Danny Boyle

Emmanuel Itier: How did you approach this film? I’m sure it was a mix of fascination and questioning…

Danny Boyle: It was for sure a great technical challenge. It was an interesting idea: what is it to meet the source life in our system–the sun? Is it possible? Well, in reality, you can’t do it, but in a movie, you can do it. To stand like Cillian Murphy in front of the sun–it’s a wonderful thing for a scientist, and I think it’s also a wonderful thing for a person of faith. It has lots of these issues in it, but of course you don’t have to look at these issues if you don’t want to: it’s still a very entertaining movie.

EI: Did this film put back on line some of your beliefs?

DB: I have been abandoning all of my beliefs. I have been raised in a very religious family until I was 16. Then around 16, I went to see “Clockwork Orange” and then it was such a shock, and you could only abandon the world of your parents–the world in terms of religion that was forced upon you. And I started to see different things. I’m not sure this film changed entirely my views because I don’t feel I can ever free myself from my upbringing. It’s always there and lurks–hidden. So even if I deny the existence of God, I worried I might get punished. I have been told so many years that if I said that, I would get punished…

EI: Is it that we justify the existence of God because of ego and because we feel we’re so important?

DB: Yes, this might be. I think I can understand why people look to God. I personally look at our future being a very positive thing, as we don’t have God, but what it means is that it makes us more responsible for ourselves and other people, and to future generation and to our planet. And maybe it’s about what we pass on to future generations and then way into the future, when we meet other species, other lives out there. And I think these are our responsibilities, and that connects with science to me. And I think this film is about the wonderful arrogance of science. It’s about science thinking it can change, making a difference beyond the scale–beyond the power. Scientists believe they can affect that. In the old days, scientists would die because of their beliefs. Christianity somewhat reminds scientists they should be humble, but they should, I think, over-reach and attempt to change things.

EI: What was your biggest surprise when you did all of your research about the sun and the universe?

DB: Well, it was so many things. There was this thing about England. London is there and then 100 miles away is Burmingham, which is the second city. And apparently, if there is any piece of the sun the size of a pin-head falling onto Burmingham, then the entire city of London would disappear. Everybody would be dead, even though they are beyond 100 miles of that pin-head. All the time we worry about girlfriends and money and all of that, but meanwhile, there are so many disasters lurking above our heads. I hope the movie gives you a flavor about what the threats out there might be.

EI: You had a few talented advisors on the film. Where did you find Brian Cox, for example?

DB: For me, it was crucial to make the rehearsals more interesting by bringing some experts in this field. I was trying to pop the actors’ bubbles, especially in this film where they are coming from so many different countries and they all have a different age and culture. I wanted to surround them with something else–with the movie. This way, their minds are away from themselves and they can truly get into the film. The reason I chose Brian Cox is he makes science accessible to anybody.

EI: How complicated is your job as an director, and how do you deal with actors?

DB: The job of the director is to focus on the film, and you have to try to make your film special to the actors. I do a film every two years, but during that period, they might do four or five films. So it’s about keeping their interest alive and making your film a worthwhile experience to them. Also, in this film, there are lots of characters and so they are not always the focus of the film. Still, I need to make them all feel important, which they truly are. This group of actors was amazing on “Sunshine”, and they did everything I asked them to do. Also, my way to explain my film is to show them visuals and make them meet real scientists, instead of giving them blind books to read. Also, in this film, we have lots of CGI, and therefore there is a need for you to passionately describe what they are facing at any given moment. If not, they will get lost in the scene. I give them as much as possible–lots of information to stimulate their imagination.

EI: How do you make such a gigantic film like this one? Were you used to smaller-budget movies?

DB: Yes, this is true. Actually, this film looks like $100,000,000 budget, but it was made for half. We used all the techniques used in “28 Days Later”. We didn’t work in the traditional studio way but with a smaller approach. Nobody got very much money, and we used the good will we got from the success of “28 Days Later”. You get a credit for a while when you have a box office success. I turned down “Alien 4″ because I thought, at the time, I was not ready for all of the CG work. I was too intimidated. But now I felt confident I could do it, and I have always wanted to direct a big science-fiction movie. This was a chance to do it, but it was a long process. There were 30 drafts of the script done in a year before we could finally shoot the film.

EI: What films did you watch to do this film?

DB: We got inspired by two great pillars of science-fiction films: the original “Solaris” and “Alien”. They are amazing films, and there is a little bit of them in my “Sunshine”.

EI: What is the ultimate message of this film for you?

DB: That science is overwhelmingly and necessarily arrogant. Scientists think they can affect everything in nature, but maybe our future depends of them.

EI: Were you conscious about making a political movie and talking about global warming?

DB: We were not trying to be political. You want to entertain people first. But of course, I wanted to find a story that would make people think and open their eyes because we do have a problem with global warming, and the film clearly says that it’s not the fault of nature but our own. It’s about being responsible and addressing these issues.

EI: What would be your destination of choice if you could travel anywhere in the universe or on planet Earth?

DB: Well, I read this book about people going to the moon, called Moondust, and it was wonderful. And it’s all about how it changes people when they look back at our planet, where we live, and it shows how it changes them totally. I flew on a Concord plane once, and because you flew so high at 60,000 feet, you would see the curve of the Earth by the window, and it gives you a little taste of what it would be beyond. It brings into perspective lots of things. It shows you the meaningless of your life when you see this globe glowing and floating.