The Miracle Club’s director Thaddeus O’Sullivan revealed Ozark’s Laura Linney signed on primarily for the chance to work with Maggie Smith.
Smith, 88, portrays one of four women from the outskirts of Dublin who make a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, for the chance to experience a miracle and seek redemption from their dark past.
Linney portrays Chrissie, who left the village 40 years ago and reunites with her former friend Eileen (played by Kathy Bates) young mum Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) and Smith’s Lily, the mother of Chrissie’s long-lost first love.
Director O’Sullivan talked exclusively with Express.co.uk, and revealed Linney and Smith spent a lot of time talking and discussing their characters on set.
“She and Laura talked to each other a lot,” he shared. “They’re friends, really, and that’s why Laura wanted to do the film.
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“It was an opportunity for her to work with Maggie Smith, who’s of a certain age, so there’s only so many films that she will make. Laura felt that very strongly.”
Despite approaching her 90s, Smith’s career is showing no signs of slowing down – she already has another film, A German Life, lined up for release next year and appeared in Downton Abbey: A New Era in 2022.
“Maggie would say, ‘Just tell me what to do’,” O’Sullivan said of her no-nonsense approach to filming.
“She knew there was a protective thing around her but she tried to say ‘We just do what we do’. She made it feel pretty easy.”
Once the quartet reaches Lourdes, The Miracle Club features a particularly moving scene in which Lily admits she doesn’t have much time left.
When asked if this scene was tough for the Harry Potter star to film, O’Sullivan said: “No, I think it was evident.
“When I say no, I mean yes. It was in the air, but it’s not something that you need to talk about.
“It’s something that you could see she was reacting to as an actor, and if I had anything to add then I would, to open a moment out.”
By shooting the scene in close-up, O’Sullivan hopes the emotion of the scene is apparent on Smith’s face.
“You put those cameras on the face you want to stay there,” he said.
“Because there’s nothing wasted and everything gained. In those scenes, the focus on the close-up was terrific.”
The Miracle Club is in cinemas now.
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