Danny Boyle’s journey to Oscar night began in a Catholic working-class family in Lancashire in 1956. After a career in the theatre - working for such esteemed companies as Joint Stock and the Royal Court - Boyle talked himself into a job at the BBC. Here he produced Alan Clarke’s Elephant and directed the critically acclaimed mini-series Mr Wroe’s Virgins.
In the mid-90s, Boyle woke British film up from a post-Thatcher stupor with Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. A breathtaking visual stylist who believes British cinema can be populist and should be visceral; Boyle’s best work is often the result of a tight budget and near impossible working conditions. A great believer in the film-making process as a collaborative experience, the director is equally defined by his relentless energy and enthusiasm - whether on the set of the heroin-soaked Trainspotting or in the back streets of Mumbai in Slumdog Millionaire.
Boyle is unafraid to experiment with genres: so the twisted romcom of A Life Less Ordinary was followed by the Utopian nightmare of The Beach and the apocalyptic horror flick 28 Days Later by the gentle kids’ drama Millions. Yet no one was more surprised than Boyle by the unstoppable Slumdog Millionaire. It won eight Oscars, four Golden Globes and seven Baftas yet almost didn´t secure an international release. The leading director of his generation, Boyle has confounded expectation again with 127 Hours, the true story of an American mountaineer forced to amputate his arm with a blunt knife.
Within these pages Boyle proves himself to be not only inspirational and passionate, but also frank and funny. He talks about dressing up as David Bowie and his love of The Clash, reflects upon nearly becoming a priest and how making films is his life.
