The King’s Speech, Tom Hooper (an interview with Esther Pepper)

The King’s Speech won best picture at the Oscars.  Why do you think this film so uplifting?

There are many reasons why I think this film is uplifting starting with the opening scene which engages the audience emotionally. We are made aware of the intense personal challenges facing the Duke of York at the same time as his sense of duty and commitment to something bigger than himself. That resonates at a deep level within our collective psyche

The Therapist in the film reported that ‘no child is born a stutterer’. What then can cause a stutter?

Various things can cause a stutter. If it is stress related it is often linked to some significant emotional event in a person’s past that remains unresolved. Being left handed and forced to change to right handed; a nanny who hated and starved him; the loss of his brother Johnny who died at the age of 13; having to wear painful leg braces… All of these things contributed to an unresourceful emotional state and associated physical condition.

Why do you think the King could swear without stuttering?

A person’s problem can be associated with a particular emotional state or time. When the King swore his emotional state changed. The stuttering was not associated with that state, which clearly demonstrated that it was a mental / emotional issue rather than a physical issue. Lionel also points out  “do you hesitate when you think?” and “how about when you talk to yourself?”. 

Why do you think the King resisted the therapist’s efforts to cure him?

Resistance often comes from a fear of the unknown or fear of being disappointed. Given the human desire to prove ourselves right, a common barrier to resolving problems is the belief that “no one can fix it”. Mental issues also used to be confused with mental illness, and it was therefore “safer” to focus on it being a “mechanical” issue. Luckily that mindset has changed, and people are now able to resolve their problems at source rather than just treating the symptoms. 

Lionel managed to help the King’s speech but not to resolve the deeper issues. As a therapist, would you have been happy with the result?

Therapy is voluntary and the client has to want the result. When The Duke of York says “aren’t you going to treat me Dr Lough” he replies “only if you’re interested in being treated”. Lionel tries to make the King aware of how simple it is to treat problems in the past when he says “you don’t have to be afraid of the things you were afraid of when you were five”. This is the foundation of many fast therapies today, and clients are getting very quick and often spectacular results.