A Monster Calls premiere: A chat with Sigourney Weaver, JA Bayona, Lewis MacDougall

Tonight we were at the London Film Festival premiere for Juan Antonio Bayona’s A Monster Calls, a heart-wrenching tale about a young boy who looks to a tree monster, voiced by Liam Neeson, for help during his mother’s terminal illness.

Sigourney Weaver spoke to us about what made her want to work on the film, and how she thinks the dark themes in the story will be received by younger and older audiences.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6UumVN4nec

JA Bayona, the film’s director, spoke to us about what he wants people to take from the film and about Keane’s collaboration with him on the soundtrack – the song Tear Up This Town.

Finally, Lewis MacDougall who plays Conor – the young boy at the heart of the story – told us how he prepared for such a complex role and what it was like working with actors like Liam Neeson and Sigourney Weaver.

Tess Colley
Videos: Filippo L’Astorina

Watch the video for Tear Up This Town here: