Author Michael Bond braced himself for the worst with ‘Paddington’.
The 88-year-old has admitted he was anxious about seeing his furry friend brought to life on the big screen as he feared the film may be awful.
He explained: "Before, there was a certain amount of trepidation. I was worrying that I’d be lying awake thinking: ‘I’ve let Paddington down.’
"Letting other people take control of your character was like letting your child go off in somebody else’s car. You hope for the best, but brace yourself for the worst."
The acclaimed author penned the first novel about the character in 1958 and has since released 25 further stories, but the 2014 StudioCanal adaptation is the first time the iconic character has appeared in a feature-length film.
Thankfully, the movie – which features Nicole Kidman, Peter Capaldi and Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington – has proved to be a hit with the writer.
He gushed: "From the word go, I was totally hooked on it. It’s one of those films where you come away thinking about it. There’s so much in it that’s magical. I’d give it full marks."
Despite enjoying the movie in the end, Michael admits he got angry at producers during the making of the film for pretending there was an immigration office at Paddington station where the bear is found by Mr and Mrs Brown, played by Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins.
Talking to The Sunday Telegraph, he added: "Their first reaction is to take him off to the local immigration people, but I said: ‘No way! There’s no immigration at Paddington station.’ I hate writing about things that don’t exist."
Michael Bond feared Paddington movie
