Nanny McPhee is back! So what’s different about this film?
“Everything except Nanny McPhee. So it’s like asking, “What’s different about the next James Bond film?” The character is the only thing that has moved, as it were, into this story. You can’t go back to the first one because that family had arranged itself harmoniously. So she’s come into a completely different century and an entirely different kind of conflict because it’s two groups of children at war with each other, with the background of an actual World War going on behind it”

So how did the new cast members find Planet McPhee?
“The cast and crew enjoy these films because they’re very good fun to make but they’re also extremely demanding. For instance, our first assistant director had finished on Nine, the musical, which must have been a hell of a shoot. And he said: “I read this script and thought what a lovely and beautiful story.” By the end of the third week he came up to me, white to the teeth, and said, “This is the most complicated thing I have ever worked on. Why did no one tell me? In one scene, we’ve just used as many set-ups as we used to make a whole movie.” And I said, “Welcome to my world.” So it’s a very complex thing but that’s what makes it so interesting.  And it’s fascinating trying to balance out all the elements – the comedy, the drama and the spookiness. It’s a wonderful challenge”

People say never work with children or animals…
 “I refute that entirely. I must say I really like working with children and animals. Okay, I didn’t like the donkey in the first film. He couldn’t act - basically, a bad actor. The pigs were very intelligent and so wonderful to work with and did everything they were told. To the extent that I thought, “maybe we should get rid of everyone and recast the whole film with pigs.” Also, the jackdaws, from the family of jealous birds are extremely intelligent; I worked with them for two months and they were remarkable because I would not see them for weeks and as soon as I saw them again, we would start our conversation again. They would fly onto my shoulder and peck at my ear. It was fantastic.”

And the children?
 “The children are of course wonderful to be with because they really want to be there. They’re thrilled to be doing it so they’re full of goodwill, happiness and joy the entire time. There wasn’t a single moment when a child wasn’t utterly delightful to be with. So you’re getting children at their very best, which for me is an entire delight”

Tell me about the process of becoming Nanny McPhee. How long does it take?
Not long enough, for my money. It’s really upsetting. It’s about an hour and a half which is not very long at all actually. It’s a question of painting – they stick things on then paint it all into my face. And stick a wig on. I mean you feel very hemmed in. It’s a very restrictive costume and make-up. But that’s what gives it its power.

If you could travel through time, like Nanny McPhee, where would you go?
“You know, I often ask myself that question and I think I would quite like to either go very, very, very far back or very, very, very far forward. Just because my curiosity is so great. But I mean, obviously, you want to go and be at a party given by Henry VIII; I’d love to do that and be a lady and catch his eye – knowing that it would be alright because you’d have to leave. You wouldn’t be allowed to stay. You’d be the mysterious woman in his life who broke his heart and perhaps prevented him from cutting off so many other ladies’ heads.”

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is available on DVD and Blu-ray from 4th August.

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