What are the themes of the movie?
Shame and secrecy and all manner of interesting things. When I spoke with Morgan and Gene, we all had the same ideas and got the same feelings about the original French film ("Garde à Vue", 1981). It was so clear that it was compelling to try and retell the story 20 years later to an English, not French-speaking audience. I wanted to make a film that was as sophisticated and emotional, but for a wider audience.
How did you set about talking to the actors?
One of the joys of this film is that there's no attempt - as convoluted as the plot seems - to manipulate the audience. We made our choice at the start. Everyone was going to play their part honestly, and not try and pretend to be good or bad guys. That was very exciting. Not having to worry about the plot having to kowtow to the audience.
What did you like about making the film?
Not only did we have a great movie to base it on, but our script felt very nice. Knowing that Gene and Morgan were playing those roles made it much easier to put the script together - we knew who we were writing it for. It took some of that mystery away. We were able to rehearse it. I had no special effects, no monsters running around, nothing blew up; those things are all things I've done so many times that they lose their allure after a while. To be able to rely completely on the actors, it was a very simple process for me. There were no previews; we made the film we wanted to make.
Read a review of "Under Suspicion".
Read an interview with Gene Hackman, star of "Under Suspicion".
Read an interview with Morgan Freeman, star of "Under Suspicion".
