Hit the lightning, boys.
While there's a feeling. . .
. . .in The Green Mile...
. . .that the human spirit is alive and well. . .
. . .even under the most difficult circumstances. . .
. . .l think the more difficult life becomes. . .
. . .the more the human spirit has a chance to shine.
lt's not the kind of. . .
. . .story that people think of. . .
. . .when you hear Stephen King mentioned.
lt didn't have the fur and the fangs and the haunted cars. . .
. . .but it had this really rich. . .
. . .world that it presented.
lt felt like the Stephen King l really love. . .
. . .humanistic writer that he is.
This is what Stephen King does so well.
He somehow is able to really create these characters. . .
. . .that are flawed but good. . .
. . .by and large.
Throw around the name Stephen King, you think you'll be getting. . .
. . .a horror story. This is not.
Frank's script for The Green Mile...
. . .is the best film adaptation l've ever read, hands down.
Not only was there a screenplay. . .
. . .that nothing should be touched. . .
. . .it was absolutely like the Holy Grail.
But Frank had already had a relationship with Tom.
While l was writing. . .
. . .Tom simply came into my head and wouldn't go away.
Not that l wanted him to, because he seemed like a marvelous fit.
l tried to say, " Give me a minute. . .
. . .let me finish. "
But there he was in my head going, "l'm Paul Edgecomb. "
You know, you're always looking for something that is. . .
. . .unexplainable. And there it is, like lightning in a bottle.
He's truly a funny and talented man.
Many times, we haven't even had to say a joke.
He'll look at me, something's happening in a scene, and we're gone.
We had to get it out of our system.
The biggest question l think we both had was. . .
. . .who was gonna play John Coffey?
Ah, the hunt for John Coffey. Oh, yes.
We were in great shape with Tom. . .
. . .but unless we found John Coffey. . .
. . .l don't know how this would've turned out.
Bruce Willis told me about it.
He said, " They're gonna be making a movie about this dude. "
He said, " l'm gonna call Frank and tell him l found John Coffey. "
And Michael came in and read for us.
l ate, slept, used the bathroom, almost showered with that script.
Michael's screen test was amazing.
But not as amazing as the performance he eventually laid down on the set.
That essence that is a part of Michael Clarke Duncan. . .
. . .somewhere in him is John Coffey.
l called my mother, " l'm working with Tom Hanks. " We started crying.
Frank Darabont has no life.
This is it.
His life is one long death row experience.
The best part of working with Frank. . .
. . .is watching him watch the monitor.
Because he looks like a little, like, cherubic, excited boy.
Our sets. Our sets.
lt was really quite breathtaking to walk down the mile. . .
. . .for the first time. . .
. . .and see how they've re-created this death row E block penitentiary.
How's this for a set? l love this.
Tomorrow we have Stephen King visiting the set of The Green Mile...
. . .which will be very cool.
He was really floored. . .
. . .by the incredible care. . .
. . .that Terence Marsh had put into designing this thing.
Frank took me and said:
" l wanna introduce you to a friend of yours. Here's old Sparky. "
You got the braces on the elbows.
l did what anybody wants to do when they see it.
l said, " Strap me in it. "
Frank, could l get out now?
And once you get in it, you say to yourself:
" Oh, boy, this is like being too far in my own head. "
Mr. Jingles is the last living. . .
. . .breathing entity. . .
. . .with which Del has or feels a closeness.
l was hoping we could get as much done with a live mouse as possible.
And that's the way it turned out.
We had a troop of little furry actors. We had about two dozen mice.
They're really great little mice.
There are times when you can get a sense that. . .
. . .it'll fulfill what l imagine in the script.
Sometimes it's hard when you get in here and do the work.
But there are some moments. . . .
And cut it.
The image that. . .
. . .may live with me. . .
. . .was the time we came across the river. . .
. . .and l'm followed by the posse.
And it was the first time. . .
. . .that John Coffey. . .
. . .howled.
John Coffey's holding two dead girls.
He's holding them and crying because he feels their pain.
And these guys. . .
. . .that are chasing him, this posse. . .
. . .all these white people-- There's 50 of them on horses.
They got dogs, pitchforks, shotguns. . .
. . .and they're coming toward John Coffey.
And l knew that this was acting. . .
. . .but every take. . .
. . .of that scene, l was scared to death.
-Good? -We've cut.
ln my mind, man, it was real.
lt was real and. . .
. . .those guys scared me on every single take.
Twenty years from now, what will l remember?
There was one thing l'll never forget. . .
. . .when Hanks was playing a scene with Michael Duncan.
The heart of the movie is in it.
That scene, as we're shooting it, l'm on Michael first. . .
. . .and l'm realizing, l'm getting distracted by Hanks.
Hanks is delivering. . .
. . .an Academy Award-winning performance off camera. . .
. . .for Michael Duncan.
To give him every possible thing he needs. . .
. . .or can use to deliver the best possible performance.
He wanted Michael to do so well.
He wanted him to look good.
l'll never forget that.
What do you want me to say?
That it was my job?
The symbology of The Green Mile...
. . .is larger than any explanation.
l think Coffey. . .
. . .to me, represents. . .
. . .those extraordinary, visionary. . .
. . .souls that come along. . .
. . .in human history from time to time. . .
. . .that the rest of us feel compelled to exterminate.
Coffey stands for everything that's right in the world.
lf you see an old lady crossing the street. . .
. . .and you go over to help, that's John Coffey.
" We continue," which is what John Coffey says.
They kill each other with their love.
We continue to kill each other. . .
. . .because we fail to recognize that all of us have the demon.
The way to deal with that demon. . .
. . .is with love, with compassion and with understanding.
Roll them on two.
lt's that great mystery, you know. . .
. . .that injection of, " You'll never believe what happened. "
The way everything fell together is like a dream come true.
l love those kinds of stories that really take me on a journey.
You don't just watch. You become part of it. You become absorbed in it.
You become a participant on that journey.
To me, those are the most exciting films.
And those are the kinds of films that. . .
. . .that l aspire to make.
We each go in death.
There are no exceptions.
But sometimes. . .
. . .oh, God, the Green Mile is so long.
What did l tell you about following me around?
l ain't got time for this documentary shit.