“Wild Rose,” one of the buzziest films coming out of the Toronto International Film Festival, was somewhat inspired by an “X Factor” contestant, said the film’s screenwriter.
“[The idea for the film] came from me being from Glasgow, me being obsessed with country music and an episode of ‘The X Factor’ long ago, when there was a girl singing on it and she belted out this tune and, of course, you are rooting for her,” Nicole Taylor told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at the festival.
Adding that this contestant’s life was “a total mess,” she “didn’t know what to want for her.”
“I wondered, you are so talented, is that a trump card that means you don’t really have to take responsibility for anything else or is the fact that your a mother more relevant, ie. has your ship sailed and do you have to chuck in the singing and take responsibility for your life?” she said. “I thought, gosh, that’s so interesting… that’s a great basis for a drama.”
“Wild Rose,” directed by Tom Harper, follows a musician from Glasgow who dreams of becoming a country singer in Nashville. Julie Walters and Sophie Okonedo also star.
The film’s star, Jessie Buckley, said she had to fly between Belfast, United Kingdom, where she was shooting another project, and London where she would rehearse with the band for the part. She also said she took a crash course in how to be a country singer, and especially learning the accent was a challenge.
“It gives you everything,” Buckley said. “It’s such a strong and bold and fierce emotional accent all of those things — I like to start way in advance and let it all sink in.”
If there’s one thing Taylor wants you to learn from watching the film, it’s that you should never forget who you are.
“What’s universal is the notion that you may be desperate to leave your hometown, you may feel like you can never be yourself there, but no matter how mar you go, at some point you’re gonna have to make peace with who you are,” she said.
Watch the video above.