Paddington 2 – Hag, Con & Bex talk to Hugh Bonneville and Simon Farnaby at the Pop-Up Launch event

Paddington 2 – Hag, Con & Bex talk to Hugh Bonneville and Simon Farnaby at the Pop-Up Launch event!!!

Was it hard to be in the Paddington films and how did you get in them? Bex age 6

Hugh Bonneville – Paul King the Director got in touch with me and asked if I’d like to read the script. And I thought this is my beloved Paddington and he’s going to be in a movie and is that going to work? And I started laughing on page one. So I realised the bear was going to be in safe hands so I was delighted to be part of it.

Was it hard? Well, when you’re being soaked by a bear with tons and tons of water being thrown at you – yeah that’s quite hard work. And in the second one there all kinds Off scrapes as well – but it been a lot of fun.

How did you write Paddington 2 and was it hard? Bex age 6

Simon Farnaby – How did we write it? It was hard. So it was me and Paul King, the Director – in a room for about a year and a half. Initially we’d just throw ideas around to see what we both agree on. So it starts very wide and then you narrow it down. We actually got quite a few of the story things, like Aunt Lucy’s Birthday on day one we thought of that.

And then it takes a year and a half to make it good. It is hard – but it’s fun as well.

Paddington with the New Pop-Up Paddington 2 in London!!!

Tabago Crusoe from the Paddington and Paddington 2 movies and Soundtrack!!!

If you were Paddington Bear – where would you live in the world after leaving deepest darkest Peru and why would you live there? Con age 10

Simon Farnaby – Well I think like Paddington I would want to live in London. Because everyone is different and if everyone is different then everyone’s the same.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Paddington, Hugh Bonneville, Simon Farnaby and Karen Jankel with school kidz at the launch event!!!

What is the greatest pop-up book you’ve ever owned and why do you like it? Con age 10

Hugh Bonneville – I think I had one with lovely animals in Africa. You open it and a giraffe would pop up and then an elephant would pop up. That’s just one that ‘pops’ into my head from my childhood and I loved it.

Then unfortunately I think the dog got at the wilder beast of something. And it all started falling apart after that.

Simon Farnaby – Its a Alice in Wonderland pop-up book. I liked it because it’s just so beautiful. When you open it you just think – how did they make it?

If you could give the Paddington One version of yourself one piece of advice after making Paddington 2 what would it be and why? Hag age 13

Hugh Bonneville – Get fitter. There’s a bit in Paddington 2 where I have to do the splits and run along Paddington station. It looks fine in the finished film – but bare in mind we had to do it about twenty times. And I’m an old man – SO KEEP FIT GUYS!!!

Simon Farnaby – I don’t really know how to answer that (laughs). Maybe – keep being kind and looking for the good in people and carry on.

Assuming there will be a Paddington 3 – what actor would you like to see join the cast and what type of character would you like to see them play? Hag age 13

Hugh Bonneville – That’s a really good question. I’m trying to think of all the characters in all the stories because we got quite a lot of them in this one.

I think going on a steam ship would be really good fun and I think a captain with a huge beard where Paddington get lots of marmalade stuck in will be really good fun.

Played by by Brian Blessed obviously!

Simon Farnaby – I think I would like Liam Neeson. And I think I’d like him to play a pirate.