FILM FRENZY

A ROOM WITH AN INTERVIEW: TJ O’Grady-Peyton (center) is the director of Room Taken, starring Gabriel Adewusi and Bríd Brennan (Photos: Vico Films)

By Matt Brunson

(Q&A Corner is a semi-regular feature on Film Frenzy that focuses on those both in front of and behind the camera: actors, directors, writers, and other cinematic movers ‘n’ shakers of all stripes. In this installment, I interview director TJ O’Grady-Peyton.)

Homeless is where the heart is in Room Taken, a lovely short from Ireland that is currently playing the film festival circuit, with future plans TBA. Both thoughtful and touching, the piece centers on Isaac (Gabriel Adewusi), a homeless man who stops at a coffee shop and encounters Victoria (Bríd Brennan), an elderly blind woman who has just lost her husband. Newly arrived in Ireland, the desperate Isaac ends up, unbeknownst to Victoria, living in a room in her house. As he waits for news of employment, he does odd jobs around the place, but does Victoria believe she’s receiving help from beyond, or is she more in the know than it initially appears?

TJ O’Grady-Peyton is the director of Room Taken, working with scripter Michael Whelan to fashion a humanist film at a time when basic decency seems to be in short supply across the globe.

Film Frenzy: How did you come about directing Room Taken?

TJ O’Grady-Peyton: I was looking for a short-film script and then I worked with the writer Michael Whelan on a commercial in Dublin. He’s a creative director at an agency, and after we worked together on a job, we got chatting. He had an early draft of Room Taken, and I was moved by the script and immediately felt it was a project with a lot of potential. One of Michael’s close relatives is blind, and this real connection definitely informed our story, as did the current state of the housing crisis in Dublin. I loved the hook of the film, but also the humanity and poignancy of the piece.

The plight of the homeless is of course a universal tragedy. How would you say your film positively contributes to the conversation regarding this issue?

Our goal was to approach this sensitive subject matter in a nuanced and human way. I volunteered with the Simon Community in Dublin, who work with the homeless, for over a year a few years ago, so I had a lot of dealings with characters like Isaac in the real world. We wanted to create a story that was moving and showed someone in a challenging situation, but who decided to do something morally wrong out of desperation, hoping to figure out a way to get out of that situation. I hope our film creates empathy for people going through homelessness.

You scored quite the coup by landing a Tony Award-winning actress for your short. How did Bríd Brennan (1992 Best Featured Actress in a Play for Dancing at Lughnasa) come to be involved?

Initially, we tried to cast someone from the blind community, and it was a real challenge. We met some amazing characters and performers, but it was difficult to find someone who could truly perform the variety of performance beats that Victoria had to. There are emotional moments as well as comedy beats. When I felt we had explored all options, given the modest size of our production, I decided I was OK with working with an actress and that as long as we did our research and brought on board a consultant from the blind community (Delores Cullen), we had paid our due diligence and were respectful to the challenges and reality of the character’s situation. I was always a huge fan of Bríd. She is a genuine person, truly likable on screen and in the real world. When she came on board, it honestly felt like the tide was in our favour, and things started to really click.

And Gabriel Adewusi is equally excellent. In what ways did he impress you enough to nab the leading role?

Gabriel was born in Nigeria but grew up in Dublin and went to Trinity College. He’s a really smart and empathetic actor. In his audition tape, he put on a Nigerian accent, so I thought he was fully Nigerian. However, when I met him in person, he had a Dublin accent, and I realized he had spoken in character when introducing himself. On top of this, he brought in a sleeping bag and was fully ready to immerse himself in this world, character, and scene. He conveyed so much in his performance with his eyes, and there was an authenticity and empathy that made you root for him, which is essential after what he does at the start of the film, effectively breaking into a home. I think he has star quality for sure.

The layout and design of the house is important in allowing Isaac to alternately remain hidden and be just out of arm’s reach of Victoria. How was this particular edifice chosen?

This was a real challenge. We didn’t have a location manager, so we were hustling a lot to find options for houses, and I didn’t find anything I loved for a long time. Our DOP, Evan Barry, was really committed to the project, and it was he who saw the potential in this house more than I did. It gave us the space and interesting angles to put the characters in the same room without Victoria noticing Isaac was there. The open plan helped to tell the story and provide some dramatic irony for the viewer.

It’s a lovely little film with a tantalizing premise. Can you see it being expanded into feature length, or do you think there wouldn’t be enough material to sustain a longer running time?

You never know. I love the story, and it’s been a great collaboration alongside Colman Mac Cionnaith at Vico Films. Truthfully, we haven’t had any serious conversations about it. I think we are waiting to see what happens with Room Taken’s journey. The fact that we are longlisted for the Academy Awards next year is super exciting.

I see that you participated in a masterclass with Werner Herzog. How was that experience, and what did it involve?

That was pretty crazy. Werner Herzog held a filmmaking masterclass in Peru, and 48 filmmakers from all over the world attended. We stayed in communal huts in the Amazon for about 10 days, and he taught us about film (and probably about life too, ha). While there, we all shot, directed, and edited our own short films. I made a documentary about a man who was part of the Ese Ejja, an indigenous tribe in the jungle. It was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience.

I’ve been a huge Wallace & Gromit fan since Day One, so I was pleasantly surprised to see their TV series Wallace and Gromit’s World of Invention listed among your credits. What were your duties on that show, and was it a positive experience?

Ha! After film school, I moved to Bristol and worked at Aardman Animations. I started as a studio runner and eventually became a coordinator. Part of my job was to cycle to a shop to buy plasticine for the animators to make Wallace and Gromit. Bristol is pretty hilly, but thankfully they had an electric bike which made lugging all that plasticine a little bit easier. Fun times. Both Wallace and Gromit have one main person/animator who is the real voice of that character, but on any given day, there could be 10 animators working on different shots in the studio to tell the story — even a close-up of a hand turning on a lightbulb in a mini set. It was really interesting to see how they made those iconic pieces.

Are there any films / filmmakers you would consider favorites or that influenced you?

So many, and that list keeps on growing. Irish filmmakers like Jim Sheridan and Lenny Abrahamson have influenced me, particularly Jim’s In the Name of the Father and Lenny’s Room. In addition to this, I’ve always loved Sofia Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola’s work. Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation will always have a special place in my heart, as does Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. There are certain movies which I vividly remember where and when I watched them: The Tree of Life, Batman Returns, Under the Skin. I always try to go to the cinema to support filmmakers, whether that be more low-budget art house films or big-budget epics that are daring and original. I kind of follow and support filmmakers like fans do sports teams, ha. When certain ones have a new movie out, I’m there.