Behind the Scenes with Shane A. Bassett

Paul Walter Hauser, larger than life actor has worked with some of the best co-stars alongside top directors Hollywood has to offer. 

Disney's Cruella, a live-action spin off from classic 101 Dalmatians' is a dazzling funny music orientated story of young Cruella DeVille fashionably portrayed by Oscar winner Emma Stone. 

I had a chance to Zoom with Paul on what it was like being in such a huge production directed by Australian, Craig Gillespie & more!

Hello Paul absolute pleasure to meet you, your career is soaring.

PWH - hey good to meet you too Shane, it's been a fun ride. So proud to have worked with Clint Eastwood and Spike Lee, and the actors I cannot describe how amazing it is to stand with them on sets to work. Kathy Bates as my mum (in Richard Jewell) wow!

For Cruella how did you exactly master the cockney accent.

PWH - it was tricky rewriting phonetically to sound cockney, I rewrote my dialogue by hand and then studied Bob Hoskins, one of my favourite character actors. It was a case of fashioning my voice off late, great Bob, whom I recalled playing Smee in Hook (1991) when I was a kid. There's a scene where he goes right up to Robin Williams with starch cockney lines, 

He's Peter Pan alright, he's just been gone from Neverland so long, he's forgotten everything'; I remember that vividly (laughs). The second I read Cruella script, was the first thing that came to mind.

How hard is the Australian accent, would you perfect that too.

PWH - (without hesitation Paul immediately drops realistic Aussie speech to answer) Yeh, I think I could do that. (laughs, then back to normal) It would take a couple of weeks Shane, but there's a nuance to Aussie right; there's the Sam Worthington accent and the posh accent, a few different types to cover I believe. 

You have worked with a few Australians.

PWH - I love Australians and have worked with a few, Margot Robbie and our Cruella director, Craig Gillespie who also made I, Tonya (2017) also Harrison Gillespie. Let me tell you Australians have a great sense of humour, they can also have deep conversations and usually drink you under the table. 

Was the comedy timing the biggest challenge in Cruella with such sharp dialogue or did you improvise.

PWH - bit of both, script was terrific beats of brief sharp comical bits. We also added to it, moments or lines. There's a moment when Cruella is driving the car trying to talk to my character Horace and Jasper (Joel Fry), I continued to say various lines over and over until we found the one that worked. Criag let us all do it if required and I'd leave it up to the editor to find the right lines to mix in.

Is Emma Stone as mighty and cool as I assume she would be.

PWH - cooler if you can believe that. It's hard not to give credit to all the brilliant actresses I've worked with, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Connolly, Emma Thompson twice! Wonderful Marisa Tomei, your Aussie ambassador Margot Robbie is just electric. I've been very lucky and Emma Stone with Emma Thompson are on top of that list. Both are funny, generous, smart, good listeners and doing scenes they are locked in, engaged to being organically in the moment as scene partners. 

You were a master of disguise in Cruella, if you were to disguise yourself as something or someone, what or who would it be.

PWH - (laughs) well if you're in disguise the connotation is you want to go undetected so I would probably wear some really boring outfit (laughs) all beige. If I was going incognito like around comic-con, I'd probably wear Super Mario. 

There's Bob Hoskins, again (Mario in Super Mario Bros 1993)

PWH - (genuinely surprised) whoa that is a moment Shane. I can just imagine Bob saying  (imitating his voice) you should get this guy to do the new Super Mario film! yes please (laughs)

Following your career closely for a decade you're established now Paul, did you ever have resistance getting projects in Hollywood.

PWH - I've always been a bigger guy, being 320/330 pounds (150 kilos) moving to Hollywood, the only roles I'd go out for were sight gags, or low hanging fruit jokes about weight, always in sit-coms and crappy movies. Early on I never got good auditions. The first great audition for me was Suburbicon (2017) in a small role. At the time I was astounded someone was letting me audition for George Clooney, Matt Damon and Cohen Bros, masters at their craft. It took a while, most overnight successes take ten-years, I'm grateful. 

Tell me about walking onto a Disney back-lot sound-stage daily.

PWH - at Pinewood studios (near London) you felt like a little kid, driving around in a golf cart to hair, make-up or wardrobe. I was holding a dog walking around a set with gigantic lights and an army of crew working hard. Dreaming as a kid, now doing it for real, exciting and exhilarating. 

Did you have a favourite Disney film / character growing up.

PWH - yes, without doubt, Robin Hood cartoon with the fox. 

Recent live-action is, The Jungle Book by Jon Favreau, Cruella is right up there on top of the list. What we set out to do is convey great visuals, a wicked sense of humour, edgy punk rock vibes throughout the story and making Cruella sympathetic and scary. 

Drawing emotions with comedy together in Cruella is perfection and you with mostly dramatic roles so far, do both really well.

PWH - thanks Shane we did what we set out to do. I'm proud of it.

How was Clint Eastwood to work with, he seems an amazing guy.

PWH - the best, I hope you get to meet him, Clint is consummate professional knowing exactly what he's doing when stepping on set. That breeds trust, loyalty and you know you're only getting one or two takes, so do your homework, be prepared to go at his pace.

Most of the days on Richard Jewell (2019) were five-six which is unheard of, that was half-a-day on Cruella. Joyous to work with him, still can't believe that opportunity, hope he's around forever. 

Hope the skills you have witnessed from Clint or Spike Lee (Blackkklansman, Da 5 Bloods) inspires to direct & write yourself.

PWH - can't wait, plan on that soon it's just a matter of scheduling.

I've written a couple of screen plays, so thank you for saying that. 

CRUELLA

rated PG 134 min 

now showing cinemas or Disney+ premium

 You can follow Shane here