Filmmaker Mike Figgis on happiness: why it's dangerous, the childhood moment that defined it, and why he distrusts happy endings. Figgis Unfiltered S2 E1.
Season 2 of Figgis Unfiltered examines the human emotions, one at a time. In Episode 1, director Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas) begins with happiness — a kitchen table stripped at 3am, a boyhood night hearing Louis Armstrong's trumpet cut through the red velvet curtains of the Newcastle Odeon beside his father, and a lifetime spent watching people to understand what a genuine smile really is.
He explores why happiness can only be measured against sadness (by way of John Berger's Ways of Seeing), the actor's exercise that exposes sadness as our default setting, the "mask of happiness" he strips away when taking portraits, and the newspaper photograph of a rescued Australian family that moved him to tears. Then he answers your questions — on what gets him out of bed, the spirituality running through his films, why he casts actors who've stepped away from the mainstream (Kim Novak, Nastassja Kinski, Richard Gere), and whether Leaving Las Vegas could be made in 2026.
He closes with his own recommendations on happiness: two books, two live jazz recordings, and one perfect Hitchcock film.
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 Welcome to Season 2 — what happiness really is
01:14 A boy, his father & Louis Armstrong at the Odeon
04:04 Edinburgh: a failed comedian and his father's cough
05:18 Why happiness is dangerous — John Berger
06:13 "Show me happiness": the actor's exercise
07:33 Portraits and the mask of happiness
08:36 The Australian beach rescue that moved him
12:10 Listener questions — Clarissa (Toronto): what gets you out of bed?
14:16 Happiness is meant to be shared
17:14 A people-watcher's joy: stations & airports
19:06 Sasha (Ukraine): spirituality in his films
23:01 Doug (Boston): casting actors who stepped away
26:28 Jay (Amsterdam): could Leaving Las Vegas be made today?
29:22 Recommendations — books, live jazz & a Hitchcock film
33:22 Final thoughts: don't plan happiness
📚 Mentioned in this episode
Books — A Fan's Notes (Fred Exley) · Something Happened (Joseph Heller) · Ways of Seeing (John Berger) · Diary of a Mad Old Man (Tanizaki)
Music — Louis Armstrong's 1948 live all-star concert · Duke Ellington at Newport '56, "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" (Paul Gonsalves)
Films — Notorious (Hitchcock) · Festen · and Mike's own Leaving Las Vegas
🎙️ Got a question for Mike? Send it as a voice note and it could feature in a future episode — DM us on Instagram: @figgisunfiltered
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