what it takes to tell
these stories. If you
consider the fact that
if this story didn’t
have the resources
and the support from
The Boston Globe
to
give these journalists
the time to do this, it
wouldn’t have been
told.
“Tom McCarthy,
our director, had a
really
interesting
point – he said it’s a
great time for graft in
local politics, because
no-one is covering the
capitals. They don’t
have the people,
they don’t have the
manpower to do it, so if
you want to slide some
money under the table,
chances are you’re going to
get away with it, because
there are less and less
people who are watching
the store, from a journalistic
point of view.”
McCarthy insisted on
getting the details of the
investigation – and the way
the reporters worked on it –
as accurate as he possibly
could. And essential to that
process was consulting
with
the
reporters
themselves, even if, at first,
they were a little wary of
a ‘Hollywood’ re-telling of
their story.
“Matt has said he
Amongst the rave reviews
that
Spotlight
has received
from playing film festivals
around the world, there
was one that Brian d’Arcy
James treasured the most
– the seal of approval from
the man he plays in the
film.
Directed
by
Tom
McCarthy,
Spotlight
brilliantly recounts the
Boston Globe
’s Pulitzer
Prize-winning exposé of
the child abuse scandal
in the Catholic Church
with an ensemble cast
playing the real journalists
involved in the newspaper’s
painstaking investigation,
including d’Arcy James as
Matt Carroll, a key member
of the team.
After the film played at
the Toronto Film Festival,
the
journalists
joined
McCarthy and his cast on
stage to a standing ovation.
“There was a moment
on stage at the end where
we were just standing next
to each other, and I looked
at Matt and I said, ‘I’m
assuming this is an amazing
experience,’” recalls d'Arcy
James.
“He goes, ‘yeah, this is
crazy.’ I said, ‘It is. It’s an
extraordinary moment.’ I
think it was just as thrilling
for me as it was for him, if I
can put words in his mouth.
He would choose much
better words,” he laughs.
“The
journalists,
including Matt, have said
that they felt that we did a
good job and I’m going to
believe them. I think they
honestly mean it. And that
to me is the best review
you can get.
“Because you do what
you love and when you
have something like this
that has such social and
significant impact, it is quite
a testament when they
say, ‘thank you for getting
it right.’ So I’m very proud
of that.”
He points out too, that
investigative
journalism
takes time and money and
that these days, resources
on newspapers are being
cut back. The Spotlight
team on the
Boston Globe
started their investigation
into child abuse in the
Catholic
Church
back
in 2001 – and over the
following years the situation
has only worsened.
“I think another great
take away from this film
is the importance of
The real-life
Boston Globe
investigative team at the heart of SPOTLIGHT took some convincing that the
film would honour their efforts, says actor Brian d'Arcy James.
Xxxxxx
definitely thought twice
about it, and Sacha
(Pfeiffer, played by Rachel
McAdams) said, ‘no good
can come of this,’” he
laughs. “But I think after
a while when they came
around, especially with
what Tom and Josh [Singer,
screenwriter] had done with
the creation of the script,
which is the roadmap.
“They could see very
clearly that this wasn’t just
some slapdash version of
events. They were really
taking the time to get it
right. They went back
again and again, much like
the work that they did as
journalists to get the story
right.
“I think they felt
comforted and bolstered
by that, but when we came
into the mix, that’s another
element of strangeness.
For Matt, when we initially
met we spent two hours
together and we’d be
talking and he would see
me looking at him like
this, and he’d start kind of
moving back, like, ‘what is
he computing?’
“But in all seriousness
it’s a great debt of gratitude
I have for his generosity
and opening up himself to
me. That is an asset for any
actor to have.”
Spotlight
is out May 4
FAKE PAPERS, BIG STORIES
The Daily Prophet
Britain's
most read
wizarding
newspaper.
More
concerned
with sales than factual accuracy.
Claims exclusives that aren't
exclusive, like Harry Potter's
account of Voldemort's return.
The Daily Bugle
New York City tabloid with an
anti-superhero leaning. Often
launches smear campaigns
against Spider-Man. Sources
webslinger images from freelance
photographer Peter Parker.
The Amity Gazette
Local newspaper of New
England resort town, Amity
Island. Headlines may involve
shark sightings, beaches being
kept open, and the discovery of
a woman's remains, believed
to be a boating accident.
15
REVIEWS
DVD
&
BD
DVD
&
BD
The Daily Planet
Metropolis broadsheet whose
headlines tend to involve
Superman. Editor-in-Chief is
Perry White, and its team of
reporters includes Clark Kent,
Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.