The Kid (2010 film)

Last updated

The Kid
The kid 2010 poster.jpg
British theatrical release poster
Directed by Nick Moran
Screenplay by
  • Mark Thomas
  • Kevin Lewis
  • Nick Moran
Based onThe Kid
by Kevin Lewis
Produced byJudith Hunt
Starring
CinematographyPeter Wignall
Edited by Trevor Waite
Music by Ilan Eshkeri
Production
company
Tin House Films
Distributed by Revolver Entertainment
Release dates
  • 22 April 2010 (2010-04-22)(Croydon Film Festival)
  • 17 September 2010 (2010-09-17)
Running time
111 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Kid is a 2010 British biographical drama film directed by Nick Moran and co-written by Moran and Kevin Lewis. The film, based on Kevin Lewis' autobiography of the same name, details Lewis' adolescent and young adult life, having been raised in a violent, abusive family on a small council estate called New Addington in the 1980s.

Contents

Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall wrote the song 'Boy' for the movie

Plot

Based on the real-life story of Kevin Lewis, the film follows his childhood of abuse, his descent into a life of crime and how he put his life together again afterwards. The screenplay was written by Mark Thomas and Kevin Lewis with additional writing by the film's director Nick Moran.

Cast

Production

Development

Director Nick Moran was linked to the project after being approached by development producer Mark Thomas who wrote the screenplay with Kevin Lewis. The two of them watched Moran's debut feature with executive producer Stephen May at Mayflower Studios. The film was called Telstar: The Joe Meek Story. [2]

The decision was made to tone down the level of abuse in the film. "You get the feeling of what goes on and your mind will come to its own conclusions", said Lewis. [3]

Casting

In order to learn how to box, Rupert Friend was sent to train with former WBO World middleweight and super middleweight champion Steve Collins. [4] [5]

Moran explained that the make-up team had to make Natascha McElhone less attractive for the role; "Yes we put a lot of make-up on her to ugly her up a bit for the role, but it's not 'Planet of the Apes' type make-up, she still had to act underneath all that stuff and she was amazing and really breathed life into the character." [6] Due to the accuracy of the make-up, Kevin Lewis had difficulty being on set because she looked so much like the real-life Gloria; "It was such a shock and I walked off the set when I heard her as Gloria shouting." [3]

Augustus Prew was not at first meant to be the teenage Kevin Lewis. They were going for the other actor because he looked more like Rupert Friend. To look more like Rupert Friend, Augustus Says that he got his photographer friend to take pictures of him, with the same suit, same pose and blue contacts in his eyes. He then became Kevin Lewis. To become more like Kevin Lewis, he lost over a stone of weight, wore shoes 4 sizes too small and wore clothes that were too small. He was also always hungry during shooting to become the character, because the real Kevin Lewis told him that he was always hungry and his muscles ached.[ citation needed ]

Filming

Various locations were scouted, including Lewis' home estate in New Addington, south of London, but it was ruled out due to the distance. The main locations were filmed on the South Oxhey council estate, on the borders of North London and Hertfordshire; however on the first day on set the filming was disrupted by the Criminal Investigation Department removing a dead body from the local woods. [2]

Music

British singer/songwriter KT Tunstall wrote a song called "Boy" for the film.

Release

The film was affiliated on release with the British children's charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and the film's premiere was attended by the charity's ambassador Kylie Minogue. [6] [7]

Moran spoke of his hope that the film would result in a resurgence in this genre in the British film industry, "There's been a spate of rather silly British comedy films being made in the past few years and for a time that seemed to be the only type of film being made in this country so I hope 'The Kid' is a success and it opens the doors for more serious drama to be made in the UK." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natascha McElhone</span> English actress (born 1971)

Natascha Abigail Taylor, known professionally as Natascha McElhone, is a British actress. She is a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. In film, she is best known for her roles in Ronin (1998), The Truman Show (1998), and Solaris (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick McCarthy</span> English-German musician (born 1974)

Nicholas John McCarthy is an English-German musician. His main focus is on songwriting and song production. He is also a guitarist, singer and keyboard player.

Tamsin Morwenna Banks is a British actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She appeared in the Channel 4 comedy sketch show Absolutely, and wrote, produced, and appeared in the British ensemble film The Announcement. She voices Mummy Pig, Madame Gazelle and Dr Hamster in the children's series Peppa Pig. She adapted Nick Hornby's novel Funny Girl for Sky Max and is a writer on Slow Horses for Apple TV+.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupert Friend</span> English actor

Rupert William Anthony Friend is an English actor. He first gained recognition for his roles in The Libertine (2004) and Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont (2005), both of which won him awards for best newcomer. He portrayed George Wickham in Pride & Prejudice (2005), Lieutenant Kurt Kotler in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008), Albert, Prince Consort in The Young Victoria (2009), psychologist Oliver Baumer in Starred Up (2013), CIA operative Peter Quinn in the political thriller series Homeland (2012–2017), Vasily Stalin in The Death of Stalin (2017), Theo van Gogh in At Eternity's Gate (2018), and Ernest Donovan in the series Strange Angel (2018–2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suddenly I See</span> 2005 single by KT Tunstall

"Suddenly I See" is a song by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall from her debut studio album, Eye to the Telescope (2004). It was inspired by New York singer and poet Patti Smith, whose album cover for Horses (1975) also inspired Tunstall's album cover for Eye to the Telescope. The song was released on 29 August 2005 as the third single from the album in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was released as the album's second single on 27 February 2006.

<i>Solaris</i> (2002 film) American science fiction drama

Solaris is a 2002 American science fiction drama film written and directed by Steven Soderbergh, produced by James Cameron and Jon Landau, and starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone. It is based on the 1961 science fiction novel of the same name by Polish writer Stanisław Lem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Moran</span> British actor, writer, producer and director

Nick Moran is an English actor and filmmaker, best known for his role as Eddie the card sharp in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. He appeared as Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2.

<i>Drastic Fantastic</i> 2007 studio album by KT Tunstall

Drastic Fantastic is the second studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It features some unreleased tracks she wrote before Eye to the Telescope such as new tracks she wrote in 2003. The record was released by Relentless Records on 10 September 2007 in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in Europe, on 15 September in Australia, and 18 September 2007 in the United States and Canada. However, the album was leaked on P2P networks on 3 September 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KT Tunstall discography</span>

The discography of KT Tunstall, a Scottish rock and folk recording artist, includes eight studio albums, seven as a solo artist, a a collaboration album with Suzi Quatro, and twenty-three singles. In addition to her recording work, she has also written various soundtracks for movies. In 2014, Tunstall wrote "Miracle" as an official soundtrack single for the film Winter's Tale, and "We Could Be Kings" for Million Dollar Arm.

<i>The Secret of Moonacre</i> 2008 film

The Secret of Moonacre is a 2008 fantasy film loosely based on the 1946 novel The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. The film was directed by Gábor Csupó and starred Dakota Blue Richards in the leading role and with Ioan Gruffudd, Tim Curry, Natascha McElhone and Juliet Stevenson in supporting roles. The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival and was released in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2009 by Warner Bros. Pictures.

<i>Tiger Suit</i> 2010 studio album by KT Tunstall

Tiger Suit is the third studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released by Relentless Records in Ireland on 24 September 2010, in the United Kingdom on 27 September 2010 and in the United States and Canada on 5 October 2010. It was released in Europe on the 22 and 25 October 2010. The Japanese edition, released on 22 September, features two additional tracks: a cover of LCD Soundsystem's "New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" and "It Doesn't Have to Be Like This (Baby)"

<i>Thorne</i> (TV series) British crime drama television series

Thorne is a British crime drama television series, based on the novels of author Mark Billingham, that was first broadcast on Sky One on 10 October 2010. A single six-episode series, starring David Morrissey in the title role of Detective Inspector Tom Thorne, was broadcast at 21:00 on Sundays until 14 November. As well as Morrissey, the series also stars Aidan Gillen, Eddie Marsan, O-T Fagbenle and Lorraine Ashbourne in supporting roles. The series comprises two three-part dramatisations of the first two Thorne novels, Sleepyhead and Scaredycat. Sleepyhead, directed by Stephen Hopkins, previewed in full at the BFI Southbank in London on 4 October 2010, followed by a Q&A session featuring writer Mark Billingham and actors David Morrissey and Eddie Marsan.

<i>House of Anubis</i> Nickelodeon television series

House of Anubis is a mystery television series developed for Nickelodeon based on the Dutch–Belgian television series Het Huis Anubis. The series was created by Hans Bourlon and Gert Verhulst and premiered on Nickelodeon on 1 January 2011 in the United States and on 25 February 2011 in the United Kingdom. The series is the first series from the network to be filmed outside the United States and the first telenovela-format series for the network. The show aired from 1 January 2011 to 17 June 2013.

<i>Mrs Dalloway</i> (film) 1997 British film

Mrs Dalloway is a 1997 British drama film, a co-production by the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands, directed by Marleen Gorris and stars Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone and Michael Kitchen.

Harley Fiona Riley, better known by her stage name of Harley Bird, is an English actress. She was the third as well as the longest running voice of Peppa Pig, taking on the role in 2007 and leaving in 2020. The role was taken over by Amelie Bea Smith. She was Peppa Pig for 13 years.

<i>The Sea</i> (2013 film) 2013 Irish film

The Sea is a 2013 British-Irish drama film directed by Stephen Brown. It is based on the novel of the same name by John Banville, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. The film premiered in competition at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 23 June 2013. The film had its North American premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.

<i>Mr. Church</i> 2016 American drama film by Bruce Beresford

Mr. Church is a 2016 American drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Susan McMartin. The film stars Eddie Murphy as the title character with Britt Robertson, Xavier Samuel, Lucy Fry, Christian Madsen and Natascha McElhone also starring. The movie is based on the short story "The Cook Who Came to Live with Us" written by McMartin. The film centers around a cook who becomes a caretaker and father figure to three generations of women over the years. The film debuted on April 22, 2016, at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released on September 16, 2016, by Cinelou Releasing and Freestyle Releasing. This was Murphy's first film role in four years.

<i>London Town</i> (2016 film) 2016 film

London Town is a 2016 American-British drama film directed by Derrick Borte and written by Matt Brown. The film stars Daniel Huttlestone, Dougray Scott, Natascha McElhone, Nell Williams and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Penelope Meredith Mary Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma, known between 1979 and 2005 as Lady Romsey and between 2005 and 2017 as the Lady Brabourne, is a British aristocrat and the wife of Norton Knatchbull, 3rd Earl Mountbatten of Burma. Since 2010, she has served as High Steward of Romsey.

<i>Players</i> (2024 film) American film by Trish Sie

Players is a 2024 American romantic comedy film directed by Trish Sie and written by Whit Anderson. It film stars Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Joel Courtney, Augustus Prew, Liza Koshy, Ego Nwodim, Marin Hinkle, and Tom Ellis.

References

  1. "THE KID (15)". British Board of Film Classification . 10 September 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 Jamieson, Teddy (6 September 2010). "How Nick Moran took The Kid from bestseller book to big-screen movie". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  3. 1 2 "Kevin Lewis: 'I Could Have Been The First Baby P'". Daily Express. 12 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  4. Whalley, Kirsty (16 September 2010). "Silver screen for abuse drama set in New Addington". Croydon Guardian.
  5. Boxrec. "Steve Collins". Boxrec Fighter Page. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "Natasha Mcelhone - Natasha Mcelhone Made Ugly For Kid". contactmusic.com. 16 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  7. "The Kid: Kylie steps out for children's charity". BBC News. 15 September 2010. Retrieved 16 September 2010.