» Interview: Clive Owen
Glen Ferris 
talks to Golden Globe-winning actor and real-life dad Clive Owen about playing a struggling single parent in his emotional new film, The Boys Are Back
Clive Owen’s latest movie couldn’t be further removed from the suave, gun-happy action flicks he’s been churning out in the past few years. Based on the memoirs of Australian sports writer Simon Carr, The Boys Are Back is about an absent father, raising his young son alone after the death of his wife while also trying to reconnect with a child from a previous marriage. The struggles of single parenting and the debilitating effects of grief and loss are chronicled in a refreshingly unmawkish and realistic way, and Owen has rarely been on better form. We spoke to the star about portraying grief, doing groundwork at fun fairs, and his real-life parenting skills.
The Boys Are Back is an emotionally draining film to watch – was it tough to film?
It’s an emotional film and I found it very moving from the first time I read the script. I think especially with those scenes in which I have to tell my son [young Australian actor Nicholas McAnulty] that his mum might not be around for much longer, I found it deeply upsetting. I’m a father myself and that was a reason for wanting to make the film really.
Integral to the success of the film is your relationship with your sons; was it difficult finding the right young actors?
The first time I sat down with Scott [Hicks, the director], I said to him that getting the right kids was hugely important, especially the youngest. That role really demanded an abstractness and an inability to take on new information about the loss of his mother, and Nicholas really nailed it. He was six years old and he just stood out at the auditions because of all this unpredictable energy. The older boy [played by Brit actor George McKay] is simply brilliant, he’s old beyond his years. I think he’s got a great career ahead of him.
“I’m not a particularly strict parent. That’s not to say that I’d drive around with my girls on the bonnet of my car…”
How did you go about building a relationship with the boys?
I was quite nervous about going in actually, because I really thought I needed time for us to get to know each other. So I went to Australia early and took Nicholas for days out. Each day was Clive and Nicholas time. I took him to a wildlife park and a fun fair and we just hung out with each other. I needed to get to a place where he really trusted me. I was always interested in the tougher elements of the script where things went the wrong way, and I thought it was important that he could trust me when we were filming those scenes.
How do your real-life parenting techniques compare with those in the film?
I’m certainly not as loose as him but I’m not a particularly strict parent. That’s not to say that I’d drive around with my girls on the bonnet of my car like he does at the start of the movie but I’d say I run a pretty loose ship in real life.
Your character is a sports writer who spends a lot of time away from home; did you feel any parallels with your life as an actor?
Kind of, yeah. I’m now lucky enough to be able to dictate the rhythm and if I go away for any length of time to make a film, I’m able to get plenty of downtime and put it back into the family. There was a time when I was running around from film to film and it was very difficult; I suddenly realised that if I didn’t slow down then my kids would be 16 and I’d have missed it all. I definitely related to the character and how he was confronted with this tragedy that meant he had to have a crash course in parenting.
The Boys Are Back contains some pretty grim subject matter; were you ever worried that it might be something of a downer for viewers?
Yes, but then I’ve always been into films that have been a bit of a downer because it’s the stuff of our lives. It’s a film about a boy and his father grieving and anybody who has ever gone through that will be able to relate to it. But then anybody who has ever been estranged from their kids and anyone who doesn’t hang out enough with their kids will be able to relate to it. I was more worried about it being sentimental than I was about it being too heavy. I knew there was enough spirit to keep it from being maudlin and we were very rigorous to keep it from becoming too treacly. It’s a terrible thing that happens to them but it’s full of life – as well as that huge loss it’s about the beginning of a new relationship.
The Boys Are Back is in cinemas from 22 January, local screening times tbc. Glen Ferris is Managing Editor of Screenrush (www.screenrush.co.uk)
