The Story of Once
"Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” – Oscar Wilde
said, 'Well, it's kind of poetic license.' And she was like, 'Well, why are you singing it, then?' And I said, 'Well, as a songwriter you're allowed to do that.' And she said, 'Well, I don't agree. I think you should be singing about what happened in your life.'”
Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard in the 2006 filmOnce
The new musical ONCE is based on the 2006 film of the same name, directed by John Carney and starring Markéta Irglová and Glen Hansard. Irglová and Hansard also wrote the music and were catapulted to international fame after the movie’s success. Much was made of their onscreen and offscreen romantic involvement, and the way their real lives intertwined with the fictional plot of the movie had significant impact on the movie’s reception.
Irglová and Hansard first met in 2002 when Irglová was 12-‐years-‐old. Hansard was touring with his band The Frames (founded in 1990). He was invited by Irglová’s father, a close friend of Hansard’s, to stay at their house for several months and write songs. Hansard recounts his first meeting with Irglová: “Mar came into my life very similarly to how she does in the film. She was very young, but she came up to my room one day when I was singing one of my songs, and said, ‘That song you're singing, did that really happen to you?’ And I said, 'Well, yeah, kind of.' And she said, 'Did it, or didn't it?' And I
“The irony is that Mar and I have been thrown in the deep end with each other, and it's developed into something else. It's like life imitating art, and art imitating life at the same time.” – Glen Hansard
A few years later, Irglová and Hansard began writing songs and performing together as The Swell Season. In 2006, John Carney, a filmmaker, longtime friend of Hansard’s and former bass player for The Frames, approached Irglová and Hansard about creating songs for a new film. The same year, Hansard and Irglová released the album The Swell Season. Many of the songs that appear on the Once soundtrack are also on this album, including “Lies,” “When Your Mind’s Made Up” and the Oscar-‐winning “Falling Slowly.”
Hansard and Irglová were originally only considered to write the music. Carney wanted actor Cillian Murphey (Batman Begins, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, 28 Days Later) and a 35-‐year-‐old Czech actress to portray the Guy and Girl. However, after Murphey declined the role and a suitable Czech actress could not be found, Hansard and Irglová were approached. The film was shot over 17 days in 2006 and produced for the staggeringly low price
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