Sarah Townsend Chronicles the Izzardian Mind

Most filmmakers know that a documentary is a long-term commitment, sometimes years in the making, but not Sarah Townsend. She had no idea what she was in for when she embarked on her film, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story, some years back. But the fruits of her labors have paid off in spades, as well as a lot of laughter, and even a few tears.

Having known her subject for most of his adult life, Townsend has worked with Izzard to produce a number of his shows, including “Stripped” and “Eddie Izzard: Live from Wembley.” Needless to say, she seemed the perfect candidate to shoot a film about the struggles that actor/writer/comedian Izzard faced, not only finding his way as a comedian in his early years, but, after being accused of reusing old material, finding himself all over again. It turned out to be not that easy. “I started out to make a more personal film … the difficulty with him is, he will talk endlessly but he won’t tell you very much, and nobody ever calls him on it. He was always great and very funny, but that won’t work for a documentary. [Initially,] we didn’t have a film. It took us four years to get a generally revealing interview.”

The film showcases never-before-seen photos and footage, chronicling the actor’s fits and starts in comedy, and some hilarious fashion faux pas (keep your eyes out for a patchwork shirt with mustard trousers). The film also focuses on his family. His mother died when he was still very young — is he doing all this to somehow get her back? Or is it just a matter of incredible drive? There is no doubt the man is driven — if not a machine. To practice for his upcoming “Sexie Tour,” which culminates at Wembley, performing for 44,000 fans in four days, he does a series of workshops all over the country to try out new material. And a lot of the time, he bombs. “We realized the real crux of the story was that there was no such thing as an overnight success. You see him fail a lot,” says Townsend. “When we tested it, people would come tell us how it had really inspired them. Most people sort of give up if they don’t just ‘arrive’ now. The idea of working hard has gone by the wayside, because today everything is so instantaneous, which I think sort of cheapens it.”

Believe also touches upon Izzard’s “coming out” as a transvestite, as in, one night he just showed up on stage in drag. Even that look had to be honed — though not quite like the aforementioned mustard pants look. “A frumpy transvestite is not a good look. Most importantly, he knew he needed to look cool. So he went glam rock-ish, very Bowie-like. It’s an androgynous, cool thing and, in fact, the closest to who he really is.” But the film is not all fun and games. There is also a very poignant moment when a young woman talks to Izzard after one of his concerts. Dressed in a bee costume (an homage to one of his sketches), she tells him how she almost died the previous year. It was that same sketch that she recited over and over that kept her alive. From the fan’s angle, Townsend captures the myriad emotions in Izzard — at first completely taken aback, he doesn’t really know how to react, but as his admirer continues her tale, you see the man change and, ultimately, let down his guard.

Townsend is now working on a new film, White Horses, written by Diane Weipert. “It’s an Irish horror film, set in Ireland — sort of a female Psycho set in the ’60s,” says the director with a smile. “And as it turns out, the production is all women — that wasn’t planned, like ‘women power’ or anything, but it certainly is wonderful that it just happened to turn out that way.” ▼

Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story is out on DVD this month.