Steve McQueen’s journey toBlitzbegan with a single image.
“That was it, really.
This innocent, cute, sweet boy in this very unstable landscape.
Elliott Heffernan and Sir Steve McQueen on the set of ‘Blitz’.Parisa Taghizadeh / Apple TV /Courtesy Everett Collection
And I wanted to know his story and see that world through his eyes.”
STEVE MCQUEEN:The seed was planted a long, long time ago.
I was a war artist in 2003, in the war zone, and blah blah blah.
Elliott Heffernan in ‘Blitz’.Parisa Taghizadeh / Apple TV /Courtesy Everett Collection
And I really wanted to investigate that.
And I think that it still goes on today.
So it’s this journey of discovery for this young boy and seeing the world through his eyes.
Steve McQueen on the set of ‘Blitz’.Parisa Taghizadeh / Apple TV /Courtesy Everett Collection
It’s kind of like, ‘What are we doing?’
It was kind of urgent then.
It’s even more urgent now because it seems, unfortunately, the world is on fire.
How did personal family experiences shape the film?
My mother was always the authority.
And I thought that how Saoirse pulled from that relationship into the work with Elliott was so wonderful.
How did you find Elliott to fill the role of George?
You write something, and then you put the script down and go, “Okay, not bad.
Oh my goodness gracious, we’ve got to find a kid!
Does a kid like George actually exist?”
So we cast the net broad and wide.
So basically, he grabbed you.
And I just love that stillness in him as a child.
There’s a maturity in him, but also just a real empathy.
You had a real empathy towards him.
How did the costumes and production design help recreate 1940s London?
Working with Adam Stockhausen on the production design and then Jacqueline Durran on the costume design was extraordinary.
As a double act, they are pretty incredible.
I had a conversation with Adam because I wanted real sets.
I wanted a situation of depth.
That’s how I think you get the best performances, depth, texture.
And with Jacqueline, it was always detailed tweed or cloth.
It is not just a uniform; it is people who made choices.
I’m more interested in life than movies, to be honest.
Doing the research was so fantastic because it is a blank piece of paper.
And then, when you do the research, then you could fill the canvas.
So, my reference points has never been other movies.
I would say it’s revelationary the images in this picture, one has never seen in cinema before.
They were looking after the elderly parents.
They were evacuating their children as well as working in an ammunition factory.
They were the frontline.
It isn’t just men in khakis fighting a war somewhere in France.
And the landscape was epic.
It’s a real breadth of a narrative.
Blitzis now playing in select theaters and streaming on Apple TV+.
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This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
