π§ How to Unleash Your Inner Gangster, Guy Ritchie Style
Production designer Martyn John and costume pro Loulou Bontemps pulled out the stops to match the 'maverick' auteur's expansive vision for Netflix's 'The Gentlemen'
Welcome to the latest episode of Art & Crafts, The Anklerβs podcast series dedicated to bringing audiences behind the scenes to examine the careers and contributions of the talented artisans who create and craft the movies and TV series that we love. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Guy Ritchieβs stylish crime series The Gentlemen, adapted for Netflix from his 2019 action comedy feature, brings together a wildly dangerous and diverse set of tribes β British entitled aristocrats, Liverpool thugs, Thai underworld killers, a billionaire American gangster and even a lovesick pothead β in a power struggle over drugs, land and money. To build the world where these characters collide and suit them up for battle, Ritchie turned to production designer Martyn John and costume designer Loulou Bontemps, the directorβs co-conspirators on films including The Covenant and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. John and Bontemps spoke with Jeannine Oppewall β the Oscar-nominated production designer behind Seabiscuit and L.A. Confidential β about the intensive research, aesthetic battles and lucky discoveries that added up to an βamazing creative rhythmβ between them and their βmaverickβ auteur.
From finding the perfect English country house (actually, five houses) to stand in for the ancestral home of Theo Jamesβ Eddie Halstead, to styling a βboss bitch vibeβ for Kaya Scoledarioβs Susie Glass, the creative team relished bringing Ritchieβs expansive vision to life. When design and style ring true, John says, βYou empower the actors to explore their character.β Take Jamesβ evolution from βhumble soldierβ to βdiscovering the gangster within him,β says Bontemps. βBy the end of it, heβs wearing these beautiful bespoke three-piece suits and heβs very comfortable sitting there smoking his cigar and embracing the fact that, βOkay, well, this is my new life and Iβm going to slay it.ββ
John got in trouble with Ritchie for some of his own maverick location choices, such as the mid-century modern church where John Dixonβs (Pearce Quigley) criminal disciples gather β a departure from the seriesβ traditional stately settings. βI said, βGuy will hate it. However, it will be perfect for the characters,ββ Martyn recalls. βPart of our job is to push the envelope.β And Bontemps always had his back. βYou do have to fight Guy when you really believe in moments and sets and costumes,β she says. βHe always wants to be surprised and he loves to be challenged.β
Transcript here.