P: Little Ashes is without a doubt a very different film from what you usually do, including what you've done your whole life.R: That's true. Little Ashes is a radically different piece of work from what I've done till now, and that's exactly why I wanted to do it. Salvado Dali is a famous and respected person in the whole world and on top of that, personally, I love him.
P: What did you know about Salvado Dali before this film? And of Lorca and Bunuel?
R: I knew a bit about Dali. Well, more accurately, a tiny bit about his work, but I didn't really know anything about him as a person. I forced myself to investigate him very deeply and I did a lot of research about him. I think I started to obsess a bit about him. I studied Lorca and Bunuel in school in London. I had a few notions about their work, like Dali, but I had no idea what they were like as just men.
P: What drew your attention about that period?
R: The artists who pushed themselves to the limit to create, even by destroying their own lives. I'd say that they would do pretty much anything to defend their vision of art in a society where the powers that be and other dark forces intentionally tried to repress their creative expression. But I also think that period is a lot about the beauty of those years, the way they dress.
