Most of the script was improvised. Writer/director Mike Leigh told each of the actors what his/her part in the story was and they each developed their own characters. Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Brenda Blethyn never met before the scene in which they meet in the film. To add a spontaneous effect to the performances, Mike Leigh met with each actor individually and only told them what their character would know at the beginning of the film. As filming progressed the actors were hearing the s ...[Read Story ]