I n the very beginning of lockdown, I think, if I am honest, I felt rather sorry for myself and royally pissed off by the blatant, cosmic injustice of it all. Didn’t the universe know I had been wanting to make a movie my whole life and that it was very important I now be allowed to fly around the US promoting it? My producers and I had been days away from said flight. I had been bricking it but had psyched myself up sufficiently (I’d had a whole bloody day of media training FFS!) for it. Saint Maud was going to get a wide theatrical US release. “This never happens with a tiny UK debut!” I was told repeatedly. This all feels completely unreal! OMG how amazingly, unbelievably… SMACK. Within 48 hours -Travel ban. Trip cancelled. Cinemas closed. Everything closed. Release pulled. Stay at home… Oh.
It is weird writing about that time now. I imagine everyone’s prelockdown life feels quite far away. At the time, it seemed such unbelievably, unfortunate timing from a personal perspective. Now, I’m just relieved at how silly it all seems, really; living through history-book pages certainly helps put your own bullshit into perspective, not to mention the fact that this version of ‘living through history’ has mostly involved loafing around in my pants all day and drinking too much. In the end, any stuff going on with Saint