FROM THE MIND OF...

YOUNG@HEART Director Stephen Walker

What’s your favorite scene from your upcoming film and why?

That’s a hard one. I really like the opening when 92 year old Eileen comes up to the mic and belts out the opening lines of Should I Stay or Should I Go? by The Clash. It’s a fun scene and I think quite a grab for audiences. It certainly was for me when I first saw her do it in London. Brought the house down! That’s why I decided to start the movie with it – including a massive close–up of Eileen’s mouth. We had fun filming that. She did about ten takes, and they all got worse. On the tenth one, Bob Cilman, the Chorus’s musical director, said, “She’s getting tired.” “I’m not tired,” Eileen snapped back. “I’m over-rehearsed!” The eleventh take was perfect!

I also really like the scene in the jail when the Chorus sings Forever Young. The reactions of the prisoners are so extraordinary. Something very special happens there. It’s one of those moments when documentary filmmaking really comes into its own. You’d have to be an amazing actor to duplicate that sort of complex of emotions.

Oh – and I do like the music video we shot of I Wanna Be Sedated by The Ramones. It’s true punk – a real protest song sung by seniors about being stuck in nursing homes. There’s anger and edge there as well as humor. And what a performance!

NEXT PAGE: On His Preparation for Making YOUNG@HEART