Richard Curtis on 'War Equine,' Coping With Steven Spielberg as well as the Prescience of 'Love Actually'

The guy who written 'Love Actually' and 'Notting Hill' is most likely not the initial individual that jumps inside your ideas when thinking about 'War Equine,' but it's difficult to think about the touching new Steven Spielberg film working without Richard Curtis. Ultimately, Curtis -- and fellow credited 'War Horse' film author Lee Hall -- had one of the most difficult jobs round the new film, an adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's youthful adult novel of a boy and also the equine set in the backdrop from the First World War: to see an account from the objective of consider a equine. Let's just say, Curtis needed his position as film author for Joey the equine to nearly Method-like measures: "From the my girlfriend searching across from me and poking fun at me because she mentioned I started to whinny," Curtis told Moviefone, before acknowledging to "pawing" at his desk. Clearly, Curtis's screenwriting gifts will be the perfect compliment to 'War Horse's' epic character what starts just like a family drama becomes an omnibus tale of friendship, sacrifice and also the cost of war -- like 'Love Really,' though tanks and bayonets. Curtis spoke to Moviefone about writing 'War Equine,' coping with Steven Spielberg and the way 'Love Actually' has converted into commonplace in the Christmas season. Since you've seen the finished film, how will you think it comes even close to the script you written? It's a lot better than a few things i written. Very worthwhile in my opinion. I came across the cumulative emotion in the last half an hour very worthwhile. It's that which you intended, nevertheless it was impossible to produce. In the event you discuss a equine together with a sequence of people and empathy and suffering -- with the finish I really felt I desired products to be released well, which i didn't know how they'd. So, every glimmer of hope assisted me happy. Had you been nervous whatsoever to produce a film where the primary character can be a equine -- and not a gimmicky equine that could talk like Mr. Erection dysfunction? Well that's strange, isn't it? It comes down in the horse's perspective and contains words. The very fact is always that I did so have very peculiar days, where I mentioned to Steven [Spielberg], "I"m likely to be the equine for any couple of days." He mentioned, "What can you mean?" I mentioned, "Well, we gotta take just what the equine thinks is happening seriously." From the my girlfriend searching across from me and poking fun at me because she mentioned I started to whinny. If you write, you must do frequently the lines the figures say, therefore i did a bit of pawing within my desk. It absolutely was very useful. I did so contemplate it -- I did so consider the thing that was happening inside the mind from the equine that's been happy getting a French grandfather and out of the blue sees dead horses with the road what else could you believe is happening? I did so make an effort to think within the horse's perspective. Most of the year-finish Oscar focus remains on 'The Artist' along with your film, 'War Equine.' What's interesting in my opinion is they can be really quiet films -- you're telling many of the story within the horse's perspective. Maybe you have consider it in people terms? I've written plenty of movies that have been very dialogue heavy, where all the plot turns happen through a thing that someone states to another person. Certainly once i was coping with Steven, it increased being very apparent that lots of the big turns might be done visually instead of through conversation. That was a great luxury it absolutely was a great factor. So, the moment once we re-meet Albert [Jeremy Irvine], about two-thirds in the strategies by, must be spend covers from one of the German guns and lands inside an British trench -- and you just see these eight one-second shots, and one of these simple is Albert. There's just a whole lot of understanding there you think, "Oh God, he's developed, he's grew to become part of the war, he's there, he'll be wondering what went lower to Joey." Everything using a one-and-a-half second visual shot. Not just a scene where he notifies his mother he desires to trigger and he's employed. It absolutely was an extra for an individual at all like me who is a pretty literary author being concentrating on something where the story will most likely find out in pictures. The vignette structure of 'War Horse' seems perfectly ideal for you -- ultimately, you written 'Love Actually' -- but did there is a favorite character to produce for? Well, that was one factor that Steven wanted me to accomplish. He mentioned write each one of these sequences just like you have been writing a whole film regarding the subject. Make an effort to give to us as much information as you possibly can make an effort to complete since the tales as possible. Which will mean when the equine arrives, they believe real, rather than feeling as being a reason for the story from the equine. So, huh. I am unsure. I question essentially did have a very favorite. One factor I loved was the British soldiers. That's the first time you exit your family. You be careful for just one half-an-hour, you think it'll be this film relevant for this family, and, out of the blue, they're gone. So, my first job ended up being to make people soldiers interesting. It might have been easy to say Albert's father is purchasing and selling the equine and so they enter into fight. A Few Things I required to do was, very quickly, create a dynamic involving the three soldiers you understood they might have been at school together. You understood one person was serious and senior, but furthermore a pal. That was initially initially when i first grasp that which you i did so. I had been trying to 3 dimensionalize every place in the story to have the ability to get this strange structure work. The thing that was Spielberg prefer to utilize? Steven can be a amazing collaborator. Very fun. He was very decisive. Initially initially when i first spoke to him I mentioned, "I'm not prone to say I'll complete the job until For me I am in a position to complete the job.Inch I mentioned, "I'll return in 72 hours with 10 ideas, and when you wish eight of those, I'll take action. If you don't, I won't.Inch In my opinion he loved seven. To make sure that was okay. But he was very apparent: yes, no, yes, no, yes. That was very satisfying. The moment you've got a whiff in the movie he preferred to create, he was very fair. He's very -- not promiscuous, which get many of us into trouble. He's very happy to have ample ideas thrown available and reject them. Let's just say, we'd say we would like some second incident while using grandfather as well as the daughter. Which I'd say, "Well, what about when the happened, and so they get yourself a visit from another neighbor, which has stood a terrible factor happen." And Steven would say, "Maybe that could work, but what about this?" Then he would develop a whole idea. Essentially would say, "No, that's problematic." Instead of saying, "You solve it." He'd say, "OK, how about this?" Which he's this unique talent for imagining whole film sequences from the top his mind. He'd say, "Let's just say: he energizes every morning, you will discover trucks lowering. Lots of villagers! They swarm like locusts inside the fruit area. The The spanish language people soldiers!" Out of the blue you'd uncover you had a few minutes of movie that Steven just made around the telephone there. Sometimes he'd say ideas and so they wouldn't be so perfect, but he wasn't the littlest bit upset in the event you mentioned, "That won't work because of this." I came across him an excellent collaborator. Everything you fear in the collaboration comes about when people provide you with credit and require that you simply be brilliant. Whereas Steven is brilliant and let's you're taking his stuff. You're probably most broadly noted for 'Love Really,' that is this beloved Christmas classic. What's the one factor you have not been asked for relating to this film? [Laughs] I am unsure. I'm so happy as of this funny concept that it's a type of Christmas holiday movie. I used to be searching back within my old notes round the film, plus it only agreed to be after i had thought of all the tales ... I literally found an e-mail saying, "What about essentially set the film at Christmas?" If anybody should be capable of write a movie about Christmas, it's me, because I like Christmas a great deal. It seems in my opinion like presents that we should have written a film that could or may possibly not have been popular anyway, and because of Christmas it out of the blue has this annual factor. All I'm going to have to say is three cheers for Stacy Snider, who's the one that got me into this film. From the being launched in the first screening, and he or she states, "You understand we have to take away the naked people. We'll enter danger, you will notice reviews, we'll lose the certificate we wish.In . But she mentioned, "You wouldn't like which would you?Inch Which I mentioned, "No, I am likely to be very depressed." She mentioned, "I'll never take it up again." God bless her. Now, the guy might be the Hobbit! Right, Martin Freeman. You're ahead of energy with numerous the cast people. One factor I like relating to this movie is the fact numerous people have grown to be much more famous. Really, the film is not a few things i intended. Initially, once i made the film, it absolutely was supposed to have been fifty percent unknown cast. But Martin Freeman is very famous. Keira Knightley is very famous. Chiwetel Ejiofor is very famous. Andrew Lincoln subsequently subsequently does 'The Walking Dead.' It seems like I used to be only casting celebs, which wasn't my intention whatsoever. 'War Horse' is going on Christmas day. Go back to Moviefone for further round the film inside the future. [Photo: DreamWorks] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook