Ray Winston and Gary Oldman on Nil By Mouth: “It’s a Tough Hour” | film

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Ray Winston, played by Ray

I briefly met Gary Oldman at filmmaker Alan Clarke’s funeral in 1990 and later received a letter saying he wanted to see me. We met on the steps of the Royal Court Theater in London, where I was working. With coffee in hand, he told me all about this wonderful work he had written, and how much he wanted to do it. What a compliment, coming from someone like Gary Oldman.

Nil By Mouth is a harrowing story about a dysfunctional family. I play Ray, the abusive husband of Val, portrayed by Kathy Burke. Charlie Creed Miles is Val’s brother Billy, a heroin addict who is shooting with his friends and possibly dying. I threw it out. The film shows the brutality of what one human being can do to another: there’s no stopping Ray.

We had plenty of time to rehearse and get a sense of how the dialogue flowed. By the time we got to shoot, everyone was on the page. We all crystallized. There was a lot of swearing, but that was the language of people who didn’t know how to express themselves in any other way. There are a million ways to say the word “vagina,” too. It could be a term of endearment: “Don’t be a silly bitch.” It’s part English and part language of the people Gary wrote about.

Gary is probably the best director I’ve worked with on this kind of subject matter. It was hard, but I remember it as a joy. We knew we made the movie we wanted to make, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was going to be a hit or a hit. But since opening night, the reception has been phenomenal. It exceeded our expectations, as Cathy won Best Actress at the Independent Film Awards, and was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes.

The movie is a tough watch, maybe not Saturday Night With Pizza, but I think it has stood the test of time. This is the genius of Gary Oldman.

“I wasn’t collecting art or driving a Ferrari” … Oldman during the shoot. Photography: Columbia TriStar/Allstar Gary Oldman, writer, director and producer

It felt like the London I knew growing up was never represented. Traumatic things happened in my family, so I felt a push to tell my own story. I was in New York. I took out my notebook and started writing. Originally, I thought it was all going to center on Billy, but then these other characters came along. I had the urge to get behind the camera and keep writing whenever I could, in the trailer, on the plane. The first draft was completed in three or four weeks.

We couldn’t raise a penny, but then my production partner, Douglas Urbanski, had lunch with film director Luc Besson, with whom I’d hooked up with Leon. Without hesitation, Luke said, “Of course I’ll finance Gary’s movie.” It raised £1.9m, but the film ultimately cost £4m, which I financed myself. I was divorced and didn’t lead a particularly extravagant lifestyle, nor did I collect art or drive a Ferrari, although you might say putting my money into a movie was petty.

Some ad crackers… Kathy Burke and Ray Winston in Nil By Mouth Photo: Columbia Tristar/Allstar

I admired Ray, but didn’t know him personally, so we met for lunch at the royal court. It was my first choice, so it was great to secure it. Cathy was contacted through her agent. The casting director held weekly improv classes to find the younger kids, where we found Charlie Creed Miles, who had real energy and charisma. We train and train. I didn’t want the dialogue to show your turn, my turn, so I said, “I want you two to interrupt each other, and talk to each other, and gossip about each other.” There were a few crackers.

I invited Eric Clapton to a show in California with a tentative score and he appeared with Sheryl Crow. I said, “You wouldn’t play music, would you?” And he said, “It’s my highest tree.” And it was it. In the main theme, it’s Sheryl Crow playing the accordion.

I think the movie still plays well today. Interestingly, it did well in Japan, despite it being a very matriarchal society. I’m glad it was given another lease of life with a BFI recycler and didn’t just weaken and rot in a rusty old film can. Why I didn’t make another movie is a long story. Not out of wanting to try.

The 25th Annual BFI 4K remaster of Nil By Mouth is available on Blu-ray and on BFI Player.

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