid two-week block when Johnny came along to the shooting days and he sat on the edge of the set. He watched Anthony, or Tony as he likes to be called. We all had conversations together.

To be honest, there was very little to discuss here because actors of that quality really know what they are doing and what to look for. There was an occasion where things like gestures with glasses or a way of walking or a little hesitation and stutter in the voice became part of the signature part of the characters. Johnny is not the sort of actor who wants to impose his version and was very generous in adopting what Tony did, embracing it into his version of the performance. Honestly, they were so good together that they enabled us to switch between the 1980s and the 1930s seamlessly. You totally believe it's the same man.

O-C: With what's going on in the world right now, this is the perfect timing for this film to be released. I'm hoping people will watch the film and see what an extraordinary human being Nicholas Winton was. What are you hoping that audiences will take from his selflessness?

JH: First, I just want to say that I would give anything for our film not to be so timely. We'd hate for people to think that somehow, we planned to release it now and catch the wind, so to speak. It's so easy at the moment to just go, ‘The world's too grim. I can't do anything about it. I'm gonna stick my head in the sand. Keep to ourselves and screw everybody else because everybody's messing it up.’

Nicky’s lesson is simple. You don't have to solve everything but do your bit. Do the decent thing. He talked about this idea of active goodness, which is it's not enough to say I'm being good. Do whatever little bit you can.

It can be very local, it can be a small gesture, but just do something. I feel like I'm a Sunday School preacher, but it's simply about being aware and having the right conversations. It's about giving that little bit you can and not expecting you to take in 20 refugees, but just seeing how you can be aware and share in the discussion.