Clive Owen: The Movieline Interview

For as much as the film's mantra states that you should always "say yes" to a child, you still have to bend Nicholas to your will to make this movie. How did you strike that balance?

It was a very free set. Nicholas was given free reign and he tore around; we didn't keep him locked up. He'd be running around, outside jumping on the trampoline, and we made it feel like a playground for him. We knew that the film was about capturing that magic, and the fact that he's so full of life is why he got the part. We weren't about to take that out of him by keeping things too structured.

You might be number-one on the call sheet, but it's him the film rests upon.

You just have to be terribly sensitive and aware of these tender ages. It's not just about getting your film done. I mean, the whole film is structured around Nick -- the whole movie. The whole script! We had to be ready to change at a moment's notice if he was, like, over-tired. We had to accommodate that, and that's why Scott was the perfect director, because you need tremendous patience and understanding, and he had that with him. Nicholas had the time of his life on this movie, but you've got to be sensitive.

Are the rumors true that you're hoping to do an Inside Man sequel sometime in the next year?

They've commissioned a script, so they're keen to get one going. It's just about whether the script's there.

Do you have any idea what the story's going to be?

[Big smile] A little bit, yeah. It will be completely dependent on the script and Spike and myself liking it, whether it goes forward. But it is something that they're keen to do.

Was that a working environment you're happy to reprise?

I had a great time with Spike. Great time. I really enjoyed the film and I thought he did a great job on it. Spike is just great, so if the script is good, I'll defnitely do it.

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