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."
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