The Man Who Knew Infinity: Dev Patel on maths brain freezes and 'matrixing' on set

you know someone said something it was interesting that music I'm gonna start by saying your film was interesting it was it's a good start great to meet you you too I didn't love this film this film I thought it's a beautiful film I did wonder whether you thought when you were at school and doing math doing formulas you ever believed that your teachers were telling the truth when they said you'll need this later on in life that you would end up doing a film in both but I know it's crazy to think that especially my maths teacher which I know didn't enjoy my company too much because I wasn't didn't pay a lot of attention yeah I get I get mathematical induced brain freeze so I I basically switch off with anything to do in numbers so when the script came thank god it's it's not just about mathematics it's a lot more than that not to say that mathematics is not great but you know it's about this wonderful relationship between the student and mentor from completely different parts of the world and yeah I guess there's a big irony of me playing this guy well how much did you know about him before you start doing the film not a lot and not much at all and I read the scripts and I realized wait a minute that's that amazing guy they speak about in Good Will Hunting it's a bar scene with Robin Williams where they speak about this some wonderful mathematical genius to come from the middle of the South who created some of the greatest mathematical equations known to man without no education and he claimed they were from its God a gift from his Goddess whilst praying and I was like wait a minute that's that's that guy in there so yeah did you actually have any idea about what you were talking about when they gave me this and when you were writing it down because it was gobbledygook to me but to you when you were reading the script and studying it and learning it does it mean anything to you well I think to myself in the average layman it's really difficult to wrap your head around the complexity of what they're achieving you know I mean - it's very difficult but um what what I think the audience will tap into is a how passionate these men are about their art and it does have a value because what he does now is this you know the greatest mathematicians in scientists stand on his shoulders in the fields of Technology in Sciences and they use those theories to quantize black holes and some of the building blocks for the internet it's it's very important stuff as well filming like we did and in Cambridge and being placed like that I wondered where they ever got you thinking about deeper issues you know I know you're doing a film about this guy who's already achieved so much but then it got me thinking about so many deeper issues about the world and about the universe did did it get you kind of thinking about any of that kind of yeah it's it's heavy innit you know going back to mathematics I was I was always afraid of it because I thought was very rigid and I thought um Carly you know it's daunting in there then you look at this man ram anujan and how he applied himself to her and his spiritualism and his belief in God and he came at it in a very abstract way he kind of phrased it as painting without colors I thought that was a really beautiful way of saying it and he goes you know you can see mathematical equations and things in everything in life you know from the shape of a snowflake to the structure of sand and you know you see it in nature you know you see these patterns and everything and it's a really enlightening kind of you know way of looking at the world you know when you say that it makes me think of the matrix and when neo I was completely matrix in answer you it bullets bullpens and you do play him so well though Remington do you think your your heritage is really helping you with these kind of roles I do you know what it's weird I there's so much there's so much cinema coming out from India and crossover stuff I guess it's just my taste that was sitting like I this project appealed to me like marigold did for a very different reason or some dog or whatever and it I guess I I have very average taste because the average man connects to it also it's a a great blessing I do want to finish by talking about Jeremy and your relationship because it seemed like such a genuine friendship on-screen was it the same after you he's a cold man Jeremy's really awesome and he's got the coolest dress sense I can say coming to say he wears some of the wackiest stuff but um he's so talented so funny and very generous and it could complete rock star performer like you're sitting up is it I said this earlier but he's like playing tennis for Roger Federer like you're constantly wherever you hit the ball if it's off you it's doing a rally with him he'll come right back to you he's a very generous generous performer what's one of my favorite things about the film was that relationship between Stephen really genuine and I think it really adds it to the film already enjoyed it so thank you so much thanks lovely to you too have a good one

Channel: On Demand Entertainment

Views: 25,589

Keywords: entertainment, dev patel, Srinivasa Ramanujan, jeremy irons, the man who knew infinity, interview, chat, brain freeze, slumdog, maths, numbers, formulas, itn, ode, melissa nathoo, good will hunting

Id: lgpOxJvYmWc

Length: 5min 17sec (317 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 06 2016