And it's AMAZING what you can find, costume-wise, in Oxfam and other charity shops.
I actually never buy clothes from retailers anymore. Salvation Army shops are my favourite haunt. I've learned to visit those in "rich" suburbs where you're bound to find near-new stuff chucked out by trophy wives every season. I once bought two designer dresses for $75 and one of them still had its original price tag: $599!
Excerpt from the DVD extra: The Making of Clash of the TitansANGLE ON: Finn and Dusty seated in director's chairs. In the background is a poster for the movie's theatrical release.
RYAN SEACREST: After the runaway success of your debut film
Dark Vista, what made you choose such a radically different genre for your followup project?
DUSTY: Well, we could've stuck to a winning formula and produced another futuristic techno-thriller but from an artistic perspective we felt that would be too predictable and restrictive of our creativity. We really wanted to give audiences something fresh and exciting.
FINN: That's why we went in a totally opposite direction from
Dark Vista and made a film with ancient historical elements.
RYAN SEACREST: You were once quoted in Vanity Fair, slamming the lack of originality in film projects these days. So the question that many Hollywood watchers are asking is: why did you remake an old film instead of producing a new and original script?
DUSTY: There are several compelling reasons actually. I guess the first would be that the original
Clash of the Titans was so abysmal that we considered it a public service to correct the numerous misconceptions about Greek mythology that it perpetrated.
FINN: Yes, as a student of Classics I was always appalled at the glaring errors in the original screenplay. For instance, what the hell is a Kraken doing in a Greek setting? It's a Scandinavian monster, for crying out loud. And don't get me started on the way they mangled the Perseus myth beyond recognition.
RYAN SEACREST: Your remake has reportedly broken all box-office records in Greece. Any ideas why that might be?
DUSTY: It's because we showed respect for Greek culture and filmed entirely on location in Greece.
FINN: The Greek government were so pleased with our work that Dusty and I have been offered free flights on Aegean Airlines plus free entry into all tourist attractions in Greece for a whole year.
RYAN SEACREST: Once again you've cast Sean Bean and Ralph Fiennes in the leading roles. Why choose such insignificant actors when you had such hugely talented and very attractive stars like Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude van Damme on board?
DUSTY: Well, we developed a very close rapport with Sean and Ralph on the set of
Dark Vista so it was natural that we'd invite them back for our followup project. Also, Sean was battling seasonal affective disorder caused by the UK's record-breaking winter and I thought he'd appreciate the chance to get away to the sunny Greek islands for a few months.
FINN: Meanwhile Ralph happened to be at a loose end after
Oedipus Rex ended its run at the National Theatre so I figured we should quickly snap him up before his agency got him signed onto a project unworthy of his talent. Given the global financial downturn, he was happy to be part of our enterprise.
RYAN SEACREST: Speaking of the global financial downturn, did Paralytic Pictures face any economic difficulties in making this film?
DUSTY: Not really. As with
Dark Vista, Sean and Ralph were again most helpful in getting their film industry contacts to participate for very reasonable costs. Also, after the Greek government understood what we were all about, they practically showered us with free assistance whenever we needed it. For example, Sean absolutely adores chip butties so the Hellenic Air Force provided a Gulfstream jet to fly them in, piping hot from the Broomhill Friery in Sheffield.
FINN: At all our filming locations we also found the Greek people to be very friendly and welcoming. I remember this quaint village on the island of Antiparos where the locals threw us a beach party. Ralph showed up in a frightful outfit of red flip-flops, Hawaiian board shorts, a yellow floppy hat and fluorescent green shirt, then proceeded to slaughter a folk song while dancing to bouzouki music. The nice villagers didn't even breathe a word of criticism.
DUSTY: Oh yes, I remember the party at Antiparos! Sean drank too much ouzo and took somebody's fishing boat for a joyride. He got stranded on a reef and the nice villagers went out to rescue him without even needing to be asked.
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