Tom Hooper
Birthday: 5 October 1972, London, England, UK
Birth Name: Thomas George Hooper
Height: 191 cm
Tom Hooper was educated at one of England's most prestigious schools, Westminster. His first film, Runaway Dog, was made when he was 13 years old and shot on a Clockwork 16mm Bolex camera, using ...Show More
There were probably two requirements for doing [Les Miserables]: one was everyone signing up to the Show more
There were probably two requirements for doing [Les Miserables]: one was everyone signing up to the idea of singing live, the second was Hugh Jackman existing. Because I think if Hugh Jackman didn't exist, I wouldn't have made this film. Hide
[speaking in 2009] I grew up in London and I grew up with the nice sense that the place that did the Show more
[speaking in 2009] I grew up in London and I grew up with the nice sense that the place that did the best drama in the world was London, and American television drama was awful, and you had a nice sort of sense of superiority. And I kind of feel that's been almost turned on its head. I certainly feel like English TV drama isn't necessarily taking as many risks as it perhaps once did and I feel there's a tremendous pressure to come up with the new detective story, to come up with the new hospital drama. Ironically, it's HBO who are at the moment fulfilling this role of old-fashioned public service broadcast. Hide
The thing that fascinates me is that the way I came to film and television is extinct. Then there we Show more
The thing that fascinates me is that the way I came to film and television is extinct. Then there were gatekeepers, it was prohibitively expensive to make a film, to be a director you had to be an entrepreneur to raise money. Now with my little £150 digital camera, I can film and use editing software on the computer. There's been a complete democratization. The barrier to entry is so much lower, it is interesting to see how that affects directing. Hide
[on directing 'Les Miserables'] We live in a selfish age, obsessed with how we project various versi Show more
[on directing 'Les Miserables'] We live in a selfish age, obsessed with how we project various versions of ourselves. But you have to tell this story from the point-of-view that God exists. And what God means in practice is the act of compassion, the struggle of living your life in a moral way. Hide
[on the characterization of George VI in 'The King's Speech'] I didn't want to make a film about the Show more
[on the characterization of George VI in 'The King's Speech'] I didn't want to make a film about the miracle cure.The truth about most disabilities is it's about living with them - there is no miracle. Hide
I can almost chart my early career through a series of professional godfathers who decided to take m Show more
I can almost chart my early career through a series of professional godfathers who decided to take me under their wings. The industry really relies on the generosity of one generation being passed down to the next because it's incredibly risk averse. No one wants to give you your first break. So finding the people who have the generosity to help you and an appetite for risk is key. If you don't find those people, it's extremely tough. Among those key godfathers is Matthew Robinson, who gave me breaks directing Byker Grove (1989) and EastEnders (1985). Hide
I'm sitting at the Oscars [in 2012] pretty sure that I'm going to direct "Les Miz" but not sure at a Show more
I'm sitting at the Oscars [in 2012] pretty sure that I'm going to direct "Les Miz" but not sure at all who I'm going to cast. And Anne Hathaway steps forth, to the front of the stage and sings a rendition of "On My Own," to Hugh Jackman. And I'm going: Hold on a second, is Anne Hathaway using the Oscar stage as the ultimate auditioning platform for her talents and is she also suggesting Hugh Jackman while she's at it? Or is this just coincidence? She claims it's coincidence. I think she's too shrewd. But we'll never know. Hide
Tom Hooper's FILMOGRAPHY
All
as Actor (6)
as Director (4)
