Cloud Atlas’ David Mitchell on ‘freaky’ experience of seeing Tom Hanks play his characters on screen

Virgin Radio

13 May 2024, 13:49

Cloud Atlas author David Mitchell joined Ryan Tubridy in the Virgin Radio studios to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his most famous novel.

The much-loved sci-fi, historical and metafictional story tells the tales of six interconnected protagonists from different ages in a “Russian doll structure”, was first published in 2004, and has gone on to become Mitchell’s best known work so far.

Opening up about his self-described “hit album”, Mitchell shared he does sometimes feel “like a strange travelling salesman, employed by my 32-year-old-self who wrote the book” whenever he returns to discussing its success. However, the author added that he is very proud of the text.

In the early 2010s, The Matrix directors the Wachowski sisters and Tom Tykwer took on the seemingly impossible task of adapting the story into a film. It was released in 2012, and starred Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant, Halle Berry, Ben Whishaw, Bae Doona and many more.

Speaking to Ryan about what it was like to see his complex universe translated onto the screen, Mitchell admitted it was “freaky and beautiful” to hear Tom Hanks and the film’s other stars utter his own lines.

“Just to think that lines you wrote in your back bedroom with your 18 month-year-old on your arm, trying to get him to sleep while writing with your right hand; that those lines then appear being said by Tom Hanks, that’s quite freaky and sort of glorious," the Utopia Avenue writer shared.

He then joked: “It’s the least adaptable thing I’ve ever written, and it’s the only thing I’ve ever written that has been adapted into a movie!”

Mitchell also gushed about how he remains friends with some of the people who he worked with on the film, and added: “As with the book, I just have gratitude and relief that the film was good, and a relief that I don’t have to talk with clenched teeth about it!”

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Cloud Atlas’ release, David Mitchell is currently touring the UK celebrating his novel.

Listen to Ryan Tubridy’s mid-morning show on Virgin Radio UK, weekdays 10am - 1pm.