I was particularly excited for this interview, as you'll soon read, as I'm a massive fan of M. Night's Unbreakable, which we discuss, as well as The Happening, about to be released on DVD. Seriously folks, the man knows his movies - I was mighty impressed. The Happening will be available to rent on DVD from Oct 15th. I hope you enjoy this insight into one of the most interesting directors working today!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

M. Night Shyamalan

Q: Good morning sir, how are you?

A: I'm good! I understand it is 6 am there?

Q: It is early but that's no problem!

A: Haha - the DP, Director of Photography on my new film lives in Australia, I've been having a lot of Skype sessions with him so I've seen a lot of your sunsets outside his window while he works!

Q: First of all, can I just say it is an absolute pleasure to talk to you today,  I'm a massive fan of your films so this is quite a treat for me. Unbreakable, the amount of nights I've sat up talking with friends about that movie is just ridiculous.

A: Thanks man, I appreciate that. It is one of my favourites.

Q: I love comic books and you just nailed the perfect origin story, I love it, so thank you! So, I wanted to ask you a bit about The Happening, about to be released on DVD. The premise of the film is very scary, very topical whereas a lot of your other films could've fitted in many different time periods. How did this premise come to you?

A: You know, I think my last three movies have all been about society or the world in a more global way, you know, the things that've been on my mind have been broader and broader. That's an intellectual statement, that's not the way I thought about it but in retrospect it feels that way. This one in particular came in aa big burst, I had an epihany like a big balloon - what if the environment put out something other than oxygen, what would happen?

Q: You've given the film a rather bleak mood as it progresses, was that an intentional decision to make the lighting and mood reflect the story?

A: Yeah, definitely, I mean the first draft was basically morbid! (laughs) It was so dark, but it slowly had light creep back into it.

Q: So I wanted to ask you about casting Mark Wahlberg in the lead, an awesome decision as I'm a big fan. How early did he come into the picture?

A: Pretty early... We went through twelve or thirteen scripts and he was on the scene around the fifth... As the character became more and more defined, it became clear to me that he was the right choice.

Q: That's cool, because I've noticed you've developed a pattern of casting guys we expect to be the leading action men and then you allow them to be the leading man without a ton of action. Where does that come from?

A: (Laughs) I definitely like to use their baggage and then make them be regualr guys, so that the manliness of it is without question. I love having guys who beat up people in their movies, and then not letting them beat up anyone in my movies. That baggage is really good for me. My movies are basically dramas masquerading as thrillers or suspense films and they're a big part of that subterfuge, making people think they saw more action then they really did. (Laughs)

To see a guy sitting angrily at the dinner table, you'll be like, "Oh that's the guy I saw kick a million people's asses!" when all they're really doing is getting angry at the dinner table with his family or something along those lines... I just think it is a fun casting thing to split, so in Signs I hired the action guy and not let him do anything and hired a drama guy and made him swing the bat.

Q: I also wanted to ask about some of the other cast, in that you've got both Zooey Deschanel and John Leguizamo in the film, some very cool... stunt casting isn't the right term, but the 'Guez is The Man!

A: Basically, I just met with them... John actually sent me an audition tape which was unbelievable, you know how we had a Broadway show and all sorts of other talents, the guys is a genius. Basically, he just looked in the camera and did his part, ignoring the other parts like a monologe, but he'd pause as if you heard the other person's line... It was riveting! I was like, Gees man, that was awesome! I could totally believe that he and Mark Wahlberg would be best friends, that they had the same kind of history about them. Yeah, they were just wonderful together, and Zooey... I was trying to find an old-school actress, someone who reminded me of the '20s-era actresses with cinema eyes, you know those eyes just made for the movies? Bryce (Dallas Howard) has them, Zooey has them... The feeling that you could just drown in their eyes. Cinema is about the soul releasing through the eyes, and Zooey is like that for me.

Q: Cool. Without giving too much away as some readers won't have seen it yet, the ending is left suggestively open, which is a bit of a habit of yours, but this one is left particularly open in that their could potentially be a sequel. Is that something you'd look at doing, or is that something more suited left to our imaginations?

A: No, it isn't meant for a sequel. The feeling is more that the main characters don't have the answers and yet this occurance is happening, so you have to pass your own judgements as to why this is occuring and activate whatever sense of responsibility that you have in this matter as this character. For me, the end of The Birds where they're walking out and they're scared to provoke the birds, and then they get in their car and leave? I love it. I mean, I loved the fact they didn't know why they attacked.

Q: Awesome... Now, with the DVD about to come out, what sort of things can we expect? Are there director's commentaries and things like that?

A: Yeah, there are lots of cool goodies. I did some interviews during the shoot and we did documentaries on all the gruesome stuff I did in the movie. There's a bunch of scenes that I didn't get to put into the movie that I thought were just too hardcore, but I'm so glad you guys get to see them on the DVD,

Q: Is there another of the scenes you shot when you were younger? I've noticed that there has been a trend of those appearing across your DVDs...

A: (Laughs) You know what? I think I looked for one but I don't think that I found one that was appropriate. I had one that I thought was ok... They're tough, you know, because I have to track down all the kids that were in them, they're all grown men now, I have to get releases and I don't even know where they are, what their last names were! We were all just kids from the neighbourhood, so it is a total manhunt to try and find these kids.

Q: Now, I want to ask you about what you're up to next, as I've been reading that you'll be directing Avatar: The Last Airbender.

A: Yeah! I'm in the middle of that now, we're literally building sets. It's this epic movie, so a very different movie to what I've been used to making. I'm really enjoying taking the extra year to make something on the scale I've never done.

Q: Well, my younger brother is into the show and I've seen a couple of episodes and I can see what you mean bu epic, I think it'll translate into a really great film.

A: It really isn't like anything we've seen before, so I'm very excited.

Q: The other thing I wanted to ask you about are the rumours bandying about ever since the film's release, and as I said I'm a major fan of Unbreakable, would you ever go back and complete the story?

A: I will, as soon as I get the right idea. I don't want to say yes to making the film, then close myself into a room to have to write it! (Laughs)

Q: No, that is fair enough, I think it'd take a long time to pull the story apart and assemble it correctly because you'd laid the first one out so well. To continue on, I can see why you'd want to make sure you had the perfect story. Finally, can you give us just a short reason why people should track down and watch The Happening?

A: It's an old-school kind of experience. It was intended to be a ninety-minute experience or ride, so you get locked into it and come out breathless. Really, your muscles should be tense at the end of the ninety, there should be no letdown. It starts and then never lets you go, and the fumes of the movie will leave you thinking about something a little deeper.

Q: Brilliant! I've got one last question for you, and this is just personal interest - what is your favourite Hitchcock movie?

A: Rebecca. (no hesitation)

Q: Beautiful, an awesome choice! Sir, thank you so much for your time today, it was an absolute pleasure and I can wait to see what you'll scare us with next.

A: My pleasure, and thank you.

~T