Interview: How ‘My Old School’ director Jono McLeod and star Alan Cumming revealed a true case of imposter syndrome [VIDEO]

We all remember that high school kid who looked much older than the rest of the students. More often than not, we find out that the kid in question is younger than you. For me that child’s name was Andy; for director Jono McLeod, his name was Brandon Lee. It’s generally at this point the story reaches its conclusion, but in the case of McLeod, his story was just getting started. 

Brandon Lee, whose name should be mentioned in quotes, was a classmate of McLeod’s at Bearsden Academy Secondary School (the U.K. equivalent of high school) in Bearsden, Scotland. Lee, who was thought to be a student enrolled in his 5th year at the school, became the subject of a national story. Brandon wasn’t who he said. Brandon Lee was a 30-year-old named Brian MacKinnon posing as the student. The unmasking of Lee rocked the small community of Bearsden. Why would MacKinnon choose to do such a thing? Did he commit some crime and was subsequently hiding from the authorities? How does something like this impact his fellow students at Bearsden Academy? 

Director Jono McLeod, one of his peers at Bearsden, sought to tell that story in My Old School. McLeod went to great lengths to track down his classmates and recreate the classroom that it took place in (mainly because the schoolhouse was torn down years ago). He even managed to get MacKinnon on tape discussing the events which transpired, but under the condition that they’d never show his face. How does a documentarian get around this? For McLeod, you bring on a Tony Award winner (who happens to be a good friend), Alan Cumming to embody Brian. 

This wasn’t just a typical job for Cumming, there was nothing ordinary about taking on this crucial part in My Old School. This would require him to become MacKinnon’s avatar and lip sync his taped recount of the events. While his part is only a small portion of the film, if he didn’t nail his role, it would diminish the quality of McLeod’s final product. Cumming alluded in our interview to the dangers of being too over the top with his performance. McLeod added that while he was nervous about this particular portion of the project, once he saw Cumming step onto the set in his costume, he knew they were in good hands. 

I still had many questions about the story and the project itself and was lucky enough to speak with the director and star to get those answers. Both were very forthcoming, and some of the results might surprise you. 

Magnolia Pictures is set to release My Old School in theaters this Friday, July 22.

Photos courtesy of Curtis Brown, Magnolia Pictures