Mike Leigh “can’t get upstairs easily” but not thinking about retirement at 81

Director Mike Leigh has said he has no plans to retire despite being 81.

The man behind Secrets & Lies and Vera Drake, recently directed his latest film Hard Truths, which aired at the New York Film Festival at the weekend.

The film follows the character Pansy (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a woman of Jamaican heritage who is so miserable that her pain and anger leak out on anyone unlucky enough to be near her, from her hapless husband (David Webber) and son (Tuwaine Barrett) to people in a store queue or on the street.

When asked about potential plans for retirement, the British filmmaker told IndieWire: “I’m only 81. It’s a challenge physically. My cinematographer, Dick Pope, who I’ve worked with ever since Life Is Sweet, had major heart surgery just before we started shooting.

“Our sound recordist, who we’ve worked with for years, was a little bit younger than us, and went off to hospital twice during the shoot. I can’t get upstairs easily. But hey, we did it. Anything’s possible. Retirement doesn’t seem particularly attractive. I’ve got notions kicking around.”

In recent years, Leigh has struggled to raise money for his projects since his $18million (£13.7million) period battle epic Peterloo flopped at the box office in 2018, after only pulling in $2million (£1.53million) worldwide.

But his new movie has so far been praised by critics with Vanity Fair hailing the film for “it’s dazzingly complex, bracing work.”

The film is due for release in cinemas on December 6 in the US before it comes out in the UK on January 10, 2025.

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