British victory was miraculous. Three months—May, June and July 1940—that’s when Churchill really made his mark. He decided to keep fighting. Once he pushed the ball down hill, then the other people, the generals and admirals came along. After those months, the lesser players took over, the leaders of the army, the air force, but he’d already made his mark.

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Once America and Russia joined the war, Churchill’s power gradually diminished. By the end of the war, America and Russia were creating the post-war world at Yalta.

He wasn’t interested in bookkeeping, in the running of a country in peacetime. He became bored easily.

HN: One of the more humorous scenes is the one in which Churchill proposes the ludicrous idea of disguising ships as icebergs, then that scene immediately segues into him discussing an idea for floating harbors, the Mulberries that proved critical to success in invading Europe. What do you think of Churchill as a strategist?

Hugh: He crackled with ideas all the time. A number of them were silly, but cheek-by-jowl with the silly ones were some that were brilliant, like the floating harbor. D-Day would never have worked without it. (Who originated the floating harbor concept is debated, but Churchill presented the idea at the Quebec Conference in 1943.–HN) He was constantly searching for new ideas, and he would throw them out there. He was not one for self-censorship. He had brilliant use of words, and he understood how important that was. He said the British people had the lion’s heart; he was called upon to give the roar.

HN: What appeals to you about scripting history-based films?

Hugh: I love it. I love the research. I like finding in history themes and ideas which have some sort of response in me. The treasure trove of history is so marvelous. I find it absorbing, fascinating and enormous fun. It’s always a nice idea to love what you do, isn’t it?

HN: What were some of the most valuable sources for you in researching this film?

Hugh: Stacks of books, at least 100. Talking to Lady Soames, to Sir Edward Ford, who was the king’s personal secretary—he’s now dead. I spoke to Patrick Kinna who was Churchill’s shorthand writer and talked to a woman who was one of the secretaries working for Churchill.

HN: In the film, he just throws out the line in conversation, "Never in history have so many owed so much to so few," then tells his assistant to write it down. Did that really happen that way?

Hugh: Yes, it did. I didn’t want to make things up. Thomas Hardy said fact is far more astonishing than fiction, and he was right.

HN: How would you sum up Winston Churchill, as you see him?

Hugh: It sounds sentimental, but I think he was the essence of humanity. He was what we all are and what we can all be at times.

Read an interview with Brendan Gleeson about portraying Churchill in Into the Storm. Click here to read about Churchill’s unconventional mother.

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