Though Smith's book was published in 1948, this 2003 version is the very first feature film to be based on the novel. Screenwriter Heidi Thomas carried out meticulous research on Dodie Smith to capture the essence of Smith's work in her script.
Producer Parfitt admits the biggest challenge of "I Capture the Castle" was to find the perfect 'Cassandra.' Cassandra's the very heart of the film, with the story being told through her eyes. The actress they were looking for needed to be able to portray innocence and naivete, and then blossom into a mature young woman wise beyond her years by the end of the film.
When director Fywell saw Romola Garai, he knew he'd found 'Cassandra.' "As I saw her I felt that slight thrill you experience when you have hit on something. Romola had a unique ability to play a character sitting on both sides of the knife's edge between child and womanhood."
You were a fan of the novel, what was it that intrigued you about the story?
I think, like most people, Cassandra is the thing that really draws you into the novel. To have someone writing in the first person, you feel immediately very close to the character. She’s such an interesting mix of child and woman. It’s such a lovely mix of humor and tragedy, and those are the main reasons that I really loved it.
Did you ever imagine playing Cassandra?
No, of course not (laughing). It was something that was part of my childhood and I never anticipated to be doing this job.
How difficult was it for you to play that mix of childhood and adulthood?
I was 18 when I made the film and not necessarily a very mature or adult 18, so I felt like I was playing something very close to what I was. I think I was cast as close to type as they could find, so that wasn’t one of my main concerns when I was shooting the film – not feeling close to the character, because I did.
What was your main concern?
I suppose the thing that I spent the most time working on was making sure that Cassandra didn’t appear whimsical because I think people can describe the novel unfairly as being fanciful. I wanted her to be very real and very honest, which is what she really is.
How closely did the screenplay stick to the book?
Oh completely closely. It was really a very, very direct translation from the page to the screen.
Cassandra is the heart and soul of the movie. Did you feel any added responsibility playing the movie’s central character?
I had an excellent director, Tim Fywell, who really guided me very sort of gently through the process of filming. Obviously in terms of purely work, it’s probably the hardest I’ve ever worked because you’re in every day and you work long hours. I was protected from the feeling of, “Oh my God, I’m in every scene of the film and if I’m terrible, that’s going to be a problem.” It was only when I saw the film I really thought, “Oh my God, this is a lot of screen time.”
Was there anything you learned from Cassandra that you use in your personal life?
I think she’s a character who has a lot of interesting things to say about growing up and about the process [being] a difficult but necessary one. And about how the best thing you can learn is not to delude yourself really, to be honest with yourself and those around you. I think I’ve always felt quite strongly that that’s something she really did bring home to me in a big way.
