Writer/director Richard Shepard recently spoke with “Breakthrough Entertainment” about his new crime dramedy “Dom Hemingway.”
In “Dom Hemingway,” which opens Friday, April 25, Jude Law plays a notorious safe-cracker who, after spending 12 years in prison for keeping his mouth shut, is back on the streets of London looking to collect what he is owed.
Listen to “Breakthrough Entertainment’s” full interview with Shepard by clicking HERE. The following is an excerpt from the interview in which the writer/director discusses his motivation for the movie.
“I think we are so used to movies in which you hear it’s a crime movie and you kind of know that the last 20 minutes are going to be some big break-in at a bank or something. That is not the case in this movie. This is a character-driven movie and I think that it defies expectation. You might think that it is one movie when it starts but then at the end of the movie you hopefully really care for this guy.
“He is sort of a mess of a human being and, like all of us, he needs some love. There is a beating heart underneath all of the profanity and all of the craziness that happens with Dom. I hope that people are sort of surprised by the movie. I think that is why people go see independent films on any level – to be surprised; to see something that you did not expect.
“And Jude doing this role is unexpected. The humor and the heart of the film comes from the grounding of this character that Jude brings. The movie would not work if you did not ultimately care for this guy, who is a tough guy to like. But, hopefully, you do care for him and that comes from Jude fully going into the movie. He was up to the challenge. I asked him to gain weight and not hide his receding hairline. We made all of his suits really tight so he is almost exploding out of his clothes. And I think that was an enjoyable experience for him.” – Richard Shepard
