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  • My name is John Crowley, and I'm the director

  • of "The Goldfinch."

  • So in the scene, we have young Theo

  • who is played by Oakes Fegley, who

  • is in Hobie, who is played by Jeffrey Wright,

  • in Hobie's basement workshop, which is a place that

  • restores antiques.

  • Here, at this moment, he is literally passing on

  • in a tactile fashion--

  • how to recognize what is real or authentic piece

  • of period furniture, as opposed to a reproduction

  • one.

  • "If it's too even, like, here.

  • then it's reproduction."

  • It's the kid learning in action

  • and being surprised and slightly delighted

  • that his hands actually feel what Hobie's pointing out

  • to him.

  • Jeffrey Wright brought such a gorgeously tactile quality

  • to this scene, which I think he spotted

  • in the expert who came in to talk

  • to him about the antiques.

  • So this idea of touching the antiques.

  • And using his spittle to bring up the grain on the mahogany

  • is very much what he learned hands-on himself.

  • "So this one is fake."

  • "Well, no, it's only fake if you try to pass it off

  • as an original."

  • The idea of the doubles is very important in the scene.

  • That's why we set up that shot between those two chairs

  • and end with the pair of them framed between

  • them.

  • And moving from there around to the side

  • was all about which is the key piece of information that's

  • moving forward.

  • So you come around on Hobie when

  • he is actually beginning to handle the furniture

  • and touch it.

  • "That glow-- that's hundreds of years

  • being touched, used."

  • We also have added in a piece of music,

  • which is embedded into the background there--

  • a piece by a Zydeco accordion player called Boozoo

  • Chavis which has a sort of warmth to it and is not

  • like the musical identity of any other part of the film.

  • [INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC]

My name is John Crowley, and I'm the director

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