By Brock Swinson.
Richard Cowan
Barney Thomson, a self-conscious and somewhat insecure Glasgow barber, lives a seemingly mediocre life until he accidentally stumbles into the amusingly absurd world of a Scottish serial killer. Based on the book by Douglas Lindsay, the film, also known as The Legend of Barney Thomson, was written by Richard Cowan and Colin McLaren.
Best known for his work as an Assistant Director on films like The Cabin in the Woods (2012), Meet the Parents (2000), and the recent Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Cowan now moves from the high-intensity world of blockbusters to the more subtle, independent market with a film unlike anything else in theaters.
Directed and starring Robert Carlyle (Trainspotting, The Full Monty), the film also features Emma Thomson (Love, Actually; Sense and Sensibility), and Ray Winstone (The Departed, Sexy Beast).
Robert Carlyle as Barney in Barney Thomson
What’s your background and what led you into screenwriting?
I’ve been a First Assistant Director for 25 years—always in the movie business. Over the years, I’ve always dabbled in writing while I was waiting for the right thing to come along. When I finally got ahold of the Barney Thomson book, I realized that adaptation would be my first screenwriting goal.
What specifically in the book made you want to adapt the story?
It’s funny, but what I loved about the book was how the story jumped out at me like a movie. From all of my experience of reading screenplays and breaking them down, it was one of the first books I had ever read that really spoke to me. As if saying, “I am actually a movie.” So when I went to adapt it, it felt like a story with a lot of movie-style flow to it.
The Legend of Barney Thomson, by Douglas Lindsay
Without giving away too many details, I can’t tell if Barney Thomson is lucky or unlucky. How do you see this protagonist?
That was always the dilemma when dealing with the book. He’s mad at the world because life hasn’t gone his way, so you really feel bad for him. There are some great beats in the movie where you realize he’s just a guy and the ship has missed him. He does have an angry side at the world but you can tell he’s a guy who thinks about “What could have been?”
So as the movie progresses along, viewers start to sympathize with him. That’s really the beauty of the story. You can empathize with him and at the end of the movie; maybe he really is a lucky guy. Maybe things will turn out better for him in the long run.
I noticed some flies in certain parts of the movie, specifically those scenes with bodies involved. Can you elaborate on whether or not that was symbolic and if it was something from the book or just something you added to the film?
That was actually something that Robert Carlyle wanted to put in. I do think there is some symbolism to that. That fly is much like this guy who is buzzing around. Then there’s the scene with the flytrap catching a fly and that’s some nice symbolism that Robert wanted to add.
What makes a good story?
There are all types of different films, but if you lose yourself in a film or in written work, then that’s a great story. There are lots of films where you are following along, trying to figure out what’s going on, but what I loved about Barney and those types of stories is that you can just sit back and escape into someone else’s life for a while. I love that. It’s a moment where you get to spend a little bit of time in someone else’s world. For me, that’s always been what I love about cinema. When you read or watch a story and you lose yourself—that’s what I love about it.
Robert Carlyle with Richard Cowen on set of Barney Thomson
When it was just you alone in the room, what were some of your writing rituals in turning this story into a movie?
Luckily, I had the experience of taking advice from countless screenwriters over the years. So when I adapted the book, my first instinct was to include everything. I structured the characters and laid it out so I could parallel the two stories, but then you’ll quickly end up with a 162-page screenplay. When you’re married to a story, it can be hard to give up certain things. I found myself having to step away and then going back to re-read and decide what is vital for the story and what I lose.
If you consider the film Catch-22, the book adapted directly into a movie would be about six hours long. I always consider that example because it’s one of my favorite movies. Sometimes you just have to tell important stories in much shorter periods of time. Writers need the discipline to remove certain aspects but keep the story’s structure, or pace, or parallel stories alive. For me, that was the hardest thing to do. Previously, as my work as an Assistant Director, I knew that if you put a 135-page screenplay on someone’s desk, then they probably aren’t even going to read it.
Alan Arkin (rear of) as Capt. John Yossarian in Catch-22
Did you have any other experiences or influences outside of the book that found their way into the movie?
I don’t think so. Because I’ve read so many screenplays over the years, I knew that I wanted to keep the story linear. I didn’t want to jump around all over the place. What I loved about the story was trying to work between the two plot lines. I think my past influences—where you read page 15 and then have to flip back to page 3 to pick up on something—were not particularly constructive. I wanted people to read it and visualize the film.
Did you change any characters from the book to fit an actor’s portrayal?
After doing multiple drafts over a long period of time, Robert Carlyle was always meant to be my Barney in my mind. When Robert brought on Emma Thompson, we brought on another writer named Colin McLaren who really did some nice work. I think I had been so close to the story that I needed someone to bring Emma’s character to life. I think that collaboration from when we heard Emma was coming onto the film helped us utilize her character and make her story line much bigger. That was quite a big change from the book.
Robert Carlyle as Barney and Emma Thompson as Cemolina in Barney Thomson
What did you find to be the most difficult step in the writing process?
The most difficult step for me is when you feel like you’re done and proud of what you’ve got and then you take it out to get people to read it. I mean you’re so close to it and you’ve been working on it so long that the criticism takes you back a moment. People are not always going to see your vision and they’re not always going to like what you’ve done.
Some people just didn’t dig it. Not only did they not like it, but also they wanted to change it in such a complex way. You’ve got someone reading it who has the potential to make the movie so you have to take a step back and make that decision. You’ve got to stick to your plan. Stick to the story. You can’t change the structure of the film. You have to be able to accept notes and hold true to the story that you’ve written.
Is there anything you wish you had known before writing the film or perhaps before starting your journey to becoming a screenwriter?
I learned a few things simply by watching them happen in front of me as an Assistant Director. You do have to sometimes give it up a little bit. All that work that you’ve done. Movies are a collaborative.
If you want to get it made, you have to let outside things into the movie. You have to accept this change. It’s much different when it happens to you rather than in front of you. You’ve got your story but you have to learn to embrace the ideas of others. The world is full of screenwriters who are holding on their screenplays because they are not willing to accept criticism or new ideas.
Can you elaborate a little more about the logistics of your writing experiences with Colin McLaren?
When we finally got going, I did a draft and took on some notes from producers and from Robert and then those guys brought on a lot of first-hand Glaswegian stuff to the film that I couldn’t have brought. My parents are from there but those guys gave it the extra that it needed. We passed drafts and notes back and forth between all of us. Robert and Colin definitely helped things wrap up and brought the real Scotland into the movie, which was very important for the film.
Ashley Jensen as Detective Inspector June Robertson and Ray Winstone as Holdall in Barney Thomson
It is a unique film. It took me a few minutes to understand the dialect.
It’s funny you say that. When you’re watching something like this, it’s interesting how your ear does come accustomed to it. But no, I’ve spent so much time on this film that it’s really just strange that it’s over now that the film has been made. I am starting to look for new projects, but Barney has been such an important part of my life for the past seven years. Now it’s behind me. That might be the hardest part. I feel like I’ve sent my kids off to college and I’ll never see them again.
When you watch the film now, is there anything you wish you had done differently or any personal notes to consider for your next film?
I wouldn’t have done anything differently from a creative standpoint. At some point, you think you know a lot about film production, but I learn something new every day. When I watch the film now—and I’ve seen it many, many times—I just feel almost happier every time I see it. There was such a long process to get where we got that there’s nothing I would really want to change. Getting an independent film made is much harder than I ever would have thought. Before, I only came onto films when we had the money and everything was ready to go. The process of getting to that moment was incredibly difficult.
Had you always wanted to write or did that passion come later?
I think I had always wanted to write. I did take several attempts at it over the years while I was working as an Assistant Director. The hardest part is finding the time between working on films to do your own thing. I did take a little break and really concentrated on it. It took several years to attain the book rights to the film and it took some time for me to be ready to write. If I had done it years earlier, I don’t know that I would have brought the maturity to the film, so maybe, in a way, I’m getting better with age.
