( BAND PLAYING ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: HI, EVERYBODY!
WE' RE BACK WITH KENNETH BRANAGH.
THE MOVIE STARTS OFF IN MODERN BELFAST.
>> YES.
>> Stephen: OPENING IS HELICOPTER DRONE SHOTS, LOVELY
SHOTS OF MODERN DAY BELFAST.
THEN IT BECOMES A BLACK AND WHITE MOVIE AS IT PASSES OVER
ONE OF THE DIVIDING WALLS.
WHAT ARE THE NAME FOR THEM.
>> PEACE WALLS.
THE INTERFACE BETWEEN THE TWO COMMUNITIES.
>> Stephen: THEN IT'S 1969 AND IT'S BLACK AND WHITE ON THE
OTHER SIDE.
IT CAPTURES THE BEFORE TIME THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE AS MEMORIES
OF THEIR CHILDHOOD, ESPECIALLY A CHILDHOOD THAT HAPPENED BEFORE A
TRAUMA THAT LOSES SOME OF ITS COLOR AS A RESULT.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT IRISH.
MY FAMILY IS IRISH.
I'M AN AMERICAN THROUGH AND THROUGH, BUT EVERYONE IN MY
FAMILY IS IRISH AND WE HAVE BEEN IRISH FOR FIVE GENERATIONS WE
HAVE BEEN OVER HERE, AND AS A CHILD I HEARD ABOUT THE TROUBLES
FROM MY PARENTS.
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IT ALL THE TIME.
I'M JUST A FEW YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU ARE.
I FELT BAD WHEN I FIRST GOT INTO THE MOVIE BECAUSE I FELT
"BELFAST" ONLY CARRIED THE SENSE OF DREAD TO ME, THE STORIES OF
SECTARIAN VIOLENCE.
AND IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VALENTINE TO YOUR HOMETOWN,
WHICH I WAS INCREDIBLY MOVED BY AND I FELT BAD I HADN'T FELT
BETTER OF YOUR HOMETOWN.
>> IT'S A COMPLEX HISTORY TO THAT PART OF THE WORLD AND THAT
CITY AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF SORROWS AND THERE ARE INCREDIBLE
NUMBER OF JOYCE.
A COPING MECHANISM IS A ROBUST HUMOR.
THEY LOVE LAUGHTER AND MUSIC.
>> Stephen: I WAS SAYING TO JON A LITTLE WHILE AGO, THE
MOVIE IS SO FUNNY AND SAD AT THE SAME TIME AND I'VE NEVER SEEN
ANYTHING SO IRISH IN MY LIFE.
>> YEAH, WELL, I THINK THAT'S VERY WELL PUT.
>> Stephen: YOU SHOWED IT AT THE BELFAST FILM FESTIVAL WHEN?
>> WE HAD 1400 PEOPLE WATCHING IT, THAT IN ITSELF IN THE
POST-PANDEMIC WORLD WAS A VERY MOVING THING, AND IT WAS AN
ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIFYING ATMOSPHERE.
I DON'T THINK SOMETIMES YOU GET A CHANCE TO GO BACK AND SHARE A
STORY, WITH OF MANY.
EVERYBODY, MAN WOMAN, AND CHILD IN BELFAST HAS A YAWN AND
THEY'RE ALL WORTH A LISTEN.
BUT THIS PARTICULAR ONE THEY GAVE AREAS TO AND THEY STOOD UP
AS ONE AND CHEERED.
IT WAS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NIGHTS OF MY LIFE.
MY BROTHER WAS THERE, AND MY SISTER WAS THERE AND A TON OF
COUSINS.
>> Stephen: DOES IT STILL FEEL LIKE YOUR HOMETOWN?
>> YES, YOU CAN TAKE THE BOY OUT OF BELFAST BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE
BELFAST OUT OF THE BOY.
I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THE FILM SAID BECAUSE A LOT OF IT IS
ABOUT LEAVING AND A LOT OF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT, I HAVE
BEEN VERY MOVED BY PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD, AN IRANIAN FILM-MAKER
SAID THAT'S MY STORY, A NIGERIAN SAID THAT'S MY STORY.
WHAT THE STORY SUGGESTS AND HOPES YOU CAN DO IS TAKE YOUR
HOME WITH YOU.
IF YOUR HOME IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU.
I THINK WHERE WE START IS MEANINGFUL TO US, EVEN IF WE
HAVE TO LET IT GO OR GO BACK AND LIVE IN IT IN A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT WAY OR MAYBE SOMETIMES CARRY IT INSIDE US.
HOME ISN'T NECESSARILY THE BRICKS AND MORTAR.
IN THIS CASE IT PARTLY IS, BUT IT'S FAMILY.
HOME IS FAMILY.
WE HAD THE USUAL DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY.
IT WAS WHERE I LIVED WAS NOT AN IDEAL BUT IT WAS UNQUESTIONABLY
A HOME.
GOING BACK AND TOUCHING AND FEELING AND HEARING THE MUSIC OF
IT, THE LANGUAGE, THE ACCENT, AND EVERYTHING, WAS A WONDERFUL
THING TO BE ABLE TO DO.
>> Stephen: YOUR MOVIE FAMILY IS EXTRAORDINARY, TOO, KAREN
HEINZ, JUDY DENCH PLAY YOUR GRANDPARENTS.
AND YOUR ALTER EGO IS PLAYED BY THIS EXTRAORDINARY YOUNG ACTOR
NAMED JUDE HILL WHO WAS JUST NINE YEARS OLD WHEN HE WAS CAST.
WHAT'S IT LIKE DIRECTING SOMEONE THAT YOUNG?
IS IT THE SAME, LIKE IF YOU CAN SAY IT TO A 50-YEAR-OLD, YOU
SHOULD BE ABLE TO SAY IT TO A NINE-YEAR-OLD?
>> SUCH AN INTERESTING QUESTION THAT.
I THINK I'M STILL WORKING IT OUT, ACTUALLY.
WHAT WE'RE HOPING TO DO IS MAKE THE MOVIE AS REAL, UNACTED AS
POSSIBLE.
ONE OF THE VIRTUES OF GETTING A NINE-YEAR-OLD BOY, IF HE COULD
JUST BE IN THE MOMENT AND PRESENT, AND LISTEN, HALF OF THE
PERFORMANCE WAS REACTING.
HE HAD THE GIFT AND HE WASN'T THERE NERVOUS.
HE WAS ABLE TO WATCH.
HE'S AT THE POINT IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT WHERE HIS ABSORPTION
OF NEW THINGS WAS HUGE INCLUDING THE ACTING PROCESS FROM WATCHING
PEOPLE LIKE JUDI DENCH AND THE OTHERS.
FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS, HE COULDN'T STOP LOOKING AT THE
CAMERA.
HE KEPT SNEAKING A LOOK.
HE'D THINK HE WAS RATHER GOOD AND HE'D CATCH DWRUS JUST TO SEE
IF THEY'D SEE HIS GOOD SIDE.
AFTER TWO DAYS, SAID, YOU CAN'T KEEP LOOKING THERE.
HE SAID, WHERE SHOULD I LOOK?
I SAID LOOK AT JUDI DENCH, SHE'S EVER SO INTERESTING.
THE OTHER THING HE COULDN'T DO, HE'S A PASSIONATE SOCCER FAN.
MANY PEOPLE BACK HOME ARE.
LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB IS THE CLUB HE SUPPORTS.
MY CHILDHOOD SELF, MY ANCIENT FAN IS A FAN OF TOTTUM FOOTBALL
CLUB.
( APPLAUSE ) HE HAD TO ON OCCASIONS SAY HE
WAS LOYAL TO TOTTUM AND IN REHEARSAL HE WOULDN'T DO IT.
IT WAS THE ONE THING HE WOULD PUT HIS FOOT DOWN ABOUT IT.
I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO STAMP OFF TO THE TRAILER.
CAN'T DO IT.
I'LL DO IT IN THE TICK BUT I CAN'T DO IT IN REHEARSAL.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT TO HAVE BOUNDARIES.
>> TOTTUM AND LIVERPOOL WERE THE BOUNDARIES.
>> Stephen: WOW.
KENNETH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND FOR THIS REMARKABLE
FILM.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: "BELFAST" IS IN THEATERS TOMORROW.
KENNETH BRANAGH, EVERYBODY.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH ELLIE KEMPER.
( BAND PLAYING ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )