'See How They Run' Director Tom George Talks Whodunits, Harris Dickinson's 'Brilliant' Portrayal of Richard Attenborough Amid Digital Release (Exclusive)

'See How They Run' Director Tom George Talks Whodunits, Harris Dickinson's 'Brilliant' Portrayal of Richard Attenborough Amid Digital Release (Exclusive),See How They Run is a clever and captivating whodunit comedy that stars Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as a pair of London police officers investigating the death of a Hollywood producer, played by Adrien Brody. The fictional film takes place in 1953, amidst the 100th performance of real-life [...]

‘See How They Run’ Director Tom George Talks Whodunits, Harris Dickinson’s ‘Brilliant’ Portrayal of Richard Attenborough Amid Digital Release (Exclusive)

See How They Run is a clever and captivating whodunit comedy that stars Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan as a pair of London police officers investigating the death of a Hollywood producer, played by Adrien Brody. The fictional film takes place in 1953, amidst the 100th performance of real-life writer Agatha Christie’s play The Mousetrap. Recently, PopCulture.com had a chance to speak with the film’s director, Tom George, to talk whodunits, making his first movie during the Covid-19 pandemic, and actor Harris Dickinson’s “brilliant” portrayal of late British film icon Richard Attenborough. [Please Note: Interview Contains Minor Cast Spoilers for See How They Run.]

George’s interest in whodunit stories started where it began for most of us: classic TV shows and films from his childhood. “You can’t really avoid them, and certainly here in the UK. I would say every year there’s a new big whodunit,” he said. “When I was growing up Agatha Christie series were really common. There was a lot of famous Poirot series which ran for years here, which was definitely sort of my entry point.” He then confessed, “I wouldn’t say I was a huge fan before coming to this film. I think what appealed to me about it was the chance to do something that was a murder mystery, but also at the same time, a character comedy. And to bring those two things together felt like an exciting challenge.”

See How They Run — which was initially released in theaters back in September — was written by Mark Chappell, who is known for British shows like My Life in Film and Cold Feet, but may be more recognizable to U.S. audiences as the co-creator of Netflix’s Flaked — with Will Arnett — and the IFC comedy The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret. “That’s a brilliant show,” George said of Todd Margaret, then joking of Chappell, “He’ll be absolutely loving this. This is going to be his favorite interview and he’s not even on it.” He added, “Audiences over in the States may or may not know that he writes, Mark also writes a lot with Will Arnett. The two of them write together. So yeah, I mean we had never worked together before this, but just knowing that he’d written this script before I’d even read it was exciting for me.”

Crafting an effective whodunit is no simple task, and certainly not in the high point, or as George says, the “low point,” of a global pandemic, but he praises his incredible cast and crew for their team effort in making it happen. “I mean, it was a thing, for sure. It was really weird times to put a film together, no questions about it, let alone your first film. And a film with a big cast, large ensemble cast, people coming from all around the world to make it. There was a lot of uncertainty, and lots of times we were like, is this going to happen? Are we going to get off and running, just in a practical sense?”

He then graciously added, “I think for all of us, we felt really lucky to be making it at that time as well, of course, to be working full stop. But also to be making a film that felt like something we all wanted to watch at that point in time, or at this point in time that we’ve lived through. Something that was funny, and joyful, and had some play in it and a lightness of touch. That was, it kind of felt like a nice tonic in the making of it. And I think that seems to be how audiences have responded to it as well.”

It’s a whodunit, you know the drill. See the mystery and solve the murder when you get #SeeHowTheyRun on Digital. Also available to rent. https://t.co/ebstD6zDwV pic.twitter.com/uhYtb2E4sg
— See How They Run (@SeeHowTheyRun_) November 1, 2022

George’s comment about See How They Run having a “large ensemble cast” — which includes Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, and David Oyelowo — is nearly an understatement. The film is packed with phenomenal acting talent, not the least of which is Dickinson’s aforementioned performance of Richard Attenborough, whom many modern audiences will know best from his role as John Hammond in the Jurassic Park franchise. When we asked if he had heard from the legendary star’s family about the role, George joked, “No, I haven’t heard. Still yet to hear from the Attenboroughs.”

Going on to share some insight into Dickinson’s performance, George said, “It’s great what Harris has done with that part because I was quite clear when we first spoke about it, Harris and myself, that it didn’t need to be a sort of biographical kind of performance, or it didn’t need to be an unbelievably authentic version of Richard, because what we’re getting here is a particular version of him, as the slightly self-obsessed actor who’s always watching people and figuring out what he can take for his next role and how he can improve his craft. And that was something that appealed to both me and Harris. The chance to lightly poke fun at actors. I know that that’s something that Harris is really into.”

He then praised what Dickinson delivered, saying, “But what he’s ended up doing with it is really treading this amazing line where it really feels, to me, like an accurate portrayal of Richard Attenborough, and at the same time doesn’t lose any of its of characterful elements to it that the film and the story call for. So yeah, he’s done a brilliant job with it.”

George added, “The cast all the way down the cast list was one of those where I couldn’t believe how the cast came together, and even as we got further down into the outside, obviously Saoirse and Sam, but as we went on getting these amazing people to come on board the project, it was something I had to try and not think about, to be honest, because it just would’ve been totally paralyzing.”

We also inquired about actress Shirley Henderson’s portrayal of Agatha Christie, who doesn’t turn up until See How They Run is nearly over. However, her presence is widely felt and teased all throughout. “It’s a tough thing coming in at the end of the film, and you look at that, and it’s a big spoiler, but her character doesn’t come on screen until late in the film,” George said. “That can be a tough time to introduce new characters. And, actually, all of the characters who get introduced in that final chapter of the film do such a brilliant job of owning their praise place.”

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The challenge then became “taking on the sort momentum of the film both comically and dramatically in that finale.” George continued, “There’s lots of people in this big ensemble who necessarily you see for three or four scenes maybe, or four or five scenes. And hopefully they all feel like characters you want more of. At the same time, it’s a balancing act. And that was something we definitely found through scripting and then into the edit, is you need to make sure that they’re in balance with each other so you don’t feel like you’re seeing, of course, Sam and Saoirse’s characters are the lead. That’s a slightly different thing.”

The director then concluded, “But in the ensemble you want to feel like everyone’s getting their moment, I suppose. And I think everyone does. And you end up with this just brilliant mix of great screen actors, big screen actors, and also some of my favorite British comedy actors coming together into this kind of big ensemble, which was very special.” See How They Run is now available to rent or own from most digital retailers.