Directed by McCardle O'Hanlon: A Cinematic Story

By Jeff Hopkins

Esteemed Irish film maker McCardle O’Hanlon turns his back on gritty films dealing with dysfunctional families, the drug culture, gun violence, and urban crime to accept an offer to direct a big budget period costume drama. The working title for this period film is ‘The Prince’ and deals with the truncated life of Prince Henry Frederick Stuart the eldest son and heir of James I of England.
Casting Director Susie Posey is assembling an international cast, but the key role of Prince Henry is proving problematical. Acting on the advice of long-time friend David Anderson, O’Hanlon watches Jayden Harnett play Richard II in a College production and is convinced he has found the young man to fill the part of Prince. The rest of the production team takes convincing.
Eighteen-year-old Jayden Harnett tries to balance his personal and family life against the prospects of a film career that are dangled before him. A casting anomaly causes Jayden to be reunited with his school friend, Robert Rousseau who is recruited to join the film production. Jayden’s wide reading and research draws him closer to the long dead Prince and his friend, Robert.
When principal photography concludes, O’Hanlon does a first cut and despairs at the outcome. He calls upon his old friend David Anderson for advice and suggestions. Anderson is frank and forthright in his assessment and suggests the director make significant changes to the film. McCardle O’Hanlon and screenwriter, Sherwin Wood, rewrite aspects of the script and reshoot some vital scenes with a completely different focus. Anderson suggests one whole sequence, a requirement of the film’s Producers, be dumped.
The film is prepared for a gala charity premiere two weeks prior to Christmas before a world-wide cinema release on Boxing Day. Unpredictable events change everything, and Jayden Harnett stuns his family, and his former drama master with a life changing decision.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Aug 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781922812902

Jeff Hopkins

Jeff Hopkins (1950) is a retired schoolteacher. He lives in Walyalup, Western Australia. Walyalup which means 'lungs' is the Whadjuk name for Fremantle, and is part of the Noongar Nation. As the drama master at Hale School in Perth, he wrote ten original musical plays and produced and directed them at the school.In 1992, he researched and wrote a family history, 'Life's Race Well Run', and after retiring in 2006 he has written twenty novels, a memoir, and three 'faction' biographies.

Book preview

Chapter 1:

The Pitch

The seventy-first British Academy Film and Television Awards were held in London on the 19th of February 2018. Many of the production executives from not only the United Kingdom, but also the United States and Canada were in London for the awards. Edward ‘Teddy’ Wayne, the Chief Executive of Oysterwood Studios, took advantage of the situation and invited a representative group of them to a meeting at Oysterwood to hear a ‘treatment’ and a ‘pitch’ from renowned screen writer Sherwin Wood. The meeting took place in the aquarium like conference room at the studios. In attendance were James Duncannon representing British Heritage Film Corporation (BHFC), Olivier Peres from the Canadian Film Foundation, Joel Steinberg, the production manager from the American streaming service, Netplan and Jill Athlone the funds distribution manager from the British National Lottery. Teddy Wayne chaired the meeting.

‘Thank you all for coming. I think you all know one another. I would like to introduce Sherwin Wood, an outstanding author, playwright, and screenplay writer here in the United Kingdom.’

Sherwin Wood was nervous. He had pitched film ideas to powerful executives before, but never for a film on this scale which was going to involve a multi-million-pound budget. Teddy continued.

‘Well, I know we are all busy people and some of you have flights to catch this afternoon, so let’s begin without further delay. Sherwin would you start?

‘I thought I would begin with a little background to my screenplay. The National Portrait Gallery staged an exhibition between 18th October 2012 and the 13th of January 2013. It was called ‘The Lost Prince: the Life and Death of Henry Stuart’. During the three months that the exhibition ran it was visited by record crowds. I went there several times myself. I became fascinated by this historical character, Prince Henry. So, I began researching him and then writing this screenplay. It is about an eighteen-year-old Prince of Wales who should have been Henry IX of England but died before he could ascend the throne. This film explores the life and times of Prince Henry Frederick Stuart 1594–1612.’

James Duncannon interrupted.

‘So, this is William Shakespeare’s time?’

Teddy responded.

‘It’s the end of the Elizabethan era and the first decade of Jacobean times. Sorry, Sherwin, please continue’

Jill Athlone and Joel Steinberg began typing details into their tablets. Olivier Peres used a stenographer’s pad and pencil, and James Duncannon unscrewed the cap of his fountain pen and wrote his notes in a leather bound A5 sized memo book. Sherwin Wood resumed the presentation of his treatment.

‘Prince Henry was the eldest son of James VI of Scotland and his wife Queen Anne of Denmark. He was born on the 19th of February and baptised on the 29th of August 1594 at Stirling Castle in Scotland. These events were lavishly and expensively celebrated. As was the tradition Prince Henry was separated from his parents almost immediately and grew up away from them. This angered Queen Anne in particular’

Jill Athlone asked.

‘Any other children?’

Sherwin explained.

‘Princess Elizabeth was born two years later in 1596, Princes Margaret in 1598 but she died at age four. Prince Charles who would later become the ill-fated King was born in 1600. He was six years younger than his older brother who he hero worshipped. Robert was born in 1602 but died in infancy in the same year. There were two more daughters, Mary born in 1605 who died aged two and Sophia who was born in 1606 and died in infancy in the same year.’

‘Three sons and four daughters,’ observed Joel Steinberg. ‘King James and Queen Anne were certainly fertile and prolific.’

Sherwin Wood quipped.

‘For a man who was reputed to have had homosexual tendencies he was diligent in his duties providing for a line of succession.’

‘A homosexual King with seven children, now this is getting interesting,’ added the Netplan executive.

‘Perhaps we should let Sherwin get on with the treatment, Joel?

‘Sure thing.’

‘Prince Henry spent his first nine years in Scotland almost exclusively at Stirling Castle. Even from an early age he showed great promise as a future King. Then Elizabeth I died, and James VI came to England to become King James I and unite the two kingdoms of England and Scotland. He did not have an easy time of it with assassination attempts, threats of kidnapping, and designs to replace him and of course the Gunpowder Plot of 1605.’

Olivier Peres queried.

‘So, will Guy Fawkes be included in the film?’

‘Only tangentially, the focus is on Prince Henry once the Royal family assemble in England. The Prince proves to be something of a prodigy. He is given his own courts at Nonsuch, St. James, and Richmond Palaces and is surrounded by young men of his own age who are educated with him and develop passionate interests in combat training both on foot and on horseback and in athletic pursuits in general including archery, swimming, tennis, vaulting, and wrestling. The Prince takes an interest in overseas exploration and colonisation, but never gets to go himself. He helps develop the Royal Navy and collects books and artworks from all over Europe. Before he dies at age eighteen he has the best Royal collections in Europe.’

Jill Athlone interrupted.

‘I am afraid I am a little sceptical. Could a teenage Prince have achieved all of that?’

Teddy Wayne explained.

‘It is one of the great conundrums of the film, Jill. Was this young man truly a prodigy? Or was he manipulated by the courtiers who surrounded him and sought his favour hoping for preferments when he became king? Did they in fact create the myth and legend of Prince Henry and exaggerate his abilities and contribution? Clearly his life was enhanced after his death, through a great sense of grief and loss at what the Prince might have become as Henry IX.’

‘And will the film tackle those confusing and difficult questions?’

‘I think it will be a focus but let Sherwin finish.’

‘The film will present opportunities for big pageant sequences in the river barge progresses associated with the Coronation of King James I and the Investiture of Henry as the Prince of Wales. Then there will be intense confrontational exchanges between the King and the Prince and later in his life sensitive and intimate scenes as the teenage Prince explores his sexuality and seduces young women of the court. Plus there are wonderful opportunities for set pieces in the festivals, masques, and dances that took place at that time.’

‘What are these masques and dances?’ asked the Canadian Film Foundation’s executive.

‘In modern parlance we would probably describe them as musicals. Big productions with elaborate sets, costumes, singing, and dancing performed almost exclusively at, and for the court. Prince Henry and Queen Anne commissioned them, and they were written by playwrights like Ben Jonson and designed by Inigo Jones. Prince Henry gave himself the main roles in most of these extravaganzas.’

James Duncannon mused.

‘Hardly a reluctant Prince then. He did not shy away from the limelight.’

Sherwin Wood continued.

‘A major element of the film will be the young teenagers who surrounded the Prince. The idea was that they should grow up with him and become the prominent members of his court when he became King. There are some famous names here and great back­stories. The Prince’s best friend, John Harington, will be significant. John Harington’s father was Princess Elizabeth’s guardian and so it is not surprising that young John was included among the Prince’s ‘coterie of companions’. Two years older than Henry, John Harington got to do things the Prince was denied. He did the ‘grand tour’ in Europe and wrote letters back to Henry about his adventures. Two more close companions Robert Devereaux, the young Earl of Essex, and William Cecil, Lord Cranborne, did similar tours. King James refused to let Prince Henry leave England on any pretext; he was quite constrained. Both Devereaux and Cecil became sexually active long before the Prince. In fact it was their letters to the Prince about their amorous adventures in Europe that encouraged the Prince to explore that aspect of his own life.’

‘So the casting of the Prince and this ‘coterie of companions’ is going to be pivotal to the success of the film?’ noted James Duncannon.

‘Very much so!’ responded Teddy Wayne.

‘What about the female cast?’ asked Jill Athlone.

Sherwin Wood answered.

‘Queen Anne is an important figure and so is the Princess Elizabeth, but there are lots of young women in the court. Frances Howard, the child bride of Robert Devereaux, the third Earl of Essex will be a controversial character.’

‘How so?’ pursued Jill Athlone.

‘She was a minx, an impudent, cunning, and boldly flirtatious young woman. She married Robert Devereaux at fourteen years of age, had the marriage annulled claiming her husband could not consummate the union. Then she was seduced by Prince Henry. She remarried and was then implicated with her new husband in a murder scandal and spent seven years in the Tower of London until King James pardoned her in 1622.’

‘Wow. Now this is getting tantalisingly ‘saucy’. Our streaming service subscribers will lap up that sort of stuff,’ said Joel Steinberg enthusiastically.

‘How does the film end, Sherwin?’

‘The Prince contracts typhoid fever after swimming in the contaminated Thames River and dies in agony three months before his nineteenth birthday. A crowd of doctors use despicable methods to try and cure the Prince, but all their efforts are in vain. The funeral was huge, fit for a King or Queen, not a Prince. It will be another big pageant sequence in the film.’

‘Historical locations?’ queried James Duncannon.

Teddy Wayne answered.

‘Some still exist. Others have been demolished or extensively remodelled over the centuries. We will film at the historical locations where we can and recreate buildings and spaces that have gone completely using Computer Graphic Imaging. The rest we will build on sound stages here at Oysterwood Studios.’

‘And who do you have in mind to direct this period costume drama?’

‘We were thinking about McCardle ‘Mac’ O’Hanlon.’

‘The Irishman with the volcanic temper?’

‘Yes.’

‘Isn’t his forte grim urban genres incorporating gun violence and drugs?’ asked Joel.

‘It has been, but he did move away from that sort of film with ‘O’Flaherty’s Flight’ which won a Gradam Scannán in Dublin.’

‘That film has a cult following in Canada,’ was Olivier Peres’ observation.

‘It still rates highly on our streaming on demand service,’ added Joel Steinberg.

James Duncannon asked.

‘Would he do it?’

‘We haven’t approached him yet but knowing Mac I think he would enjoy the challenge.’

‘Music? Who would you get to compose the score?’

‘We were thinking about Stewart Billings.’

‘Do you think he could incorporate a modern song into the musical score? Getting a nomination for ‘Song of the Year’ is a bonus and a good marketing tool,’ was Joel Steinberg’s question and explanation.

‘We could always ask.’

James Duncannon was keen to get on.

‘So what is the budget bottom line?’

‘Our production costing team have done some preliminary figures and they think that seventy-five million pounds sterling is in the ballpark.’

Joel Steinberg did a quick calculation.

‘Ninety-two million dollars U.S. Round figures we are dealing with a one hundred-million-dollar production.’

Jill Athlone asked.

‘How much is Oysterwood Studios prepared to put towards the film?’

‘We have budgeted for twenty percent of the total cost.’

‘So you are looking for sixty million pounds sterling from the other investors?’

‘Yes.’

‘There are four of us represented here so fifteen million pounds or nineteen million dollars U.S. each.’

‘Basically.’

‘And who would underwrite the production?’

‘British and General Insurance usually do that for us.’

‘What is your timeline?’

‘We hope to film next year in late spring, summer, and early autumn. We would hope to have the film ready for release around Christmas 2019. All we would need from you in the immediate future are expressions of interest. Let’s say by the end of the month and then contracts exchanged by the end of March at the latest. Both O’Hanlon and Billings are in demand, and we may not be able to get them if we leave pre-production too much later than that.’

All four representatives made notes and nodded their approval for the proposed timeline.

‘One final question,’ asked Jill Athlone. ‘The part of Prince Henry seems a very demanding role to me. Where are you going to find a teenager capable of undertaking it?’

Teddy Wayne responded.

‘It’s a great question, Jill. Do you recall how McCardle O’Hanlon plucked a virtual unknown in Kendall MacLeod to play the challenging lead in ‘O’Flaherty’s Flight’? Kendall has gone on to do some great work since.’

‘He did a Netplan original series for us and it rated its socks off, mainly due to his involvement. The young female demographic simply adore him.’

‘I think Mac O’Hanlon might do a similar thing with Prince Henry. He likes fresh new talent. He doesn’t like child actors who have developed bad performance habits. Mac likes to mentor and mould.’

Olivier Peres was concerned.

‘I think the Canadian Film Foundation would like representation in the cast so we can sell the film to the local market claiming a home­grown connection.’

‘We would want that too at Netplan.’

I will give our casting director, Susie Posey an instruction to that effect.’

‘There would of course be lots of opportunities for an English and Scottish ensemble cast?’

‘Absolutely. There are some lovely cameos in the story which would fit a range of our theatrical, television and screen actors.’

‘So when would we see a first draft of the screenplay based on the treatment and pitch you have presented today?’

‘I have been working on it for some considerable time now. Of course future drafts will need input from whoever gets the task of directing the film.’

‘Understood.’

Teddy attempted a summary.

‘So, that is the pitch. You will need time to take the idea back to your superiors. It is a big financial commitment. Thank you all for coming, I hope we haven’t wasted your time?’

The four made various comments about how it had been an interesting pitch and they would consider it in due course. The meeting broke up and the four executives headed back to the United States, Canada, and to their offices in London with a lot to think about. When they had gone Teddy Wayne and Sherwin Wood did a debrief.

‘Well, what do you think, Sherwin?’

‘I think the interruptions and pertinent questions meant they were at least interested.’

‘I got a more positive vibe. I think they might go for it.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes.’

‘So what’s next?

‘You finish the screenplay and get a draft to me as soon as possible. I am going to bite the bullet and give Mac O’Hanlon a call. He will need some time to think about it, that is if he doesn’t reject the whole idea out of hand.’

‘And Stewart Billings?’

‘He is constantly composing for various orchestras and other projects. All we need from him is a window next year where he can score this film. He is a workaholic so I doubt he will say ‘no’. A mixture of traditional music from the Jacobean period as well as some creative modern film music might prove a very attractive proposition for him. He also likes to record the musical score by conducting with an orchestra of his choice. That will need to be taken into consideration.

‘The sooner we get a commitment from Stewart Billings the better.’

‘Are you excited Sherwin? We might be close to getting underway.’

‘It all depends on the ‘bean counters’. It is a lot of money.’

‘Money breeds money, Sherwin. If they think they can turn a profit from a film like this, they won’t pass up the opportunity.’

Chapter 2:

Harington College

Harington Collegiate School is a boarding school for boys aged thirteen to eighteen years. It is located a few kilometres north of the village of Twyford in Hampshire and is in picturesque country on the left bank of the Itchen River, which passes through nearby water meadows. It was founded in 1750 by Sir Robert Harington. The site has been developed judiciously over the subsequent two hundred and sixty-nine years and now modern facilities augment the historic buildings that still house parts of the school.

Among the significant new additions to the campus is the Kensington Theatre complex and in the past two decades the main theatre, which seats three hundred and fifty patrons on two levels, has witnessed some outstanding work by the students at the Collegiate School. In no small way the contribution of the drama master, Mr. David Anderson has enhanced the reputation of the school. Each year the sixth form Shakespearean presentation is a highlight for the graduating year group. In 2018 and 2019 Mr. Anderson directed ‘Richard II’. It was cast and rehearsed during the second half of Autumn Term in 2018 and presented in the weeks before the half term break in Spring term 2019 and it played to packed houses for a season of eight nights and received glowing reviews for its director and his sixth form actors.

The title role of King Richard II was played by Jayden Harnett, who was lauded for his sensitive performance in a demanding role requiring many aspects of light and shade in the characterisation. Jayden Harnett was a seventeen-year-old sixth form boy in School House which occupied one of the traditional wings of the original manor house upon which Sir Robert Harington founded the school. Jayden had been at the College since he entered in Form One as a thirteen-year-old.

Jayden was the only son of a London architect, Liam Harnett and his wife, Amelia Adams, who kept her maiden name for professional reasons, and was an accomplished and in demand interior designer. Liam and Amelia’s frequent trips abroad, both separately and together for various commissions made boarding school for Jayden the only option. It did not trouble Jayden because he loved the lifestyle at Harington College. He was a successful academic student, took the normal interests in various sports that were promoted at the school, but his bailiwick became the theatre, and his Richard II was the crowning achievement of a wonderful participation over his time at the College.

Jayden was one hundred and eighty-five centimetres tall, six foot, in imperial measurement, and had a sculptured if slight build. He had dark brown hair which he wore quite long covering his ears with a bulky fringe that descended almost to the line of his eyebrows. He was cognisant of the hair length requirements of his traditional boarding school and stayed well within those parameters. Jayden’s eyes were brown and soulful, and his Grecian nose was prominent. The lips where classically shaped and masked a beautiful set of white teeth. Those lips were designed for kissing and Jayden had used them sparingly, but well, as he moved through puberty into young manhood. Girls who had come to know him through shared perfor­mances in stage productions longed for his gentle touch in real life. He did not have a regular girlfriend, but was a fully realised heterosexual young man, and had not been tempted by suspect traditions or his boarding school surroundings into any other proclivity.

David Anderson had groomed him for the part of Richard II and was astounded when he turned up in the third week of rehearsals word perfect, and ready to soak up any directional points without the encumbrance of any playscript. It meant the demanding role could be developed at a much greater depth and it was not long before the middle-aged drama master realised he was handling a superior talent and consciously lifted his own game to nurture him.

McCardle O’Hanlon, the highly respected Irish film director, and an old school friend of David Anderson from Oundle School, rang him at Harington College. After some pleasant talk about times past, McCardle asked if he had any seventeen or eighteen-year-old actors who might fill a difficult role in a film project that was in pre-production and was about to be cast. The drama master suggested a road trip to Harington Collegiate School during the run of ‘Richard II’ might not be a wasted journey. McCardle O’Hanlon, who David called Mac interrogated his old school friend for further details, to which he replied.

‘The production is playing in our Kensington Theatre until Saturday night. If you give me a date I will have a ticket left at the box office for you.’

‘That is very kind, David. Could I impose on you for two tickets? I know Jonathon will be very interested in seeing the young fellas as well.’

‘Of course. Bookings are very heavy, but I always reserve some balcony seats for contingencies just like this one. What name will I leave the tickets under at the box office?’

‘Two tickets in Jonathon’s name please, David. I like to be as inconspicuous as possible while I am out and about on casting scouting expeditions.’

‘Understood. What night?’

‘Wednesday would suit us both.’

‘Two tickets in the name of Mr. Keith on Wednesday the sixth of February. Curtain up is 7:30 p.m. Will you be staying after the performance for a chat?’

‘I am sorry, David, I am flat out right now. I will ring you later in the week and give you my impressions. By the way who should I be focussing on in the play?’

‘Richard II, Mac, who else? I think you will be pleasantly surprised.’

‘It’s a fret of a part, David. I trust your young fella is up to it?’

‘He is.’

‘And what is this fella’s name?’

‘Buy a programme and find out for yourself, you Irish cheapskate.’

‘Thank you for that, David. I’ll get Jonathon to buy one which we can share.’

‘Nothing much changes for you Mac, does it?’

‘Cheers, David.’

On Thursday morning, the seventh of February, David Anderson’s iPhone throbbed in his tweed jacket pocket and as he was free to take the call he extracted the device flipped opened the leather-bound cover and read the screen which informed him it was Mac calling.

‘Hello, Mac.’

‘Hello, David, is this a good time to speak or should I ring back later? I know your life is ruled by school bells, timetables, and teaching commitments.’

‘No, it is perfect timing, Mac I am free now until after lunch.’

‘Good. Well Jonathon and I drove down to Harington College last night to see your production of ‘Richard II’. I must say that Jonathon was rather sceptical that we should be driving to Hampshire to see a sixth form Shakespeare.’

‘Oh, I see.’

‘However, he soon changed his tune after we had seen the play. In fact he wanted to stay on and go backstage and meet you and the cast, but I told him that would not be appropriate given the circumstances.’

‘I took a sly peak and saw you two sitting in the balcony, but I didn’t approach you. I guessed if you had anything to report you would be in touch in your own time, and here you are.’

‘Congratulations David! It is a splendid production. I think you are at the top of your game and have lost none of your skills.’

‘Well, thank you Mac. Coming from you that is really appreciated.’

‘The Kensington Theatre is a wonderful space and Jonathon commented on the acoustics which were brilliant. Even in subtle passages of dialogue we did not have to strain to hear anything. A tribute to the training of the young performers too.’

‘Yes, the theatre is lovely.’

‘I thought the staging was spectacular. I liked the fact you went for a realistic presentation. The Great Hall, the use of tents, billowing curtains and drapes, and the complete contrast of the dungeon at Pontefract Castle in the penultimate scene. All impressive.’

‘Thank you, Mac, but I only design the production and request sets. The actual execution of them is up to a semi-professional team.’

‘The costumes and the hairstyles and makeup were first class.’

‘Again the work of others. Anne Horniblow, the Mistress in Charge of Drama at out sister school, St. Katherine’s, is responsible for all of that. Unfortunate name and a complete misnomer because she is very modest about her considerable talents.’

‘You are surrounded by an excellent team.’

‘And the real purpose of your visit, Mac, how did you find the performances of the young men?’

‘Well, I was quite taken with the fella who played Henry Bolling­broke. In the deposition scene he commanded the stage for a lengthy period without saying or doing anything. He was so still and a focus at the apex of a triangle. That allowed King Richard to move around the triangle and do all his light and shade shifts of mood.’

‘Bollingbroke was played by a lad called Robert Rousseau. His main claim to fame at school is as the House Captain of Harington House and winger in the First XV. He does drama as a pastime.’

‘Some pastime, I would have loved to have had a handheld steadycam on the stage floating around Bollingbroke and capturing Richard’s wanderings. I think it would have made an intriguing scene.’

‘Always working, Mac!’

‘Of course, when you stop seeing opportunities, your career is over.’

‘What of the young man who played King Richard? Were you impressed with Jayden Harnett?’

There was a pause in the conversation as McCardle O’Hanlon searched for the right words without going over the top.

‘Are you still there, Mac?’

‘Yes, I was simply formulating the right words, but then I don’t need any really. You know how richly talented that young fella is. In the car driving back to London, Jonathon went for ‘brilliant’. I think that will suffice.’

‘Any scene that struck you?’

‘The scene prior to Richard’s death in the dungeon was special. What possessed you to strip the boy down to a loin cloth to perform that soliloquy?’

‘A visual metaphor Mac. A man stripped of everything facing his own mortality.’

‘Well, it was a lovely touch, and that young fella had the physique to make it convincing. With no one to feed off or play against he gave the speech with such passion and yet a poignant reflective delicacy. I would have liked to have seen him do it again.’

‘Perhaps an idea for a screen test?’

‘Possibly.’

‘So where do we go from here?’

‘I would like to move quite quickly. My casting director, Susie Posey has been working her way through a list of over ninety ‘possibles’ and has systematically reduced the list down to seven ‘probables’, so she will have to be convinced there is another option.’

‘Don’t directors have the final say, Mac?’

‘Usually, but Susie has put such a lot of work into this already that I would like her to interview young Harnett as soon as possible just to keep things sweet with the production team. There is a lot of money at stake here, and she will have to be totally on board to cast a schoolboy unknown.’

‘What’s your plan?’

‘I will write a letter to Jayden Harnett and send it to the school. That will be a request for him to come to London for an interview and do some screen tests. He will probably get the letter by Monday. Your season of ‘Richard II’ will finish this Saturday so it will not be a distraction.’

‘Thank you for that, Mac. The half term break starts the following Saturday so Harnett would be back in London with his parents for just over a week. It might be a good time for an interview and possible screen tests.’

‘Sounds perfect. There is one more thing.’

‘I sensed by your tone that there is something further you would like me to do.’

‘Yes, if it is not too much trouble. Could you speak to the young fella before he gets my letter and give him a ‘heads up’. Then what I will be asking him to do will not come as a complete shock.’

‘It would be my pleasure. I would like to chat with him about the ‘Richard II’ experience as he comes down from a gruelling rehearsal schedule and eight top class performances.’

‘You are a great loss to the industry, David. Why have you never tried your hand at theatre or films at a professional level?’

‘I am a teacher, Mac, just like you aspired to be once. My wife and I love Harington College and our little village of Twyford and Hampshire in general. We have had many happy years here and have educated both our sons at a prestigious school with very little financial burden. Besides which I always enjoyed the security of a monthly salary cheque.’

‘Always security first with you, David.’

‘Absolutely, your profession is too precarious for my liking.’

‘It is the precariousness that is the attraction, David. I have always liked living on the edge.’

‘Which leads me to ask you, what is this new project for which young Harnett might be an integral part?’

‘I don’t like to say too much in case I tempt fate. Suffice it to say, it is a period costume drama.’

‘A period costume drama? That is quite a departure from your recent films.’

‘I am looking to get away from dysfunctional families, drugs, urban crime, violence, and such like, although I plan to investigate a few of those themes in a completely different context.’

‘Sounds intriguing.’

‘Most of the funding is in place. We have support from the British Heritage Film Corporation and the Canadian Film Foundation and an undertaking from one of the large American streaming services Netplan. There is some National Lottery money on the table as well. My location