'Then I went to the door to get them and they all fell in the rehearsal room like the Keystone Cops – they’d been listening at the keyhole. ‘I got there and asked if I could have a few minutes to prepare. ‘It was held in this classic Broadway rehearsal room with a piano in the corner, mirrors on the walls, a dance bar along the side,’ says Crowe. Oscar-winner Russell Crowe was subjected to a rigorous audition in New York for the role of Javert, the ruthless policeman who spends his life hunting Jean Valjean, the former prisoner endeavouring to build a new life, played by Hugh Jackman. 'It required a rock 'n' roll kind of stamina,' said Russell Crowe ![]() ‘I think the time is right to make this movie now because of the other musicals that have gone before it in recent years, like Moulin Rouge, Evita, Chicago and Mamma Mia!’ says Mackintosh. 'And yet there’s always the assumption that because a musical has been a big hit on stage, it will be a big hit on film.’ ‘Musical films are the hardest to pull off and when they don’t work they’re the worst thing known to man. ‘It’s the Mount Everest of film-making,’ says Jackman. The attention to detail did not stop with the cast.Īround 4,500 different costumes, inspired by contemporary French artists such as Delacroix, were used in the film – including 1,800 frocks, uniforms, boots, shoes, hats and coats designed specifically for the production and made to order in England, France and Spain. ‘If I’d stopped and thought about what I was doing it probably would have been too hard.’ Hathaway lost 25lb in the first five weeks and 15lb in the final two weeks. I thought, “Oh my God, I’m going to throw up!”’ Jamie Oliver has an Italian place down there and I ordered two of everything – starters, mains, deserts. ‘I remember one time we were filming in Portsmouth. ‘Agents were really keen for their actors to be involved because there are so few opportunities for actors who can sing to show their skill.’ ‘We had a lot people approaching us,’ says Eric Fellner, co-head of Working Title, one of the producers of the film. ‘I’m not sure it will happen again in my lifetime, where I’ll do something in a genre where I can say we were the first to do it in a certain way, and that’s a thrill.’ ‘We’re reinventing the musical,’ says Hooper. 'On top of that there’s this wonderful music with these actors singing everything live.’ 'You can almost smell the seaweed, see the peeling paint and feel the poverty. ‘Tom has gone for realism as the base of his film. ‘I don’t think anyone will have ever seen a musical like this,’ says Mackintosh. This has never been done before in film and, if successful, could establish the UK as the place to make movie musicals and deliver a major boost to the British film industry. Under pressure to repeat the success of The King’s Speech, the film’s director insisted The X Factor-style auditions were necessary because he required his entire cast to sing every note live in front of the cameras. The cast includes Amanda Seyfried, the star of Mamma Mia! ![]() ![]() The musical is based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel, set in 19th-century France, about paroled prisoner Jean Valjean seeking redemption. Originally championed by Mackintosh, Les Mis premiered at the Barbican in London in 1985. They were looking to cast the main roles in the £38 million adaptation of the world’s most famous stage musical, Les Misérables. The panel included British director Tom Hooper, fresh from his Oscar win for The King’s Speech, theatre impresario Sir Cameron Mackintosh and acclaimed musical director Stephen Brooker. Instead of unknowns auditioning for a shot at stardom, some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, travelled to New York, London and Los Angeles to perform in front of a panel of top industry judges and prove they had what it takes to be a musical star. It was the ultimate Hollywood version of The X Factor. The centrepiece of Les Misérables - Eponine (centre, Samantha Banks, who came third in the 2008 BBC talent show, I'd Do Anything) joins flag-waving students on the barricades in Paris
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