By Gill Pringle
Based on the popular romantic novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes, Me Before You sees a young working class girl form an unlikely relationship with the wealthy, recently-paralysed man that she’s charged with taking care of. Taking a break from riding dragons and after an attempt at channeling Linda Hamilton in 2015’s Terminator Genysis, Emilia Clarke is once again venturing into the feature film arena here as Lou Clark. Sam Claflin, meanwhile, marks his first starring role since his turn in The Hunger Games, as Will Traynor. The pair chatted with FilmInk about their chemistry, the preparation for their roles, and how being a part of such a story has affected their outlook on life.
You two seem to have a wonderful chemistry together. Did you have to do chemistry tests? What was the auditioning process like?
Clarke: “We did. They looked far and wide for the right people! They weren’t looking for the right Will or the right Lou they were looking for the right combination.”
Claflin: “It was a rigorous audition process. It was quite a lengthy one. I met with [director] Thea [Sharrock] in April 2013 and I think I got the part in 2014. I think I met with Thea about three or four times in an audition room. My science tests at school were pretty bad so I’m glad that I actually had chemistry with somebody or something… But what was great about those chemistry tests was that you have the opportunity to explore the character that you’ve prepared yourself, with other people’s versions of the other character. So for Lou I saw, I think, five or six very different impressions of who Lou was. All special in their own individual ways but I’m so thankful and grateful that Emilia got it.”
Sam, you apparently lost 40 pounds for this? What was that like?
Claflin: “Yeah it was a pretty rigorous few months leading up to the beginning of filming but I thought it was important that I look a little frailer than I do normally and I had also let myself go a little bit before. So, I knew that I was going to be losing weight so I enjoyed myself up to a point and went ‘oh, now I’ve got more to lose.’ But it was important to me. I thought it was a must for the character, so there was a lot of hard training and a very strict diet. But I was very well supported and had experts working with me.”
I’m curious about you mastering the wheelchair, Sam. Was there some sort of a wheelchair boot camp for you?
Claflin: “I got really good at it but it was all my own work. I didn’t have a stunt driver. It was difficult to manoeuvre, especially when you’re trying to navigate through very narrow corridors and through doorways. But it became a part of me. They moulded it to my body in order to make it as comfortable as can be. So all the leg rests and arm rests were all perfectly aligned to my body shape. It was really interesting speaking to the guy who came and fitted it, hearing about his experiences. He works with people on a daily basis going around to their houses and seeing all the different struggles that people have. The entire experience was really quite eye opening.”
Was it easy to put yourself in Will’s mindset?
Claflin: “I think it’s impossible to be in that mindset without going through what it is he goes through. But I was fortunate enough to speak with people who were in a similar position to Will. They were willing to share their stories and their experiences and struggles, the obstacles they’ve had to overcome.”
Emilia, you got the opportunity to speak to some carers didn’t you?
Clarke: Yeah! We got to have about three months rehearsal so we got to do a lot of research in that time and speak to people and I went on a lot of [internet] forums. I could read what caregivers were kind of saying about the day to day issues they were coming up against and where they were mentally. It was incredibly enlightening.”
The film has this gorgeous, inspiring message about living your life to the fullest, did you both feel a sense of that? Did you go home and think ‘Instead of being a slob and watching TV, I’m going to do something’?
Clarke: “Well the filming hours are pretty rigorous. So, we were living, as much as we could, in that we were having an incredible time filming this movie. I think we probably both took away some of that, an essence of what it meant to live our lives to the fullest. It definitely takes the blinkers off for a second and allows you to see a bit more of what is out there to go out and grasp.”
Claflin: “I think everyone lives within their means. I think people shouldn’t be afraid of pushing themselves while not having expectations so far out of reach that you’ll end up being disappointed. It’s like Will says in the book ‘Push yourself, don’t settle. Just live and live well.’ And I think that is the key to life really.”
As actors, has it been your motto too? To reach out for more?
Claflin: “I think to succeed in this industry you have to take risks. You have to sometimes just jump into the deep end and hope for the best. I’m working on a job at the moment and we as actors basically arrive on set immediately, take all our clothes off, get dressed in other people’s clothes while loads of other people are just standing there watching you. I’m quite an insecure person, normally. Then you go into the makeup truck and they start doing your hair for you. You put your life in other people’s hands.”
Clarke: “My mate the other day, she came and visited me while I was doing a week of press for Game of Thrones and her comment was ‘You do scary stuff all the time.’ As an actor you just have to. You have to come into a room and speak to loads of people on a regular basis. So, sometimes living boldly can mean different things to different people. It might be the opposite for us, it might be getting to go home and chatting to your friends and making that choice as opposed to taking that job or whatever. That might be living boldly.”
So for you, the role in Game Of Thrones, is that part of that boldness? And taking risks?
Clarke: “Well I took my clothes off, so yes! I make a point of trying to live in the uncomfortable part.”
Are you big fans of romantic novels? Probably not, Sam?
Claflin: “I’m not a big reader, honestly. Though, similar to Emilia, every job I do it seems to be a book. So, I basically read the jobs that I’m doing but that keeps me pretty busy. But it’s not something that I normally do. I need to be moving. That’s me personally. But I love a romantic story.”
Clarke: “Yeah, I do read a lot and I just feel like if there isn’t some kind of a relationship in there then I’m not as fully engaged.”
Me Before You is released in cinemas on June 16.
