WORDS AND PICTURES BY MATTHEW PEJKOVIC
The sun shone bright upon Sydney’s Darling Harbour, as actor Geoffrey Rush and director Tom Hooper graced the red carpet for the Australian premiere of The King’s Speech.
When I asked Hooper what this event meant to him, he replied: “Well, as a half Australian, half English man, I’ve always wanted to premiere a film in Australia. I always wanted to come to this country and talk about one of my movies, so I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. It is very emotional, and I’m just sorry my mum couldn’t be here as well.”
The King’s Speech stars Colin Firth as King George VI, who enlists the help of Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to help him overcome a serious stammer, a lifelong affliction which is now impeding his royal duties.
Said Geoffrey Rush as to what drew him to the film as both an actor and executive producer: “When I first read it, I read it as a play script, and the big, historical elements like the abdication of King Edward and Hitler’s rise to power, I knew all about that stuff. But I had no idea who this Lionel Logue was, and got very intrigued. Because I thought, ‘How does a colonial nobody, a son of a brewer in Adelaide, get to meet an imperial royal figure, from a thousand years of royal monarchy, from the strict protocol bosom of family dysfunctional life?’
The King’s Speech has already been tipped to win big at next years’ Oscars, something which a very humble Hooper approached with caution: “It’s too early in the season, I think. I’m just thrilled about the reactions from the audiences and the public, who have seen it. And I’m particularly excited that it is opening here on Boxing Day (26th of December), and that the Australian public will get the chance to see the film.”
The King’s Speech will be released on the 26th of December through Paramount Pictures
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