Martin Scorsese on Ben Kingsley and all the characters in Hugo
Martin Scorsese: I've always wanted to work with Ben Kingsley over the years. And finally I had these two pictures. Shutter Island, which he was perfect for. And we had a very good, I felt, working relationship on that picture. And he's an extraordinary actor. Really one of the greats, I think. And I don't have to say, just look at the body of his work.
Madame Emilie. Then there's Lisette in taking care of the flower shop. And the station inspector. And of course, Monsieur Labisse, who runs the bookstore. Played by the great Christopher Lee. So all these characters were meant to sort of weave in and out of the picture. And a kind of special world. It's not important what they're saying, in a way. It's just to see them interact. And trying to connect with each other. Everybody's trying to connect with each other. The way the boy's trying to connect with his past.
What I discovered working with the 3D, was for me it enhances the actor, I think. It's almost like watching a sculpture that moves. Now it's not flat. It's with the right performances and the right moves it's almost as if it's mixture of theater and film in a way. And this is something that has always been exciting to me. And I always dreamed of doing it, film in 3D. I never thought I would.
