Exclusive: ‘I Have No Idea About That’ – David Walliams On Film Awards Fee Controversy During Return To Malta
David Walliams is back in Malta for another collaboration with the Film Commission… but he doesn’t seem to be aware of the controversy surrounding the last time he was on the islands and how much he was paid.
“I did not, I did not,” Walliams told Lovin Malta’s Ana Tortell, who asked the popular actor and stand-up comedian if he followed the controversy of how much he was paid by the Malta Film Commission. “I mean I have no idea about that.”
Last February, after a two-year legal battle full of controversy and rejected Freedom Of Information requests, David Walliams’ €120,000 invoice for hosting the Malta Film Awards was finally published.
Helmed by the Daphne Caruana Galizia, his fee was blasted by activists for its hefty pricetag, which came up to 30% of the Film Awards’ original budget of €400,000. That amount eventually ballooned up to €1.3 million. For context, Walliams’ fee is nearly double Prime Minister Robert Abela’s official annual salary of €63,000.
When asked about the show’s controversy weeks after it had aired, Film Commission Johann Grech had refused to confirm whether the total expenses ended up going beyond the original budget, only stating it will be “value for money” when questioned.
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Walliams is in Malta filming a “special film” for the upcoming Mediterrane Film Festival next June, and was spotted exiting Valletta’s Grandmaster’s Palace moments ago.
“It’s sort of like a 10-minute film, or play, before the awards ceremony, which will also be seen online a lot,” he told Lovin Malta of his upcoming project here.
“There’s a lot about history as well, we’re going back a few hundred years, which is why I’m dressed like this,” he continued, pointing at the period costume he was wearing. “We’re making hopefully a fun celebration of Malta.”
“It’s such a beautiful place with an amazing history, the people are so friendly and welcoming, so no wonder you have millions of millions of tourists,” Walliams said of Malta. “The food is incredible, there’s just no shortage of things to do here. And also all the amazing films that have been made here. I mean that’s probably when I first properly got a look at Malta, watching Gladiator. So film is very important here and so many film productions keep on coming back and back.”
What do you make of Walliams’ return and his comments to Lovin Malta?
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