Mike Leigh On ‘Tender Loving Care’ & Whether The Film Is His Last

“It’s quite practical,” actor Kate O’Flynn concluded this morning when quizzed on working on Tender Loving Care with veteran filmmaker Mike Leigh, best known for his unique pre-production process, which includes no script and a collaborative approach to story development.

O’Flynn was speaking on stage at Deadline’s London Contenders event alongside Leigh and her co-star, Marion Bailey.

“It’s very quite simple, really. We’re just talking about what our characters would know with Mike, or how they would react. Is that accurate to who they are? You carve out the characters through those explorations,” O’Flynn continued.

Tender Loving Care debuted earlier this year at Telluride before playing San Sebastian, where it won several major awards, including the top prize, the Golden Shell, alongside the award for Best Screenplay and the Silver Shell for Best Leading Performance for actress Kate O’Flynn.

The film follows Amy (O’Flynn), who, after a bitter breakup, moves in with her best friend, Rosie (Alice Bailey Johnson). Both work as social workers in London, at opposite ends of the age spectrum. Rosie becomes like a second daughter to Amy’s parents, notably her elderly father, who is starting to show his age.

Leigh told the audience in London that the story for Tender Loving Care was developed after he had a feeling about exploring a narrative based around “positive and care.”

“And as it evolved, we thought about social workers,” he said. “We see them operating. And we see them in their private lives.”

Tender Loving Care will feel familiar for Mike Leigh fans, with its earnest exploration of working-class lives. But the filmmaker said he is never trying to reference his past work when developing a new story.

“I never think about that at all,” Leigh said. “I try to do something different with every film. And at the same time, any artist may inevitably say the same thing.”

Leigh has previously said Tender Loving Care may be his last film project. The veteran filmmaker now struggles with his mobility, which he said makes his work on set much more difficult. However, he did not entirely rule out working again.

“I’m a little disabled these days, so it makes it hard. But it is possible. I don’t know,” Leigh said.

Tender Loving Care is set for a December 4 release in the U.S. via Bleecker Street. StudioCanal will release the film in the UK next year.