Heartbreaking reality behind Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson's The Salt Path
The Salt Path stars Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson as a couple who embark on a 630-mile walk after suffering a number of life-changing setbacks - but is the new movie based on a true story?
The new film, The Salt Path, narrates an extraordinary and uplifting tale about a couple who undertake a challenging journey after facing a series of severe hardships.
Raynor and Moth Winn – portrayed in the film by Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs – found themselves homeless in the same week that Moth was diagnosed with a rare terminal illness, given a maximum of five years to live. Instead of succumbing to these adversities and surrendering, the duo decided to traverse the South West Coast Path, an experience that proved to be incredibly rejuvenating, as they encountered the generosity of strangers along their journey.
Indeed, the film is based on the real-life story of the couple Raynor and Moth Winn, as recounted by Raynor in her memoir bearing the same title. It follows their 630-mile coastal journey along the South West Coast Path after being evicted from the farm they called home.
In the same week they found themselves without a roof over their heads in August 2013, Moth was dealt a devastating blow with a terminal diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD). Raynor, upon discovering a Southwest Coast Path guidebook, felt it was their final shot at freedom.
Despite Moth's health deteriorating each day at the outset of their journey, his condition remarkably began to improve as they continued their walk – and astonishingly, he's still with us over a decade later, having been given no more than five years to live at the time of his diagnosis.
The screenplay, penned by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, remains faithful to the true events of Raynor and Moth's remarkable tale, albeit with minor creative tweaks. Raynor shared: "The final script was beautiful, capturing the essence of the original story while taking it forward on a powerful new journey."
Gillian and Jason are no strangers to portraying real-life figures, from Margaret Thatcher to Cary Grant. However, in an exclusive chat with RadioTimes.com, the duo divulged that embodying individuals away from the public gaze presented a unique set of challenges.
"It's definitely less stressful, less pressure," Anderson elaborated. "You want to, obviously, do right by them and to be respectful in your impersonation. But at the same time it's not quite as intense as doing somebody who's in front of the public eye as much as say a Thatcher or Emily Maitlis or something.
"Because the public aren't going to go, 'Well, that's not like them,'" Isaacs concurred. "But also, we really like them. Ray and Moth are amazing people, and their story is so inspiring. The books are so successful, and rightfully so, because they contain messages of such hope and belief and compassion."
"And so you not only want them to feel glad that we're doing it, but you want the audience to feel what we felt when we met them, when we read their stories and to be as moved and inspired by their story."
"When it came to meeting the real-life Raynor and Moth, Isaacs clarified that he was less focused on mimicking mannerisms and more interested in understanding what made the couple tick. I'm never gonna be as tall, handsome, smiley [as Moth], he's just an extraordinary man," he admitted. "So I just wanted to know, 'What is it inside him?' One of the things I got when I met him is the sign that he wanted everyone else to feel comfortable."
"He makes a joke of everything, even when he was talking to me at great length about this tremendous indignity and terror of his condition and where it will naturally end, he wanted to make me feel at ease. So he made me laugh all the time about it. That's a quality I recognised and could walk away with," she reflected. Anderson shared that listening to Raynor narrate the audio book of her memoir was instrumental in helping her embody the character.
"It felt like I was properly immersed in her rhythm and her personality," she expressed. "Her accent is quite unusual. Both of their accents are quite unusual. And I found it very challenging. So I think at the end of the day, you kind of choose what feels organic and isn't forced, and hope that that's enough of an impression that they can recognise themselves."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Wales Online
Jason Isaacs hails success of The Salt Path amid film industry ‘terror' over AI
Jason Isaacs hails success of The Salt Path amid film industry 'terror' over AI The British actor stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the film, which tells the real-life story of a couple who trek along the 630-mile South West Coast Path after becoming homeless. (Image: BANG Showbiz ) White Lotus actor Jason Isaacs has said the film industry is "full of terror" at the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) but the success of The Salt Path shows there is still a huge audience appetite for more traditional storytelling. The British actor stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the film, which tells the real-life story of a couple who trek along the 630-mile South West Coast Path after becoming homeless. Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Isaacs said: "This film has been killing it at the box office week after week. "It's a beautiful story about two positive people of a certain age, and the mysteries and miracles of nature and love. "What's great is the number of people in Britain who want to tell grown-up stories, nuanced stories, on a limited budget. "They put their passion into it. Article continues below "And with AI coming for everybody, the industry is full of terror. "But actually right now, grown-ups want to go and see grown-up stories." The actor, who is also known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, praised White Lotus director Mike White, and said he was initially worried about portraying the character of Timothy Ratliff in the hit series. Isaacs said: "I was scared that I'd be the most boring person that had ever been in White Lotus. "Because there were no words, and I was chugging all these pills that would, essentially, make me feel asleep. "But the way Mike tells the story – he's a brilliant director as well as a writer. Article continues below "You knew what was going on – I hope you knew what was going on – in my head."
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Powys County Times
Jason Isaacs hails success of The Salt Path amid film industry ‘terror' over AI
White Lotus actor Jason Isaacs has said the film industry is 'full of terror' at the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) but the success of The Salt Path shows there is still a huge audience appetite for more traditional storytelling. The British actor stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the film, which tells the real-life story of a couple who trek along the 630-mile South West Coast Path after becoming homeless. Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Isaacs said: 'This film has been killing it at the box office week after week. 'It's a beautiful story about two positive people of a certain age, and the mysteries and miracles of nature and love. 'What's great is the number of people in Britain who want to tell grown-up stories, nuanced stories, on a limited budget. 'They put their passion into it. 'And with AI coming for everybody, the industry is full of terror. 'But actually right now, grown-ups want to go and see grown-up stories.' The actor, who is also known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, praised White Lotus director Mike White, and said he was initially worried about portraying the character of Timothy Ratliff in the hit series. Isaacs said: 'I was scared that I'd be the most boring person that had ever been in White Lotus. 'Because there were no words, and I was chugging all these pills that would, essentially, make me feel asleep. 'But the way Mike tells the story – he's a brilliant director as well as a writer. 'You knew what was going on – I hope you knew what was going on – in my head.'
BreakingNews.ie
3 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Jason Isaacs hails success of The Salt Path amid film industry ‘terror' over AI
White Lotus actor Jason Isaacs has said the film industry is 'full of terror' at the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) but the success of The Salt Path shows there is still a huge audience appetite for more traditional storytelling. The British actor stars alongside Gillian Anderson in the film, which tells the real-life story of a couple who trek along the 630-mile South West Coast Path after becoming homeless. Advertisement Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Isaacs said: 'This film has been killing it at the box office week after week. 'It's a beautiful story about two positive people of a certain age, and the mysteries and miracles of nature and love. 'What's great is the number of people in Britain who want to tell grown-up stories, nuanced stories, on a limited budget. 'They put their passion into it. Advertisement 'And with AI coming for everybody, the industry is full of terror. 'But actually right now, grown-ups want to go and see grown-up stories.' The actor, who is also known for playing Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, praised White Lotus director Mike White, and said he was initially worried about portraying the character of Timothy Ratliff in the hit series. Isaacs said: 'I was scared that I'd be the most boring person that had ever been in White Lotus. Advertisement 'Because there were no words, and I was chugging all these pills that would, essentially, make me feel asleep. 'But the way Mike tells the story – he's a brilliant director as well as a writer. 'You knew what was going on – I hope you knew what was going on – in my head.'
