Child actors' improvisation techniques are a star turn in 'What We Did On Our Holiday'.
The new British comedy 'What We Did on Our Holiday' carries on a fine tradition of lively romps with serious undercurrents, blending a cast of comedy stars and solid actors to create hilariously offbeat characters. But what sets the film apart is its approach to its child stars.
David Tennant and Rosamund Pike led the cast of 'What We Did On Our Holiday'
Writer-directors Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkin perfected their methods on the long-running UK television sitcom 'Outnumbered', for which they script the adult characters' dialogue but allow the children to improvise based on last-minute instructions just as a scene begins filming.
More: Read our review of 'What We Did On Our Holiday'
For the movie, this means that the grown-ups - among whom were David Tennant, Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly - get to play the more carefully planned comedy routines, while the kids completely steal the show, because their humour comes from their own personalities. Yes, the three young actors - Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge and Harriet Turnbull - are razor-sharp performers. As they react to the twists and turns of the plot, the film comes to life in ways over-scripted family comedies rarely manage to do.
More: Watch the trailer for 'What We Did On Our Holiday'
"I like the fact it's a film where the adults are behaving very badly and the children are behaving like grown-ups," says Pike, who plays the children's mother. "I found that funny and I found that truthful."
Pike and Tennant, who plays her husband, bonded with the young performers on a day out at Chessington World of Adventures theme park. And after working with them, Pike was left with lingering admiration: "If we could let go of our baggage and be as free as these little people, we'd all be much better actors!"
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