A Horse And His Boy

Weekend director Andrew Haigh on his most ambitious film yet: racehorse drama Lean On Pete.

- Dan Jolin

FILMMAKER ANDREW HAIGH was never what you’d call a horsey person. Before making Lean On Pete, his intensely emotional coming-of-age story about a troubled 15-year-old Portland boy and a knackered racehorse, the Croydon-raised writer-director hadn’t had any experience with the beasts. So he was understandably anxious about directing one — in a double act with a teenager (Charlie Plummer), no less. “It sounds like it’s gonna be horrific,” says Haigh. But, it turns out, having a horse around makes for a surprisingly chilled film set.

“They’re amazing animals when you spend time with them,” he says. “They really do sense your mood changes. Our horse, who was named Starsky, would sense the tone of the set. So it means everybody has to be calm.”