‘Begin Again’ director John Carey worries fans will think he’s "sold out".
The Irish director shot to fame following the surprising success of his modestly-budgeted musical ‘Once’ – which earned an Oscar nomination and has been turned into a lauded stage musical – and he admits he is wary of fans considering his follow-up movie a typical Hollywood production.
He said: "Looking back, I probably had a nervous breakdown out of shock when ‘Once’ was so well received. Even the most cynical, hard-assed industry types were genuinely moved by it. I knew that reaction was unrepeatable and therein lay the dilemma.
"I was left biting my fingernails, wondering constantly, ‘What should I do next?’
"Oh you know, ‘That was so pure and beautiful and this is Keira [Knightley] and America and he’s clearly sold out…’ "
Carney also revealed that, like ‘Once’, ‘Begin Again’ – which stars Knightley, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine and ‘Avengers’ star Mark Ruffalo – follows a more realistic take on the romantic comedy and doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending.
He told Radio Times magazine: "Outside of chick lit, couples don’t just walk off into the sunset together – not in anything that has ever moved me, anyway. Look at ‘Wuthering Heights’, or ‘Anna Karenina’, or ‘Brief Encounter’ – complex, compromised love is far truer to life. Difficult relationships and unfulfilled love are what interest me as a storyteller."
Begin Again filmmaker fears selling out
