1 00:00:00,826 --> 00:00:06,919 ♪♪ 2 00:00:06,963 --> 00:00:09,357 Welcome to "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,838 I'm Yvonne Orji, and we are here again at the beautiful Georgian, 4 00:00:12,882 --> 00:00:16,886 a historic hotel in Santa Monica, California. 5 00:00:16,929 --> 00:00:18,714 And for years, "The Hollywood Reporter" 6 00:00:18,757 --> 00:00:21,325 has been bringing industry icons together 7 00:00:21,369 --> 00:00:24,850 for insightful conversations about their lives and work. 8 00:00:24,894 --> 00:00:26,939 And when it comes to iconic Hollywood films, 9 00:00:26,983 --> 00:00:28,463 guys, you know the stars, 10 00:00:28,506 --> 00:00:30,465 you know the directors, even the stunt doubles. 11 00:00:30,508 --> 00:00:34,643 But do you really know who makes movie magic happen, hmm? 12 00:00:34,686 --> 00:00:37,646 No, not the Ozempic doctors. It's the producers. 13 00:00:37,689 --> 00:00:40,127 Guys, you're about to meet the talented producers 14 00:00:40,170 --> 00:00:43,695 behind six of this year's award-contending films. 15 00:00:43,739 --> 00:00:47,351 They are Tom Ackerley of "Barbie," 16 00:00:47,395 --> 00:00:49,701 Christine Vachon of "Past Lives," 17 00:00:49,745 --> 00:00:52,139 Natalie Portman of "May December," 18 00:00:52,182 --> 00:00:54,402 Ed Guiney of "Poor Things," 19 00:00:54,445 --> 00:00:56,621 Scott Sanders of "The Color Purple," 20 00:00:56,665 --> 00:00:59,059 and George C. Wolfe of "Rustin." 21 00:01:00,930 --> 00:01:02,714 They are technically on the record, 22 00:01:02,758 --> 00:01:05,152 but maybe just a little off script 23 00:01:05,194 --> 00:01:08,372 with "The Hollywood Reporter." 24 00:01:08,416 --> 00:01:09,634 They're all yours, Mia. 25 00:01:09,678 --> 00:01:11,506 Thanks, Yvonne. 26 00:01:11,549 --> 00:01:13,334 And welcome to "The Hollywood Reporter" producers Roundtable. 27 00:01:13,377 --> 00:01:16,206 I wanted to open up a question for all of you. 28 00:01:16,250 --> 00:01:18,556 When you all were getting started, what was it -- 29 00:01:18,600 --> 00:01:20,689 What was the film that made you say, 30 00:01:20,732 --> 00:01:22,908 "I want to be a filmmaker"? 31 00:01:22,952 --> 00:01:24,388 Sanders: "The Wizard of Oz." 32 00:01:24,432 --> 00:01:26,173 What was it about it? 33 00:01:26,216 --> 00:01:28,523 Everything. Everything. 34 00:01:28,566 --> 00:01:31,003 It was bigger than anything I'd ever seen. 35 00:01:31,047 --> 00:01:34,050 I'd never seen the black and white going to color. 36 00:01:34,094 --> 00:01:37,358 We had a -- We had a black and white television at home, 37 00:01:37,401 --> 00:01:39,142 so I didn't know it was in color 38 00:01:39,186 --> 00:01:41,057 until we went to the next-door neighbor's house 39 00:01:41,101 --> 00:01:42,493 to watch it. 40 00:01:42,537 --> 00:01:47,497 And -- and the music, the -- the magic, 41 00:01:47,542 --> 00:01:49,805 the -- the -- the crazy, 42 00:01:49,848 --> 00:01:51,676 like, you know, flying monkeys. 43 00:01:51,720 --> 00:01:54,375 I mean, there were -- There's so many things in that movie 44 00:01:54,418 --> 00:01:58,074 that I fell in love with and, um, so, yeah. 45 00:01:58,118 --> 00:01:59,728 Yeah. George, what about for you? 46 00:01:59,771 --> 00:02:02,905 There were some Disney stuff that I was obsessed with 47 00:02:02,948 --> 00:02:08,606 when I was little, but it was really "Nashville." 48 00:02:08,650 --> 00:02:13,698 That -- that a film could be ridiculous and political 49 00:02:13,742 --> 00:02:17,833 and emotionally fragile and -- and performance 50 00:02:17,876 --> 00:02:21,532 that it was a collision of all these things 51 00:02:21,576 --> 00:02:25,449 and that the storytelling was so ambitious. 52 00:02:25,493 --> 00:02:28,626 And if you surrendered, it was effortless. 53 00:02:28,670 --> 00:02:33,153 And so "Nashville" was really, really significant. 54 00:02:33,196 --> 00:02:36,373 And at one point, Altman asked me to write a movie for him. 55 00:02:36,417 --> 00:02:38,245 Wow. Wow. 56 00:02:38,288 --> 00:02:40,551 Galuppo: How was that? That must have been incredible. 57 00:02:40,595 --> 00:02:42,074 It was -- He wanted me to -- 58 00:02:42,118 --> 00:02:43,772 He was interested 59 00:02:43,815 --> 00:02:46,731 in doing something about Amos and Andy, and I went, 60 00:02:46,775 --> 00:02:49,691 "I don't think I'm gonna be able to do it. 61 00:02:49,734 --> 00:02:51,258 I'd love to, I'd love to, I'd love to, but..." 62 00:02:51,301 --> 00:02:53,434 He'd seen a show -- a Broadway show that I did 63 00:02:53,477 --> 00:02:55,610 called "Bring in 'Da Noise, Bring in 'Da Funk." 64 00:02:55,653 --> 00:02:57,133 And he wanted me to create something 65 00:02:57,177 --> 00:02:58,700 with comedy and something. 66 00:02:58,743 --> 00:03:02,225 And it was extraordinary conversations, but, no. 67 00:03:02,269 --> 00:03:03,922 But "Nashville." 68 00:03:03,966 --> 00:03:07,187 Yeah. Humble. Humble. Honored. Honored. But "Nashville." 69 00:03:07,230 --> 00:03:09,189 Yeah. Natalie. 70 00:03:09,232 --> 00:03:11,234 "Bring in 'Da Noise" was so important to me. 71 00:03:11,278 --> 00:03:12,714 I saw it, like -- 72 00:03:12,757 --> 00:03:15,543 I would stand in line at tickets 73 00:03:15,586 --> 00:03:18,198 when I was, like, 8 with my parents, 74 00:03:18,241 --> 00:03:20,635 and I went, like, three or four times. 75 00:03:20,678 --> 00:03:23,028 So good. So good. Yeah. 76 00:03:23,072 --> 00:03:26,031 I think the -- "Safe" was a really, 77 00:03:26,075 --> 00:03:28,164 really important movie for me. 78 00:03:28,208 --> 00:03:31,907 I think it was, I mean, as a film and as a performance, 79 00:03:31,950 --> 00:03:38,305 I think I was just so blown away by how much I could... 80 00:03:38,348 --> 00:03:42,613 recognize of experience that I didn't have words for, 81 00:03:42,656 --> 00:03:44,441 and I didn't have words for after either. 82 00:03:44,485 --> 00:03:45,834 It was just a feeling. 83 00:03:45,877 --> 00:03:48,837 It was a tone of -- of life that was -- 84 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,101 It just made me understand things in a -- 85 00:03:52,144 --> 00:03:56,497 in a new, different in mind- and soul-expanding way. 86 00:03:56,540 --> 00:03:57,933 And what about for you? 87 00:03:57,976 --> 00:04:00,065 I think the thing that actually made me think 88 00:04:00,109 --> 00:04:03,025 this is possible was "My Left Foot." 89 00:04:03,068 --> 00:04:04,244 Jim Sheridan's movie My Left Foot." 90 00:04:04,287 --> 00:04:05,636 And it was like -- 91 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:07,377 That was like Ireland winning the World Cup. 92 00:04:07,421 --> 00:04:10,337 It was like -- It was -- It was so exciting, 93 00:04:10,380 --> 00:04:13,253 you know, because there wasn't a big history 94 00:04:13,296 --> 00:04:14,732 of filmmaking in Ireland. 95 00:04:14,776 --> 00:04:17,168 And the idea that, you know, that this movie, 96 00:04:17,213 --> 00:04:19,346 which was intensely Irish, an Irish story, 97 00:04:19,389 --> 00:04:21,130 and, you know, Irish filmmaker, Irish producer, 98 00:04:21,173 --> 00:04:23,480 the whole thing could kind of go the distance 99 00:04:23,524 --> 00:04:25,613 and could become the thing that it became 100 00:04:25,656 --> 00:04:27,005 was really exciting. 101 00:04:27,049 --> 00:04:29,225 And I remember vividly, vividly, you know, 102 00:04:29,269 --> 00:04:31,009 staying up all night to watch the Oscars. 103 00:04:31,053 --> 00:04:32,968 It's obviously on a different timeline to Ireland, 104 00:04:33,011 --> 00:04:35,666 and there was so much kind of excitement 105 00:04:35,710 --> 00:04:37,407 and pride around that. 106 00:04:37,451 --> 00:04:38,756 And I don't know, I think that sort of unlocked something 107 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:40,192 for me where I was like, 108 00:04:40,236 --> 00:04:41,803 "Okay, maybe that's possible, too. 109 00:04:41,846 --> 00:04:44,371 Maybe that slipstream that Jim and Neil, I guess, 110 00:04:44,414 --> 00:04:46,982 you know, that slipstream, we could fall into that." 111 00:04:47,025 --> 00:04:48,549 Yeah. Tom, what about for you? 112 00:04:48,592 --> 00:04:52,248 I knew I wanted to work in the film and movies, 113 00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:54,468 and I got on to a Harry Potter set, 114 00:04:54,511 --> 00:04:56,207 and I got to see -- in my early teens -- 115 00:04:56,252 --> 00:04:57,993 and I got to see Alfonso Cuarón at work, 116 00:04:58,036 --> 00:04:59,429 and I got to see the scale of it 117 00:04:59,473 --> 00:05:01,736 and the cameras and the machine behind it. 118 00:05:01,779 --> 00:05:03,955 And that's when I went, "That's what I'm gonna do." 119 00:05:03,999 --> 00:05:07,002 And I was 12 or 13, and it was -- 120 00:05:07,045 --> 00:05:09,004 And I still get that feeling when I walk on a set 121 00:05:09,047 --> 00:05:11,485 that it's enlightenment. It's incredible. 122 00:05:11,528 --> 00:05:13,095 Galuppo: And Christine... 123 00:05:13,138 --> 00:05:15,445 Vachon: Well, I think I will talk more about -- 124 00:05:15,489 --> 00:05:17,404 and I'll be brief -- about the movie 125 00:05:17,447 --> 00:05:19,841 that made me decide I wanted to be a producer, 126 00:05:19,884 --> 00:05:21,669 which was the other Barbie movie -- 127 00:05:21,712 --> 00:05:23,801 "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story," 128 00:05:23,845 --> 00:05:27,414 which was Todd's first short film. 129 00:05:27,457 --> 00:05:30,417 And I saw that film 130 00:05:30,460 --> 00:05:33,594 and I was -- I didn't produce it. 131 00:05:33,637 --> 00:05:36,205 I helped -- I helped him finish it. 132 00:05:36,248 --> 00:05:38,381 So I got to see it in the edit room, 133 00:05:38,425 --> 00:05:41,471 and I just had an epiphany 134 00:05:41,515 --> 00:05:42,907 because it was so provocative. 135 00:05:42,951 --> 00:05:46,171 It was so original, but it was entertaining. 136 00:05:46,215 --> 00:05:49,044 And I realized, like, that's the -- 137 00:05:49,087 --> 00:05:52,395 that's the nexus. That's where I want to be. 138 00:05:52,439 --> 00:05:54,223 And then I just turned to Todd 139 00:05:54,266 --> 00:05:57,008 and said, "What are you doing next?" 140 00:05:57,052 --> 00:05:59,924 And 30 years later, here you are. 141 00:05:59,968 --> 00:06:01,535 Scott, I wanted to ask 142 00:06:01,578 --> 00:06:03,754 specifically about casting for "The Color Purple," 143 00:06:03,798 --> 00:06:06,844 because you could draw on multiple casts 144 00:06:06,888 --> 00:06:09,281 that have performed on the Broadway musical, 145 00:06:09,325 --> 00:06:12,850 not to mention, you know, casting a newcomer or someone, 146 00:06:12,894 --> 00:06:16,419 you know, outside of that Broadway community. 147 00:06:16,463 --> 00:06:19,248 What was it that made you decide 148 00:06:19,291 --> 00:06:22,294 to bring Fantasia back to the role? 149 00:06:22,338 --> 00:06:24,906 Sanders: Well, obviously it's a team sport 150 00:06:24,949 --> 00:06:26,951 and Blitz Bazawule, our director, 151 00:06:26,995 --> 00:06:30,912 we had a very early conversation about the why 152 00:06:30,955 --> 00:06:34,089 we were making this movie, and we were very clear 153 00:06:34,132 --> 00:06:37,919 that we were not remaking Steven's classic film. 154 00:06:37,962 --> 00:06:39,747 We were reimagining with a -- 155 00:06:39,790 --> 00:06:42,053 with a new point of view and we were -- 156 00:06:42,097 --> 00:06:44,273 And the conceit that our screenwriter, 157 00:06:44,316 --> 00:06:48,320 Marcus Gardley, gifted all of us was, 158 00:06:48,364 --> 00:06:50,148 "We're gonna go inside Celie's imagination 159 00:06:50,192 --> 00:06:51,367 for the first time. 160 00:06:51,411 --> 00:06:53,848 We're gonna see what a protagonist 161 00:06:53,891 --> 00:06:55,284 that is struggling, 162 00:06:55,327 --> 00:06:57,547 particularly in the first two acts of the movie, 163 00:06:57,591 --> 00:06:58,983 what is going on with her. 164 00:06:59,027 --> 00:07:01,464 And so that by the time we get to act three, 165 00:07:01,508 --> 00:07:04,119 we really understand what her process has been." 166 00:07:04,162 --> 00:07:06,904 And so we have magical realism built into the screenplay. 167 00:07:06,948 --> 00:07:10,125 And so with all of that, we started to think 168 00:07:10,168 --> 00:07:13,345 about literally a casting philosophy, 169 00:07:13,389 --> 00:07:16,174 who -- we've got these multi generations. 170 00:07:16,218 --> 00:07:21,223 We wanted OGs like Lou Gossett Jr to play Mister. 171 00:07:21,266 --> 00:07:24,835 We wanted a younger, new-generation audience, 172 00:07:24,879 --> 00:07:27,142 Halle Bailey to play young Nettie. 173 00:07:27,185 --> 00:07:31,320 We did look very much at the Broadway alumni 174 00:07:31,363 --> 00:07:34,628 and Danielle Brooks did audition. 175 00:07:34,671 --> 00:07:36,107 It was not a gift. 176 00:07:36,151 --> 00:07:39,850 She -- she did everything everybody else had to do 177 00:07:39,894 --> 00:07:42,026 and won the day as Sofia. 178 00:07:42,070 --> 00:07:43,506 And then Fantasia was, you know, 179 00:07:43,550 --> 00:07:45,943 that's one of the hardest roles to cast. 180 00:07:45,987 --> 00:07:47,771 And there were a lot of options 181 00:07:47,815 --> 00:07:50,339 and a lot of conversations around it. 182 00:07:50,382 --> 00:07:53,864 And Celie's someone you want to root for 183 00:07:53,908 --> 00:07:55,344 and Fantasia Barrino 184 00:07:55,387 --> 00:07:56,998 is someone you want to root for. 185 00:07:57,041 --> 00:08:00,654 And she really has the DNA of Celie inside her 186 00:08:00,697 --> 00:08:03,178 and her own personal story. 187 00:08:03,221 --> 00:08:05,485 Orji: More "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter'" 188 00:08:05,528 --> 00:08:07,095 right after this. 189 00:08:10,185 --> 00:08:12,883 Orji: Welcome back 190 00:08:12,927 --> 00:08:16,800 to "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 191 00:08:16,844 --> 00:08:20,456 Tom and Ed, I loved watching "Barbie" and "Poor Things," 192 00:08:20,500 --> 00:08:23,590 almost as in conversation with one another. 193 00:08:23,633 --> 00:08:26,636 Uh, they are similar in certain ways, 194 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:28,725 but for producing specifically, 195 00:08:28,769 --> 00:08:31,685 they're incredibly intricate in terms of set pieces, 196 00:08:31,728 --> 00:08:33,991 costume sequences, characters. 197 00:08:34,034 --> 00:08:37,429 When you all read that script for the first time, 198 00:08:37,472 --> 00:08:39,693 is there anything particularly outrageous 199 00:08:39,736 --> 00:08:41,738 that you thought to yourself like, 200 00:08:41,782 --> 00:08:43,784 "Oh, man, there's no way we can get this one done"? 201 00:08:43,827 --> 00:08:45,263 A thousand things. Yes. Yeah. 202 00:08:45,307 --> 00:08:47,657 And how ultimately did you get it done? 203 00:08:47,701 --> 00:08:50,355 I mean, it started with a Mattel executive being shot 204 00:08:50,399 --> 00:08:52,706 so that -- that went well 205 00:08:52,749 --> 00:08:57,014 and fascism and gynecology and -- and all sorts. 206 00:08:57,058 --> 00:08:58,799 And, no, I remember well. 207 00:08:58,842 --> 00:09:01,105 Margot and I got the script, and we were sitting on the couch 208 00:09:01,149 --> 00:09:02,629 and I'll never forget 209 00:09:02,672 --> 00:09:04,848 and we were reading it and laughing and crying 210 00:09:04,892 --> 00:09:07,155 and every six pages turning around going, 211 00:09:07,198 --> 00:09:08,548 "That's never gonna happen. 212 00:09:08,591 --> 00:09:10,506 Oh, my God, how are we gonna do this?" 213 00:09:10,550 --> 00:09:12,856 And it was a long process with Mattel 214 00:09:12,900 --> 00:09:15,555 and Warner Brothers to get the movie made, 215 00:09:15,598 --> 00:09:17,992 but it was ultimately, they trusted in the process 216 00:09:18,035 --> 00:09:19,994 and they trusted in Greta's vision. 217 00:09:20,037 --> 00:09:23,606 And I think, as a producer, the main thing we can do 218 00:09:23,650 --> 00:09:26,609 is trust our filmmaker and trust wholeheartedly 219 00:09:26,653 --> 00:09:28,655 what Greta was gonna do with that movie. 220 00:09:28,698 --> 00:09:31,353 And -- and we managed to, you know, 221 00:09:31,396 --> 00:09:35,226 convince our larger partners of that and move forward. 222 00:09:35,270 --> 00:09:37,446 Yeah. Was there any one set piece 223 00:09:37,489 --> 00:09:39,361 that you were so excited to see on screen 224 00:09:39,404 --> 00:09:41,493 that you were able to get? 225 00:09:41,537 --> 00:09:43,713 I mean, the whole movie. I think the best -- 226 00:09:43,757 --> 00:09:46,107 One of, like, the cool memories was walking in 227 00:09:46,150 --> 00:09:47,630 to the cul-de-sac on the -- 228 00:09:47,674 --> 00:09:49,284 We shot there for the first day, 229 00:09:49,327 --> 00:09:52,461 and seeing the scale of those sets 230 00:09:52,504 --> 00:09:55,682 and the dream houses were four stories high 231 00:09:55,725 --> 00:09:58,423 and the whole cul-de-sac was built, 232 00:09:58,467 --> 00:10:00,121 and the palm trees and the painted sites, 233 00:10:00,164 --> 00:10:01,949 it was all painted. There was no green screen, 234 00:10:01,992 --> 00:10:05,517 and you could see from corner to corner 235 00:10:05,561 --> 00:10:06,997 on this huge soundstage, 236 00:10:07,041 --> 00:10:08,738 because the dream houses didn't have walls. 237 00:10:08,782 --> 00:10:10,305 And seeing all the Barbies 238 00:10:10,348 --> 00:10:12,263 and the Kens and the costumes, 239 00:10:12,307 --> 00:10:14,265 just having that moment of, 240 00:10:14,309 --> 00:10:18,226 "Wow, we made it" was such like a -- 241 00:10:18,269 --> 00:10:20,750 a moment of relief as well as a moment of relaxation. 242 00:10:20,794 --> 00:10:23,535 It was great. Yeah. And, Ed, what about for you? 243 00:10:23,579 --> 00:10:24,972 Guiney: We'd done "The Lobster" with Yorgos, 244 00:10:25,015 --> 00:10:27,322 and I think he read the book almost 10 years ago, 245 00:10:27,365 --> 00:10:29,672 and soon afterward we were just talking about things, 246 00:10:29,716 --> 00:10:31,805 and he said, "You know, you should read this book." 247 00:10:31,848 --> 00:10:34,851 And I did. And I was like, "Okay. 248 00:10:34,895 --> 00:10:38,638 Yeah, right. Challenging." 249 00:10:38,681 --> 00:10:40,422 And, you know, it was -- it was something 250 00:10:40,465 --> 00:10:42,119 that we kind of said we'd do, 251 00:10:42,163 --> 00:10:44,165 but we knew that it would take a while 252 00:10:44,208 --> 00:10:46,820 to kind of build it, to kind of make the case for it. 253 00:10:46,863 --> 00:10:48,560 And it was, you know, two movies later, 254 00:10:48,604 --> 00:10:51,085 we did "Sacred Deer" and then "The Favourite." 255 00:10:51,128 --> 00:10:52,434 And it was really the fact 256 00:10:52,477 --> 00:10:53,957 that "The Favourite" sort of was a hit 257 00:10:54,001 --> 00:10:56,699 and that Emma Stone joined "Poor Things" 258 00:10:56,743 --> 00:10:58,875 after working with Yorgos on "The Favourite." 259 00:10:58,919 --> 00:11:00,616 That was the thing that kind of unlocked it. 260 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:02,531 And of course, Tony wrote this amazing -- 261 00:11:02,574 --> 00:11:04,446 Tony McNamara wrote this amazing script. 262 00:11:04,489 --> 00:11:06,361 George, you and your film 263 00:11:06,404 --> 00:11:08,885 were re-creating the March on Washington, 264 00:11:08,929 --> 00:11:12,280 which is just one of the most iconic moments 265 00:11:12,323 --> 00:11:14,848 of 20th-century American history. 266 00:11:14,891 --> 00:11:17,677 How do you even go about -- about doing that? 267 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:19,896 Well, you try to do it three times. 268 00:11:19,940 --> 00:11:21,985 Yeah. 269 00:11:22,029 --> 00:11:24,509 Someone came up with this brilliant idea 270 00:11:24,553 --> 00:11:26,468 that we should film it first. 271 00:11:26,511 --> 00:11:27,991 The very beginning of the shoot? 272 00:11:28,035 --> 00:11:29,689 At the very beginning, before we filmed anything else. 273 00:11:29,732 --> 00:11:32,996 And 25 to 30 trucks took off from Pittsburgh. 274 00:11:33,040 --> 00:11:35,346 COVID set in. We had to cancel. 275 00:11:35,390 --> 00:11:36,870 Oh, no. 276 00:11:36,913 --> 00:11:40,917 Then we start the permit process all over again. 277 00:11:40,961 --> 00:11:43,964 April. So after we finished the rest of the film, 278 00:11:44,007 --> 00:11:47,924 25, 30 trucks again. COVID again. 279 00:11:47,968 --> 00:11:49,230 Oh.Man. 280 00:11:49,273 --> 00:11:51,275 The next time that is available... 281 00:11:51,319 --> 00:11:54,583 is August. Oh, my God. 282 00:11:54,626 --> 00:11:57,804 By that time, I had edited the whole film together, 283 00:11:57,847 --> 00:11:59,893 so I knew exactly what I needed. 284 00:11:59,936 --> 00:12:02,243 But also when we went there, it was in August. 285 00:12:02,286 --> 00:12:04,593 The march was in August, in 1963, 286 00:12:04,636 --> 00:12:06,551 it was 83 degrees. 287 00:12:06,595 --> 00:12:09,685 For us, it was 117 degrees. 288 00:12:09,729 --> 00:12:12,122 No. And at the Lincoln Memorial, 289 00:12:12,166 --> 00:12:15,386 when the sun would bounce off the marble, 290 00:12:15,430 --> 00:12:16,910 there was nowhere for it to go 291 00:12:16,953 --> 00:12:19,216 other than into the actors' bodies. 292 00:12:19,260 --> 00:12:23,003 And there was this logistics of 500 extras 293 00:12:23,046 --> 00:12:24,744 and the tent where they were stored, 294 00:12:24,787 --> 00:12:27,659 and the heat and the wool suits, 295 00:12:27,703 --> 00:12:29,139 because that's what they would have been in, 296 00:12:29,183 --> 00:12:30,619 all of these incredible details. 297 00:12:30,662 --> 00:12:32,316 But it turned out to be 298 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,797 when it should have been filmed. 299 00:12:34,841 --> 00:12:36,668 It was complicated and a mess, 300 00:12:36,712 --> 00:12:39,367 but an incredible blessing in the long run 301 00:12:39,410 --> 00:12:44,067 because we were just now this flawless, perfect team 302 00:12:44,111 --> 00:12:47,288 who were ready to take on the monster, 303 00:12:47,331 --> 00:12:49,116 as opposed to using the monster 304 00:12:49,159 --> 00:12:50,639 to train us how to be a team. 305 00:12:50,682 --> 00:12:53,033 It was third time we figured it out, 306 00:12:53,076 --> 00:12:54,774 and it was glorious and it was wonderful. 307 00:12:54,817 --> 00:12:56,645 And it was horrifying because of the heat. 308 00:12:56,688 --> 00:12:58,081 But it was glorious. 309 00:12:58,125 --> 00:12:59,866 Christine, one thing I hear in my reporting 310 00:12:59,909 --> 00:13:01,955 when it comes to filmmakers 311 00:13:01,998 --> 00:13:08,222 is a desire for tested filmmakers from studios 312 00:13:08,265 --> 00:13:09,614 who may be risk averse. 313 00:13:09,658 --> 00:13:12,182 You have such a history of producing films 314 00:13:12,226 --> 00:13:15,403 from first-time directors like Celine Song with "Past Lives." 315 00:13:15,446 --> 00:13:19,711 How do you convince studios, financiers, fellow producers 316 00:13:19,755 --> 00:13:22,323 to take that chance on a first-time filmmaker? 317 00:13:22,366 --> 00:13:24,586 And do those filmmakers need a different type 318 00:13:24,629 --> 00:13:26,196 of producing from you? 319 00:13:26,240 --> 00:13:28,590 It's not easy because especially as our world 320 00:13:28,633 --> 00:13:30,070 becomes more risk averse, 321 00:13:30,113 --> 00:13:33,247 which it is, betting on a first-time director 322 00:13:33,290 --> 00:13:36,685 becomes trickier and trickier to get people to do. 323 00:13:36,728 --> 00:13:39,601 For me, the reason why Killer keeps doing it, 324 00:13:39,644 --> 00:13:41,821 um, first of all, it's like -- 325 00:13:41,864 --> 00:13:43,997 it's like the anti cynicism. 326 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:46,695 And I feel like cynicism is, like, 327 00:13:46,738 --> 00:13:47,957 the creativity killer. 328 00:13:48,001 --> 00:13:49,611 It's just, it's the thing 329 00:13:49,654 --> 00:13:51,918 that it destroys everything, I think. 330 00:13:51,961 --> 00:13:54,224 And when you work with a first-time director, 331 00:13:54,268 --> 00:13:55,835 you can't be cynical 332 00:13:55,878 --> 00:13:58,054 because they're usually telling the story 333 00:13:58,098 --> 00:14:00,230 that they've waited their whole lives to tell 334 00:14:00,274 --> 00:14:02,798 and specifically to somebody like Celine. 335 00:14:02,842 --> 00:14:06,410 You know, she is such an extraordinary storyteller. 336 00:14:06,454 --> 00:14:08,195 And I couldn't teach her that. 337 00:14:08,238 --> 00:14:09,761 I could teach her how to read a call sheet, 338 00:14:09,805 --> 00:14:12,112 which we did, you know, but that's easy. 339 00:14:12,155 --> 00:14:14,810 That's like, "Look at the top. Look at your name. 340 00:14:14,854 --> 00:14:16,812 That's when you got to be there." 341 00:14:16,856 --> 00:14:18,770 You know, "Now you know how to read a call sheet." 342 00:14:18,814 --> 00:14:21,643 But she knew the story she wanted to tell 343 00:14:21,686 --> 00:14:24,124 and all we had to do, uh, 344 00:14:24,167 --> 00:14:26,778 you know, our company and David Hinojosa's company 345 00:14:26,822 --> 00:14:29,477 was really just fill in around her 346 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:32,872 with the people that were the best possible partners 347 00:14:32,915 --> 00:14:35,091 and really just support her, because, as I said, 348 00:14:35,135 --> 00:14:36,658 she knew the story she wanted to tell. 349 00:14:36,701 --> 00:14:38,399 And that's the one thing 350 00:14:38,442 --> 00:14:40,880 I wouldn't really have been able to step in and do. 351 00:14:40,923 --> 00:14:43,708 Orji: More with our producers roundtable right after this. 352 00:14:47,930 --> 00:14:50,585 Orji: Welcome back 353 00:14:50,628 --> 00:14:54,241 to "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 354 00:14:54,284 --> 00:14:56,896 So much of producing is about tenacity 355 00:14:56,939 --> 00:14:59,289 and staying power and just sticking with it. 356 00:14:59,333 --> 00:15:01,248 And, Scott, you've been with "The Color Purple" 357 00:15:01,291 --> 00:15:03,598 for so long, for a number of years. 25 years. 358 00:15:03,641 --> 00:15:06,470 Yes. What was the biggest challenge 359 00:15:06,514 --> 00:15:10,344 in bringing the book to stage as a musical, 360 00:15:10,387 --> 00:15:14,217 and then bringing the musical to the movie screen? 361 00:15:14,261 --> 00:15:17,786 You know, were there some jumps that had to happen? 362 00:15:17,829 --> 00:15:19,788 Did some people need convincing? 363 00:15:19,831 --> 00:15:22,486 Oh, my God, a lot of people needed convincing. 364 00:15:22,530 --> 00:15:25,315 I mean, "The Color Purple" doesn't, on its surface, 365 00:15:25,359 --> 00:15:26,926 seem like a story 366 00:15:26,969 --> 00:15:29,667 you'd want to sing and dance to on Broadway. 367 00:15:29,711 --> 00:15:33,106 And when you think about the cost of a Broadway ticket, 368 00:15:33,149 --> 00:15:34,846 that becomes even more challenging. 369 00:15:34,890 --> 00:15:36,936 And so the year 370 00:15:36,979 --> 00:15:38,502 that "The Color Purple" opened on Broadway, 371 00:15:38,546 --> 00:15:41,201 the African-American audience attendance 372 00:15:41,244 --> 00:15:43,855 was 3.8% of all audiences combined. 373 00:15:43,899 --> 00:15:46,423 So I had lots of people -- George knows this. 374 00:15:46,467 --> 00:15:48,164 There were a lot of people that said, 375 00:15:48,208 --> 00:15:49,818 "This show will never sell. 376 00:15:49,861 --> 00:15:52,342 There's no audience for it. Who's coming to see it?" 377 00:15:52,386 --> 00:15:54,823 And I just believed in Celie. I mean, to me, 378 00:15:54,866 --> 00:15:59,132 she was the most remarkable triumph-over-adversity story 379 00:15:59,175 --> 00:16:01,786 I had ever read, ever in fiction or nonfiction. 380 00:16:01,830 --> 00:16:05,007 And just have your dream, have your vision, 381 00:16:05,051 --> 00:16:07,488 have your own instinct, trust your gut. 382 00:16:07,531 --> 00:16:10,143 Keep going. Don't listen to no's. 383 00:16:10,186 --> 00:16:12,493 I mean, every once in a while, a no is helpful, 384 00:16:12,536 --> 00:16:15,191 but very often, but very often, 385 00:16:15,235 --> 00:16:18,629 it's based on fear or lack of knowledge, 386 00:16:18,673 --> 00:16:22,068 or they don't understand what you're going for 387 00:16:22,111 --> 00:16:23,591 and you have to just, you know -- 388 00:16:23,634 --> 00:16:25,201 Sometimes it's very lonely. 389 00:16:25,245 --> 00:16:28,509 I mean, you can be -- It can be a very lonely profession. 390 00:16:28,552 --> 00:16:29,814 But don't you think in some ways 391 00:16:29,858 --> 00:16:31,947 the worst thing is a soft no? 392 00:16:31,991 --> 00:16:33,122 Oh, yeah. 393 00:16:33,165 --> 00:16:34,471 Galuppo: You'd rather have a hard no? 394 00:16:34,515 --> 00:16:37,344 [ Laughter ] 395 00:16:37,387 --> 00:16:41,478 A fast yes, a slow yes, a fast no. 396 00:16:41,522 --> 00:16:43,002 Yeah. In that order. 397 00:16:43,045 --> 00:16:44,873 Yes. Exactly, exactly. 398 00:16:44,915 --> 00:16:48,485 Was Alice Walker -- when you approached her 399 00:16:48,529 --> 00:16:51,010 about doing the possibility of a musical, 400 00:16:51,053 --> 00:16:53,186 was she -- was she a fast yes? 401 00:16:53,229 --> 00:16:54,796 She was a fast no. Got it. Oh, wow. 402 00:16:54,839 --> 00:16:57,277 Yeah. I went to Berkeley to see her 403 00:16:57,320 --> 00:16:59,409 and asked her and she said, 404 00:16:59,453 --> 00:17:02,282 "You seem like a very nice, smart guy, but no." 405 00:17:02,325 --> 00:17:03,761 And then I -- 406 00:17:03,805 --> 00:17:07,069 And then whoever said tenacity a minute ago, 407 00:17:07,113 --> 00:17:10,464 I went home and waited a couple of months 408 00:17:10,507 --> 00:17:13,858 and called her, and I said, "Could I fly you to New York 409 00:17:13,902 --> 00:17:15,685 and let's spend a week and talk about 410 00:17:15,730 --> 00:17:18,037 why I think it's right to do it?" Yeah. 411 00:17:18,079 --> 00:17:20,430 And she said yes to that, 412 00:17:20,473 --> 00:17:22,606 which was -- that was the crack in the window. 413 00:17:22,650 --> 00:17:24,739 And then by the end of that week, she said, 414 00:17:24,781 --> 00:17:26,522 "Okay, you can do it, I trust you." 415 00:17:26,567 --> 00:17:29,396 Um, and -- and that began the journey, really. 416 00:17:29,439 --> 00:17:31,746 Yeah. You just need that one little yes to something. 417 00:17:31,789 --> 00:17:34,227 But it's, you know, it's...Yeah. 418 00:17:34,270 --> 00:17:36,359 It's a journey. Long journey. 419 00:17:36,403 --> 00:17:40,102 Natalie, ahead of Cannes, I was interviewing Todd Haynes, 420 00:17:40,146 --> 00:17:44,237 and he told me that you and your producing team 421 00:17:44,280 --> 00:17:45,890 were the ones that reached out to him 422 00:17:45,934 --> 00:17:48,110 with the script for "May December" 423 00:17:48,154 --> 00:17:51,026 to possibly direct the movie in the beginning. 424 00:17:51,070 --> 00:17:53,202 Why was Todd the right filmmaker for you? 425 00:17:53,246 --> 00:17:57,641 And with a script as idiosyncratic as "May December," 426 00:17:57,685 --> 00:18:00,122 what were you looking for in a director? 427 00:18:00,166 --> 00:18:02,777 Jessica Elbaum sent me the script and I read it, 428 00:18:02,820 --> 00:18:05,475 and I've been wanting to work with Todd for a long time, 429 00:18:05,519 --> 00:18:07,564 and Christine knows I've been sending you 430 00:18:07,608 --> 00:18:11,568 both scripts for years, and they've said no to me, 431 00:18:11,612 --> 00:18:14,615 and I guess I'm a glutton for rejection. 432 00:18:14,658 --> 00:18:17,226 [ Laughter ] Were they fast? 433 00:18:17,270 --> 00:18:20,403 They were fast and kind, but fast. 434 00:18:20,447 --> 00:18:23,189 Um, and when I read the script, I saw that it dealt 435 00:18:23,232 --> 00:18:26,757 with so many of the questions about performance and identity 436 00:18:26,801 --> 00:18:28,498 that I think Todd has explored in so many 437 00:18:28,542 --> 00:18:29,978 of the movies I love 438 00:18:30,021 --> 00:18:31,849 that he and Christine have made together, 439 00:18:31,893 --> 00:18:34,287 "Safe" and "Far from Heaven" 440 00:18:34,330 --> 00:18:36,289 and, um, "I'm Not There." 441 00:18:36,332 --> 00:18:38,726 Like, very much these questions 442 00:18:38,769 --> 00:18:40,641 of how we construct ourselves 443 00:18:40,684 --> 00:18:42,686 from various aspects of performance 444 00:18:42,730 --> 00:18:45,733 and, um, and I thought he might take to it, and he did. 445 00:18:45,776 --> 00:18:48,475 And it was the best luck of my life. 446 00:18:48,518 --> 00:18:51,478 Yeah, it was -- it was that yes that you've been waiting for. 447 00:18:51,521 --> 00:18:52,783 It was that yes, yes. 448 00:18:52,827 --> 00:18:54,437 Ed, you actually mentioned something 449 00:18:54,481 --> 00:18:57,136 that I wanted to circle back to, which is, you know, 450 00:18:57,179 --> 00:19:00,791 Yorgos had been wanting to make "Poor Things" for a while. 451 00:19:00,835 --> 00:19:03,142 What were the factors that, in your mind, 452 00:19:03,185 --> 00:19:06,188 had to finally come together to get this over the finish line? 453 00:19:06,232 --> 00:19:09,887 And do you think it could have been made in Hollywood 454 00:19:09,931 --> 00:19:11,933 5 or even 10 years ago? 455 00:19:11,976 --> 00:19:14,022 It's a hard question to answer. 456 00:19:14,065 --> 00:19:17,504 I think the times did move to kind of -- 457 00:19:17,547 --> 00:19:19,245 to create maybe an interest in the film 458 00:19:19,288 --> 00:19:21,856 that maybe might not have been there in the past. 459 00:19:21,899 --> 00:19:24,554 You know, we also really benefited from COVID 460 00:19:24,598 --> 00:19:27,470 because we knew that we had the building blocks 461 00:19:27,514 --> 00:19:30,212 in terms of Tony's script and Film4 in the UK, 462 00:19:30,256 --> 00:19:31,518 who were developing the film with us, 463 00:19:31,561 --> 00:19:33,346 and interest from Searchlight. 464 00:19:33,389 --> 00:19:35,957 So Yorgos and Emma had a lot of time 465 00:19:36,000 --> 00:19:39,352 to refine their thinking around how Bella would be created, 466 00:19:39,395 --> 00:19:40,875 how the film would evolve, 467 00:19:40,918 --> 00:19:42,703 and she was a producer on the film at that point. 468 00:19:42,746 --> 00:19:45,053 So there was a kind of producorial element 469 00:19:45,096 --> 00:19:47,403 to that conversation as well, around casting, 470 00:19:47,447 --> 00:19:49,144 around imagining it. 471 00:19:49,188 --> 00:19:51,625 And also we had a lot of time to kind of do the due diligence 472 00:19:51,668 --> 00:19:53,888 as to how we would build these sets, 473 00:19:53,931 --> 00:19:55,368 because 90% of the film 474 00:19:55,411 --> 00:19:57,457 is shot on soundstages in Hungary, 475 00:19:57,500 --> 00:19:59,720 in Budapest, and actually probably turns out 476 00:19:59,763 --> 00:20:02,940 that we couldn't have done it anywhere other than Budapest, 477 00:20:02,984 --> 00:20:05,552 you know, in terms of just the economics of it 478 00:20:05,595 --> 00:20:07,728 and the tax credit and all that kind of stuff. 479 00:20:07,771 --> 00:20:09,338 And we had the -- I was just reminded 480 00:20:09,382 --> 00:20:10,861 of what Tom was saying earlier 481 00:20:10,905 --> 00:20:12,907 when he was talking about being on the "Barbie" sets. 482 00:20:12,950 --> 00:20:15,779 We had -- We built the set for Lisbon 483 00:20:15,823 --> 00:20:18,695 in the Alexander Korda studio outside Budapest, 484 00:20:18,739 --> 00:20:21,916 and it's the biggest soundstage in continental Europe. 485 00:20:21,959 --> 00:20:23,700 It was the first time also that Yorgos 486 00:20:23,744 --> 00:20:25,485 had ever worked on stages, 487 00:20:25,528 --> 00:20:27,965 like, never shot on a set before 488 00:20:28,009 --> 00:20:30,229 and really had never used lighting before. 489 00:20:30,272 --> 00:20:32,622 And Robbie Ryan, who shot it, had, you know, 490 00:20:32,666 --> 00:20:35,321 the favorite was all mainly natural light. 491 00:20:35,364 --> 00:20:37,801 So it was a kind of complete sort of opposite to that. 492 00:20:37,845 --> 00:20:42,806 But I remember when we first went on the Lisbon set 493 00:20:42,850 --> 00:20:45,069 and I was -- It was kind of breathtaking. 494 00:20:45,113 --> 00:20:46,810 And I remember Yorgos going around 495 00:20:46,854 --> 00:20:48,725 kind of scratching his head and he was going -- 496 00:20:48,769 --> 00:20:50,161 And it was big. This was a big set. 497 00:20:50,205 --> 00:20:51,598 He was like, "I don't know 498 00:20:51,641 --> 00:20:53,252 how I'm gonna shoot all of Lisbon on this set. 499 00:20:53,295 --> 00:20:55,863 It's like -- it's like -- 500 00:20:55,906 --> 00:20:59,214 How am I gonna chase, you know, Bella around this set?" 501 00:20:59,258 --> 00:21:00,737 And it was kind of like, "Oh, my God." 502 00:21:00,781 --> 00:21:04,045 I mean, it couldn't have been bigger, actually. 503 00:21:04,088 --> 00:21:05,612 Orji: Coming right back 504 00:21:05,655 --> 00:21:07,440 with our producers roundtable after the break. 505 00:21:10,660 --> 00:21:12,836 Orji: And we're back 506 00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,274 with more "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 507 00:21:17,014 --> 00:21:19,147 Galuppo: I feel like we've been talking so much 508 00:21:19,190 --> 00:21:20,627 about the tenacity 509 00:21:20,670 --> 00:21:22,933 and the difficulty that comes with producing, 510 00:21:22,977 --> 00:21:25,762 and there's been a lot of ink spilled lately 511 00:21:25,806 --> 00:21:28,069 about work-life balances. 512 00:21:28,112 --> 00:21:30,985 When you are on set and you're in the middle of it, 513 00:21:31,028 --> 00:21:33,596 is there any way that you all decompress? 514 00:21:33,640 --> 00:21:36,251 Is that something that is important in order 515 00:21:36,295 --> 00:21:39,167 to maintain your creative spirit? 516 00:21:39,210 --> 00:21:43,084 My husband and I got a house in Provincetown in Cape Cod, 517 00:21:43,127 --> 00:21:44,607 and it was during COVID. 518 00:21:44,651 --> 00:21:47,480 So we were able to do that and work remotely. 519 00:21:47,523 --> 00:21:49,438 But being around nature -- 520 00:21:49,482 --> 00:21:53,268 I mean, I worked with our team and we cast the movie. 521 00:21:53,312 --> 00:21:55,488 I mean, I was -- I was looking at seagulls 522 00:21:55,531 --> 00:21:58,360 dropping clams on the beach while on the phone 523 00:21:58,404 --> 00:22:00,406 with an agent arguing over a deal. 524 00:22:00,449 --> 00:22:02,451 So it was -- It was the ability 525 00:22:02,495 --> 00:22:04,410 to balance those two things. 526 00:22:04,453 --> 00:22:06,150 You don't get to do that all the time. 527 00:22:06,194 --> 00:22:07,587 Christine, what about for you? 528 00:22:07,630 --> 00:22:10,633 You're a stalwart in independent film, 529 00:22:10,677 --> 00:22:12,200 which isn't necessarily known 530 00:22:12,243 --> 00:22:15,203 for a big breadth of time on set, 531 00:22:15,246 --> 00:22:17,771 but is there a way to find a moment for yourself? 532 00:22:17,814 --> 00:22:20,643 Well, I speak at a lot of colleges and institutions, 533 00:22:20,687 --> 00:22:22,515 and about three or four years ago, 534 00:22:22,558 --> 00:22:25,605 that question kind of started to come. 535 00:22:25,648 --> 00:22:27,041 You know, people would say, 536 00:22:27,084 --> 00:22:28,999 "How do you handle work-life balance?" 537 00:22:29,043 --> 00:22:30,174 And the first time somebody asked me, 538 00:22:30,218 --> 00:22:33,221 I was like, "What do you even mean?" 539 00:22:33,264 --> 00:22:35,266 What is balance? 540 00:22:35,310 --> 00:22:39,662 I -- I do feel like this new generation of -- 541 00:22:39,706 --> 00:22:41,751 of people coming up through the business 542 00:22:41,795 --> 00:22:43,405 are restructuring it 543 00:22:43,449 --> 00:22:46,800 in ways that sometimes I think some of -- 544 00:22:46,843 --> 00:22:49,280 Well, I count myself. Not everyone is my age here. 545 00:22:49,324 --> 00:22:53,676 But some of us are a little like, "Back in my day..." 546 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:57,114 But, um, but I also really kind of appreciate 547 00:22:57,158 --> 00:22:58,681 this sense of like, 548 00:22:58,725 --> 00:23:00,553 "We understand we have to work hard. 549 00:23:00,596 --> 00:23:03,120 We understand that these things don't just like, you know, 550 00:23:03,164 --> 00:23:05,427 happen, you know, overnight or whatever. 551 00:23:05,471 --> 00:23:07,951 But we also do need to figure out a way 552 00:23:07,995 --> 00:23:10,084 to balance it in some ways 553 00:23:10,127 --> 00:23:12,739 that aren't quite so detrimental 554 00:23:12,782 --> 00:23:15,176 to our ability to have a life." 555 00:23:15,219 --> 00:23:16,482 Ackerley: When you start a project, 556 00:23:16,525 --> 00:23:18,832 you become 100% consumed with it. 557 00:23:18,875 --> 00:23:20,224 But that's the joy of it. 558 00:23:20,268 --> 00:23:22,618 Exactly. You go so deep into it 559 00:23:22,662 --> 00:23:25,229 and, you know, on "Barbie" in particular, 560 00:23:25,273 --> 00:23:26,840 the pressure of doing that film 561 00:23:26,883 --> 00:23:30,017 and standing up to a 64-year-legacy with Barbie 562 00:23:30,060 --> 00:23:33,324 and the, you know, the financial investment from the studio 563 00:23:33,368 --> 00:23:35,544 and everyone's careers, you know, 564 00:23:35,588 --> 00:23:37,154 and there were a million ways 565 00:23:37,198 --> 00:23:40,375 we could have gotten the film wrong, but... 566 00:23:40,419 --> 00:23:43,639 being so consumed and the joy of making the film, 567 00:23:43,683 --> 00:23:46,903 it was -- it was a dance party every day, and it was so fun. 568 00:23:46,947 --> 00:23:49,428 And even, you know, on the days off, 569 00:23:49,471 --> 00:23:52,735 we would -- Greta had so many filmic references for "Barbie" 570 00:23:52,779 --> 00:23:55,259 and we would put on, uh, on Sunday mornings, 571 00:23:55,303 --> 00:23:57,523 we'd call Movie Church, and every Sunday 572 00:23:57,566 --> 00:23:59,438 through prep and through the shoot, 573 00:23:59,481 --> 00:24:01,309 we would get the crew together, 574 00:24:01,352 --> 00:24:02,876 and we'd watch something at 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. 575 00:24:02,919 --> 00:24:04,094 And that was a great way to -- 576 00:24:04,138 --> 00:24:05,705 You're still involved in the film 577 00:24:05,748 --> 00:24:08,272 and you're still creating the family of the film, 578 00:24:08,316 --> 00:24:11,145 but managing to look at it through a different lens. 579 00:24:11,188 --> 00:24:13,452 You all have had collaborators 580 00:24:13,495 --> 00:24:15,932 that you've worked with time and again. 581 00:24:15,976 --> 00:24:18,369 When you find a creative collaborator 582 00:24:18,413 --> 00:24:21,329 that could be lifelong, how do you know? 583 00:24:21,372 --> 00:24:24,201 Is it, like, a "love at first sight" type of thing, 584 00:24:24,245 --> 00:24:25,681 lightning from the heavens? 585 00:24:25,725 --> 00:24:28,815 Or is it a gradual process where you realize 586 00:24:28,858 --> 00:24:30,251 "This is someone I'm gonna be working with 587 00:24:30,294 --> 00:24:31,818 for the rest of my life"? 588 00:24:31,861 --> 00:24:34,473 I often think that I'm more interested in people 589 00:24:34,516 --> 00:24:36,126 than ideas, if that makes sense. 590 00:24:36,170 --> 00:24:37,737 You know, so that if you kind of connect 591 00:24:37,780 --> 00:24:39,956 with somebody's brain, that you kind of -- 592 00:24:40,000 --> 00:24:41,523 And you have that kind of relationship 593 00:24:41,567 --> 00:24:43,046 that's based on that, 594 00:24:43,090 --> 00:24:45,092 then you're with them for the long haul. 595 00:24:45,135 --> 00:24:46,789 But of course, it all just starts 596 00:24:46,833 --> 00:24:48,487 with the first thing you do. 597 00:24:48,530 --> 00:24:49,966 And the filmmakers I've worked with -- 598 00:24:50,010 --> 00:24:51,228 Yorgos or Lenny Abrahamson or Joanna Hogg 599 00:24:51,272 --> 00:24:52,578 or any of those people -- 600 00:24:52,621 --> 00:24:54,493 I don't take it for granted at any point. 601 00:24:54,536 --> 00:24:56,538 I know that, you know, the next time 602 00:24:56,582 --> 00:24:58,888 I need to do the job and do it really well, 603 00:24:58,932 --> 00:25:01,369 and you have to kind of keep on sort of tweaking it 604 00:25:01,412 --> 00:25:03,632 and trying to improve and all that kind of stuff. 605 00:25:03,676 --> 00:25:05,504 But, of course, there is great, you know, 606 00:25:05,547 --> 00:25:07,418 there's great community and friendship 607 00:25:07,462 --> 00:25:10,465 and it's a very important part of my life, 608 00:25:10,509 --> 00:25:12,206 those relationships and those friendships. 609 00:25:12,249 --> 00:25:13,424 Yeah. Tom, what about for you? 610 00:25:13,468 --> 00:25:14,817 Ackerley: I think for us, 611 00:25:14,861 --> 00:25:16,471 we had a really clear vision from the start. 612 00:25:16,515 --> 00:25:18,734 And that was, you know, female films and female storytellers. 613 00:25:18,778 --> 00:25:22,433 And no matter how big the films get or small or whatever, 614 00:25:22,477 --> 00:25:24,044 we have a very clear idea 615 00:25:24,087 --> 00:25:25,872 of what we want to do and what we want to achieve. 616 00:25:25,915 --> 00:25:27,743 And that won't change and hasn't changed. 617 00:25:27,787 --> 00:25:31,704 And it's given us that ability to keep working. 618 00:25:31,747 --> 00:25:35,055 And we have such, over time, created such a shorthand. 619 00:25:35,098 --> 00:25:37,361 And we all -- I mean, Margot jokes 620 00:25:37,405 --> 00:25:41,278 that Josey is my second husband, so it goes -- 621 00:25:41,322 --> 00:25:42,845 And then I think the same with the filmmakers. 622 00:25:42,889 --> 00:25:44,760 You know, we're lucky to have repeat business 623 00:25:44,804 --> 00:25:46,719 with certain filmmakers, Emerald Fennell being one. 624 00:25:46,762 --> 00:25:48,503 And we did "Promising Young Women," 625 00:25:48,547 --> 00:25:49,983 and we did a good enough job 626 00:25:50,026 --> 00:25:51,680 to do her second film, "Saltburn." 627 00:25:51,724 --> 00:25:54,422 But we're lucky each time she asks us to come back 628 00:25:54,465 --> 00:25:56,511 and hopefully she asks us again. Completely. 629 00:25:56,555 --> 00:25:58,644 Christine, what about for you? 630 00:25:58,687 --> 00:26:01,647 I've been with Todd for 30 years, 631 00:26:01,690 --> 00:26:04,171 and I've been with my business partner, 632 00:26:04,214 --> 00:26:07,217 Pam Koffler, for, um, 633 00:26:07,261 --> 00:26:08,697 probably also 30 years. 634 00:26:08,741 --> 00:26:11,570 Actually, Todd, probably a few years longer. 635 00:26:11,613 --> 00:26:13,789 Having the partnership with Pam 636 00:26:13,833 --> 00:26:16,313 allows me in many ways to have the partnership with Todd 637 00:26:16,357 --> 00:26:17,967 because it provides such an extraordinary amount 638 00:26:18,011 --> 00:26:19,708 of stability. 639 00:26:19,752 --> 00:26:22,232 And one of the things I'd say about those partnerships, 640 00:26:22,276 --> 00:26:23,669 I think it's better if you don't 641 00:26:23,712 --> 00:26:25,540 have the same taste, you know? 642 00:26:25,584 --> 00:26:28,630 I mean, if you both have taste, you have to have taste, 643 00:26:28,674 --> 00:26:30,719 but there's different kinds of taste, 644 00:26:30,763 --> 00:26:33,417 and I find that it invigorates me 645 00:26:33,461 --> 00:26:36,507 and wakes me up when Pam likes something 646 00:26:36,551 --> 00:26:38,379 and it makes me have to look at it again 647 00:26:38,422 --> 00:26:41,817 and say, "Oh, okay, I see why you do. I get it." 648 00:26:41,861 --> 00:26:45,865 And it allows us to sort of cross-pollinate, you know? 649 00:26:45,908 --> 00:26:47,562 I mean, look, the relationships with directors, 650 00:26:47,606 --> 00:26:49,303 that's a whole other -- almost a whole other panel. 651 00:26:49,346 --> 00:26:52,654 And the relationship between a producer and a director 652 00:26:52,698 --> 00:26:55,396 is built out of so many things, you know -- 653 00:26:55,439 --> 00:26:59,835 trust, creative complicity and the ability, I think, 654 00:26:59,879 --> 00:27:03,578 for a producer to sort of snow-plow to a certain degree 655 00:27:03,622 --> 00:27:06,494 and help a director find the place 656 00:27:06,537 --> 00:27:08,583 that they can do their best work. Yeah. 657 00:27:08,627 --> 00:27:09,932 Well, going off of that, George, 658 00:27:09,976 --> 00:27:11,760 I'm actually gonna throw that to you 659 00:27:11,804 --> 00:27:13,283 because Christine brought up such an interesting point 660 00:27:13,327 --> 00:27:15,546 and you pulled double duty on your project 661 00:27:15,590 --> 00:27:16,983 as a director and producer. 662 00:27:17,026 --> 00:27:18,506 For you -- 663 00:27:18,549 --> 00:27:20,856 I was thrilled to work with myself. 664 00:27:20,900 --> 00:27:22,205 Yeah. [ Laughter ] 665 00:27:22,249 --> 00:27:24,904 Best relationship you ever had. 666 00:27:24,947 --> 00:27:27,994 I am wondering, though, as a director with that mindset, 667 00:27:28,037 --> 00:27:29,778 what do you -- what do you hope 668 00:27:29,822 --> 00:27:34,522 or what do you look for in a producorial partner? 669 00:27:34,565 --> 00:27:36,785 A sense of safety 670 00:27:36,829 --> 00:27:38,439 as you're venturing off the cliff. 671 00:27:38,482 --> 00:27:39,788 Yeah. 672 00:27:39,832 --> 00:27:41,311 That you know what you're doing. 673 00:27:41,355 --> 00:27:43,052 And then there's an aspect where you don't know 674 00:27:43,096 --> 00:27:45,794 what you're doing, and you're also looking to try 675 00:27:45,838 --> 00:27:49,711 to create this incredible safe place for the actors, 676 00:27:49,755 --> 00:27:54,411 and therefore, so that they can freely and joyfully, uh, 677 00:27:54,455 --> 00:27:57,327 walk off the cliff and discover something that's startling 678 00:27:57,371 --> 00:27:58,677 and amazing and wonderful. 679 00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:01,375 So a sense of safety is very important 680 00:28:01,418 --> 00:28:05,988 and a sense of feeling protected. 681 00:28:06,032 --> 00:28:07,642 And, Natalie, like George, 682 00:28:07,686 --> 00:28:09,818 you're -- you're pulling double duty on your movie. 683 00:28:09,862 --> 00:28:12,995 You're acting as producer and star. 684 00:28:13,039 --> 00:28:16,869 So I am wondering when it comes to holding those two positions, 685 00:28:16,912 --> 00:28:20,089 are there times where they are in conflict with each other, 686 00:28:20,133 --> 00:28:23,136 and are there times where one makes one easier? 687 00:28:23,179 --> 00:28:24,877 Well, it's very empowering. 688 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:28,619 After, I mean, 30 years of being an actress 689 00:28:28,663 --> 00:28:31,927 to now start producing because I think there's a level 690 00:28:31,971 --> 00:28:34,800 where when you're just acting, you're being protected, 691 00:28:34,843 --> 00:28:38,281 and you can just focus on your art 692 00:28:38,325 --> 00:28:41,632 and not be aware of all the craziness that's going on. 693 00:28:41,676 --> 00:28:43,025 But then once you get behind the curtain, 694 00:28:43,069 --> 00:28:44,679 you're like, "Oh, my God, 695 00:28:44,723 --> 00:28:47,029 I can't believe all this stuff has been happening." 696 00:28:47,073 --> 00:28:51,164 And you realize you can help make the environment 697 00:28:51,207 --> 00:28:55,081 that you want to work in and it's helpful to be like, 698 00:28:55,124 --> 00:28:58,127 "Oh, there's a problem, I can help fix it." 699 00:28:58,171 --> 00:28:59,825 And I think it's similar to what all of you 700 00:28:59,868 --> 00:29:03,002 have been saying about kind of de-dramatizing. 701 00:29:03,045 --> 00:29:05,221 I think that's where the conflict can come in 702 00:29:05,265 --> 00:29:06,875 because like, you know, a lot of shit, 703 00:29:06,919 --> 00:29:09,008 and like the rest of the actors don't need to know, 704 00:29:09,051 --> 00:29:11,227 you go back to the set and you know that -- 705 00:29:11,271 --> 00:29:13,447 And you both worked with actresses 706 00:29:13,490 --> 00:29:15,405 who were producing also. 707 00:29:15,449 --> 00:29:17,190 So you're aware of all this stuff 708 00:29:17,233 --> 00:29:18,931 and you really can't share that, 709 00:29:18,974 --> 00:29:20,759 like, you really need to go back 710 00:29:20,802 --> 00:29:22,456 and make everyone feel like everything 711 00:29:22,499 --> 00:29:24,545 is just smooth and fine. 712 00:29:24,588 --> 00:29:26,112 Orji: Don't go anywhere. 713 00:29:26,155 --> 00:29:27,722 More "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter'" 714 00:29:27,766 --> 00:29:29,245 returns right after the break. 715 00:29:31,595 --> 00:29:33,815 Orji: Welcome back 716 00:29:33,859 --> 00:29:37,906 to "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 717 00:29:37,950 --> 00:29:40,822 Galuppo: Christine, you've -- you've worked so heavily 718 00:29:40,866 --> 00:29:42,563 in independent film for so long, 719 00:29:42,606 --> 00:29:45,653 and I feel like the headlines heralding the, you know, 720 00:29:45,696 --> 00:29:48,482 the death of independent film kind of pop up 721 00:29:48,525 --> 00:29:50,832 every, you know, once every five years. 722 00:29:50,876 --> 00:29:54,793 Now we're still digging our way out of the pandemic 723 00:29:54,836 --> 00:29:56,272 and the industry is in a different place. 724 00:29:56,316 --> 00:29:58,405 But I'm wondering, what do you say to people 725 00:29:58,448 --> 00:30:02,496 who decry the end of independent film? 726 00:30:02,539 --> 00:30:04,585 Vachon: But is that what they're decrying, 727 00:30:04,628 --> 00:30:07,022 or are they decrying the end of the theatrical experience? 728 00:30:07,066 --> 00:30:10,721 Because, to me, I mean, independent film really, 729 00:30:10,765 --> 00:30:12,114 you know... 730 00:30:12,158 --> 00:30:14,247 I think what's really gotten murky 731 00:30:14,290 --> 00:30:16,031 is what is an independent film. 732 00:30:16,075 --> 00:30:20,296 I mean, I'd say all of us here have made movies with studios 733 00:30:20,340 --> 00:30:23,299 that have also had an independent element. 734 00:30:23,343 --> 00:30:25,780 So in some ways, your question to me 735 00:30:25,824 --> 00:30:28,391 is about the theatrical experience, 736 00:30:28,435 --> 00:30:30,437 which I think we are all grappling with. 737 00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:34,745 I would say, you know, not to speak for all of you, 738 00:30:34,789 --> 00:30:36,617 but I know I'm grappling with it 739 00:30:36,660 --> 00:30:40,360 and trying to figure out what makes something theatrical. 740 00:30:40,403 --> 00:30:44,886 How important is it to sustain that experience, 741 00:30:44,930 --> 00:30:47,715 and what do we have to do as producers 742 00:30:47,758 --> 00:30:49,412 to keep it relevant? 743 00:30:49,456 --> 00:30:51,197 What do you have to do as producers to keep it relevant? 744 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:53,199 You know, when I first started out, 745 00:30:53,242 --> 00:30:55,505 it was all, you know, theatrical was all there 746 00:30:55,549 --> 00:30:57,072 was available to us, 747 00:30:57,116 --> 00:30:59,640 so we didn't have to think about it that much. 748 00:30:59,683 --> 00:31:01,990 It's like you made a movie. That's what happened to it. 749 00:31:02,034 --> 00:31:04,950 And then over the years, it's gotten sort of parsed. 750 00:31:04,993 --> 00:31:06,777 Ed, I know you do TV as well, Mm-hmm. 751 00:31:06,821 --> 00:31:09,389 so we find ourselves really like, 752 00:31:09,432 --> 00:31:11,695 "What makes it theatrical? What makes it television? 753 00:31:11,739 --> 00:31:14,611 How do you figure out that, like, 754 00:31:14,655 --> 00:31:16,744 precise storytelling path?" 755 00:31:16,787 --> 00:31:18,746 And that's been a lot more -- 756 00:31:18,789 --> 00:31:21,488 for the lack of a better word -- work. 757 00:31:21,531 --> 00:31:23,577 But it's not really work. It's more about training 758 00:31:23,620 --> 00:31:25,666 a different instinct for me, you know, 759 00:31:25,709 --> 00:31:28,234 that I didn't maybe have at the beginning of my career. 760 00:31:28,277 --> 00:31:31,063 Interesting. Speaking of the theatrical experience, 761 00:31:31,106 --> 00:31:34,327 I feel like this year theatricality 762 00:31:34,370 --> 00:31:37,591 is synonymous with "Barbie." Like, I think that -- 763 00:31:37,634 --> 00:31:39,288 Yeah, you can't -- You can't get away from it. 764 00:31:39,332 --> 00:31:41,290 I'm wondering, Tom, at what point did you -- 765 00:31:41,334 --> 00:31:43,336 did you and the team realize, like, "Oh, this -- 766 00:31:43,379 --> 00:31:46,905 this could be bigger than maybe even we anticipated?" 767 00:31:46,948 --> 00:31:50,473 I don't think you ever know until you see it. 768 00:31:50,517 --> 00:31:52,606 You know, I think -- And even then. 769 00:31:52,649 --> 00:31:55,174 Even then, we're still trying to work it out. 770 00:31:55,217 --> 00:31:56,871 Yeah. Yeah. 771 00:31:56,915 --> 00:31:58,307 You know, you can't -- 772 00:31:58,351 --> 00:31:59,700 You can never re-create something in it. 773 00:31:59,743 --> 00:32:03,356 You are catching lightning in a bottle. 774 00:32:03,399 --> 00:32:07,055 It became a cultural event and... 775 00:32:07,099 --> 00:32:09,231 You know, that first weekend it opened, 776 00:32:09,275 --> 00:32:10,798 we were in London, Margot and myself 777 00:32:10,841 --> 00:32:13,366 and David and Greta and Noah were in New York, 778 00:32:13,409 --> 00:32:15,281 and we were going cinema to cinema. 779 00:32:15,324 --> 00:32:18,240 And you saw the lines and I remember, like, 780 00:32:18,284 --> 00:32:20,895 I always remember that Spielberg-Scorsese story 781 00:32:20,939 --> 00:32:22,549 when "Jaws" came out. Oh, yeah. 782 00:32:22,592 --> 00:32:24,116 They'd go drive around the block and they saw the lines 783 00:32:24,159 --> 00:32:25,465 and I didn't think that could exist anymore. 784 00:32:25,508 --> 00:32:27,380 And we saw it and we saw the lines of pink, 785 00:32:27,423 --> 00:32:32,472 and we saw how people of different socio backgrounds 786 00:32:32,515 --> 00:32:36,345 and shapes and sizes and colors and religions 787 00:32:36,389 --> 00:32:38,304 came together and shared that experience. 788 00:32:38,347 --> 00:32:41,785 And it was just, like, mind opening. 789 00:32:41,829 --> 00:32:43,396 It was incredible. 790 00:32:43,439 --> 00:32:47,182 And it shows, you know, how ever hard a movie is, 791 00:32:47,226 --> 00:32:49,837 or however long a movie takes, to bring people together 792 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:52,013 for that two hours is something that you can -- 793 00:32:52,057 --> 00:32:53,754 It gives you goosebumps. It's incredible. 794 00:32:53,797 --> 00:32:56,626 I'm sort of hopeful that the kind of tectonic plates 795 00:32:56,670 --> 00:32:58,541 are shifting a little bit when you see "Barbie," 796 00:32:58,585 --> 00:33:00,065 which is its own new thing, 797 00:33:00,108 --> 00:33:02,110 and "Oppenheimer" and, you know, 798 00:33:02,154 --> 00:33:04,460 the movies that we're all talking about here today, 799 00:33:04,504 --> 00:33:07,550 that there's a kind of boldness in the storytelling and even, 800 00:33:07,594 --> 00:33:09,161 you know, you think of Celine's film, 801 00:33:09,204 --> 00:33:12,207 which is delightful but absolutely theatrical, 802 00:33:12,251 --> 00:33:14,688 like, that is a film you want to fall into, 803 00:33:14,731 --> 00:33:16,995 like, it's delicate and it's character-driven, 804 00:33:17,038 --> 00:33:18,561 but it's absolutely theatrical. 805 00:33:18,605 --> 00:33:22,652 And I sort of hope that kind of as peak TV wanes 806 00:33:22,696 --> 00:33:24,219 and people are moving 807 00:33:24,263 --> 00:33:26,308 maybe a bit more to the mainstream in television, 808 00:33:26,352 --> 00:33:28,789 that actually movies are gonna get bolder 809 00:33:28,832 --> 00:33:31,052 and, you know, maybe not so reliant 810 00:33:31,096 --> 00:33:33,228 on the kind of old IP that's been around 811 00:33:33,272 --> 00:33:34,795 for the last 5 or 10 years, 812 00:33:34,838 --> 00:33:38,277 and that maybe things that are more creator-driven, 813 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:40,279 more filmmaker-driven are -- 814 00:33:40,322 --> 00:33:42,759 are gonna be more appealing because the old way was, 815 00:33:42,803 --> 00:33:44,326 you know, you go to the cinema every Friday 816 00:33:44,370 --> 00:33:46,111 and then you go, "What movie am I gonna see?" 817 00:33:46,154 --> 00:33:47,590 -Yeah. -Now you go, 818 00:33:47,634 --> 00:33:49,549 "What movie am I gonna see?" And then you decide 819 00:33:49,592 --> 00:33:51,029 whether you're going to go to the theater or not, 820 00:33:51,072 --> 00:33:52,726 or do you watch it on the streamers? 821 00:33:52,769 --> 00:33:54,728 I hope we're gonna move into a phase of kind of 822 00:33:54,771 --> 00:33:57,035 bigger storytelling for the cinema. 823 00:33:57,078 --> 00:33:59,385 More spectacular, bigger swings, 824 00:33:59,428 --> 00:34:01,561 edgier stuff. You know, I hope. 825 00:34:01,604 --> 00:34:03,563 Yeah, we had so many people say 826 00:34:03,606 --> 00:34:05,304 that was the first time they'd been back since COVID. 827 00:34:05,347 --> 00:34:07,654 "It was the first time I'd been to cinema with my mom" 828 00:34:07,697 --> 00:34:09,656 was a big one. And to your point, 829 00:34:09,699 --> 00:34:11,527 the amount of cinema owners that would reach out and say, 830 00:34:11,571 --> 00:34:14,835 "You saved our business. Like, we -- we had -- 831 00:34:14,878 --> 00:34:17,141 We were on shutting down and it saved the business." 832 00:34:17,185 --> 00:34:18,795 It was amazing. 833 00:34:18,839 --> 00:34:21,146 Well, George and I started our careers in the theater, 834 00:34:21,188 --> 00:34:26,020 and we've known that magic of a communal experience. 835 00:34:26,063 --> 00:34:28,543 There's nothing like it. There's just nothing like it. 836 00:34:28,588 --> 00:34:30,416 And the same thing happens in cinema. 837 00:34:30,458 --> 00:34:32,199 I mean, watching your movie 838 00:34:32,244 --> 00:34:35,856 with all those people in costume and all ages, 839 00:34:35,899 --> 00:34:38,424 and it was -- it's a remarkable thing 840 00:34:38,467 --> 00:34:40,165 when -- when that happens 841 00:34:40,208 --> 00:34:41,992 and you get that shared experience. 842 00:34:42,036 --> 00:34:43,864 And the potency of the scale. 843 00:34:43,907 --> 00:34:45,431 Yes, yes, yes. 844 00:34:45,474 --> 00:34:48,824 My analogy is that when you're in the theater 845 00:34:48,869 --> 00:34:52,002 and a play is working, you lean forward. 846 00:34:52,045 --> 00:34:53,525 -Mm. -Mm-hmm. 847 00:34:53,569 --> 00:34:56,311 When you're watching a movie and the film is working, 848 00:34:56,355 --> 00:35:00,446 you lean backwards because of the scale, 849 00:35:00,489 --> 00:35:02,578 because of the scale of the event. 850 00:35:02,622 --> 00:35:04,754 And it's both of those dynamics 851 00:35:04,798 --> 00:35:06,930 that are very different but extraordinary. 852 00:35:06,974 --> 00:35:09,629 Yeah. You're taking it all in in both ways. 853 00:35:09,672 --> 00:35:12,893 Yeah. Because, you see, in theater, 854 00:35:12,936 --> 00:35:15,200 they're the same size as you. Yeah. 855 00:35:15,243 --> 00:35:17,637 So you go, "Oh, I recognize what that is." 856 00:35:17,680 --> 00:35:19,334 And then in film, you're going, 857 00:35:19,378 --> 00:35:20,770 "They're bigger than me. 858 00:35:20,814 --> 00:35:23,121 And can I find my way inside of their story?" 859 00:35:23,164 --> 00:35:24,774 Yeah. And so it's that dynamic 860 00:35:24,818 --> 00:35:26,385 that I think is really thrilling to -- 861 00:35:26,428 --> 00:35:29,431 to have -- have that shift happen. 862 00:35:29,475 --> 00:35:31,694 Orji: More "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter'" 863 00:35:31,738 --> 00:35:33,218 right after this. 864 00:35:35,698 --> 00:35:38,005 Orji: Welcome back 865 00:35:38,048 --> 00:35:42,052 to "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 866 00:35:42,096 --> 00:35:44,620 Galuppo: What's the best piece of advice 867 00:35:44,664 --> 00:35:47,319 you received from a fellow filmmaker 868 00:35:47,362 --> 00:35:52,106 about starting out or enduring in this industry as a producer? 869 00:35:52,150 --> 00:35:53,977 You know, trusting your gut, 870 00:35:54,021 --> 00:35:56,241 trust your instincts about something, 871 00:35:56,284 --> 00:35:58,765 whether it's a piece of material or a person or a filmmaker. 872 00:35:58,808 --> 00:36:02,377 And I know that when I haven't and when I've done things 873 00:36:02,421 --> 00:36:05,337 that I think might make sense for kind of market reasons 874 00:36:05,380 --> 00:36:06,816 or because they feel smart 875 00:36:06,860 --> 00:36:09,036 and I'm not that connected to them, 876 00:36:09,079 --> 00:36:10,690 it's always ended in tears. 877 00:36:10,733 --> 00:36:12,692 So that's -- that's the bit of advice that I try 878 00:36:12,735 --> 00:36:14,520 and remember all the time. 879 00:36:14,563 --> 00:36:15,912 Wolfe: The best piece of advice 880 00:36:15,956 --> 00:36:18,132 was when you get involved in the project, 881 00:36:18,176 --> 00:36:22,528 make sure there's a piece inside of you that deeply, 882 00:36:22,571 --> 00:36:25,270 deeply loves it 883 00:36:25,313 --> 00:36:28,795 because at one point, it will become hell. 884 00:36:28,838 --> 00:36:31,711 And that's what you grab on to to push you through 885 00:36:31,754 --> 00:36:33,887 when it becomes difficult or challenging. 886 00:36:33,930 --> 00:36:35,454 This deep love for a project. 887 00:36:35,497 --> 00:36:36,716 Galuppo: When you're living with it for so long. 888 00:36:36,759 --> 00:36:38,718 Exactly, exactly. 889 00:36:38,761 --> 00:36:40,372 Tom, what about you? 890 00:36:40,415 --> 00:36:42,243 We've been so lucky. We've been mentored by so many 891 00:36:42,287 --> 00:36:44,071 of our kind of idols in the producing space. 892 00:36:44,114 --> 00:36:47,944 And I remember Dede Gardner said to me really early on, 893 00:36:47,988 --> 00:36:50,425 "Taste is the only currency you can trade in," 894 00:36:50,469 --> 00:36:53,080 and it really helped us focus of not making -- 895 00:36:53,123 --> 00:36:55,169 It's kind of the same, you know, not making a decision 896 00:36:55,213 --> 00:36:57,389 for strategy or a financial reason. 897 00:36:57,432 --> 00:37:00,043 It's just make the movie because you think that movie 898 00:37:00,087 --> 00:37:01,523 is gonna be the best movie it can be, 899 00:37:01,567 --> 00:37:04,526 and it really helped focus us. 900 00:37:04,570 --> 00:37:06,093 Christine, what about... 901 00:37:06,136 --> 00:37:08,226 I didn't know many producers when I -- 902 00:37:08,269 --> 00:37:10,532 I don't think I knew any when I started out. 903 00:37:10,576 --> 00:37:12,317 So this is kind of advice 904 00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:14,928 I have given myself over the years, 905 00:37:14,971 --> 00:37:18,236 which is really at the end of the day, 906 00:37:18,279 --> 00:37:21,282 a crisis is only when somebody gets hurt. 907 00:37:21,326 --> 00:37:25,591 Everything else is just, like, you know, 908 00:37:25,634 --> 00:37:27,810 a pain in the ass, a challenge, 909 00:37:27,854 --> 00:37:29,943 a problem, but a crisis -- 910 00:37:29,986 --> 00:37:32,772 That's the only reason to ever use that word. 911 00:37:32,815 --> 00:37:34,121 Totally agree. It's a marathon. 912 00:37:34,164 --> 00:37:35,862 It's not a sprint. 913 00:37:35,905 --> 00:37:37,777 And what George said I so relate to, 914 00:37:37,820 --> 00:37:39,909 which is you have to care about the story. 915 00:37:39,953 --> 00:37:41,694 You have to care about the characters 916 00:37:41,737 --> 00:37:43,173 and the protagonists and their journey, 917 00:37:43,217 --> 00:37:45,611 quite frankly, because it's a long slog. 918 00:37:45,654 --> 00:37:48,266 And so you need to be in it every day 919 00:37:48,309 --> 00:37:51,443 and you're putting out little fires every day. 920 00:37:51,486 --> 00:37:54,707 There's not a day, I think, that goes by that your day 921 00:37:54,750 --> 00:37:58,276 goes exactly as it was planned when you woke up that morning. 922 00:37:58,319 --> 00:38:01,148 Even if it's 3:00 a.m. when someone calls you and says, 923 00:38:01,191 --> 00:38:02,845 such and such just happened. 924 00:38:02,889 --> 00:38:05,674 So be prepared, be nimble, and know it's not -- 925 00:38:05,718 --> 00:38:07,110 know it's not a sprint. 926 00:38:07,154 --> 00:38:09,112 Yeah. Natalie, what about for you? 927 00:38:09,156 --> 00:38:12,072 Um, I think just working with people you love and -- 928 00:38:12,115 --> 00:38:16,119 and staying a team, like, that when shit goes down, 929 00:38:16,163 --> 00:38:19,775 which it does, inevitably, that you stay together. 930 00:38:19,819 --> 00:38:21,734 Problem solving together. 931 00:38:21,777 --> 00:38:23,170 Yeah. 932 00:38:23,213 --> 00:38:27,000 Well, my final question for you all is 933 00:38:27,043 --> 00:38:28,871 what do you think you all would be doing 934 00:38:28,915 --> 00:38:32,048 if you weren't producers and filmmakers? 935 00:38:32,092 --> 00:38:36,488 What does the producorial capacity lend to, 936 00:38:36,531 --> 00:38:39,882 uh, other professions? Yeah. 937 00:38:39,926 --> 00:38:42,276 I'd be a historian. 938 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:44,626 I'd be a short-order cook. 939 00:38:44,670 --> 00:38:47,890 I was gonna say restaurateur, 'cause it's got a lot... 940 00:38:47,934 --> 00:38:50,458 You see, you have bigger visions than me. 941 00:38:50,502 --> 00:38:54,288 That's why you have the house in Provincetown, and I don't. 942 00:38:54,332 --> 00:38:55,507 No, but it's -- it's -- it's putting 943 00:38:55,550 --> 00:38:57,204 all these things together 944 00:38:57,247 --> 00:38:59,249 and -- and then trying to please an audience. 945 00:38:59,293 --> 00:39:01,948 Galuppo: Yeah. I want to hear what Natalie would do. 946 00:39:01,991 --> 00:39:05,691 Oh. Well, I feel like -- 947 00:39:05,734 --> 00:39:08,346 I mean, I feel like the thing that comes to my head 948 00:39:08,389 --> 00:39:11,914 is just being, like, full-time parent, 949 00:39:11,958 --> 00:39:15,048 because I feel like it's very similar skills 950 00:39:15,091 --> 00:39:18,399 of just, like, taking care of everything 951 00:39:18,443 --> 00:39:21,359 and making sure everyone is supported in the way 952 00:39:21,402 --> 00:39:24,144 they can become their best selves, you know? 953 00:39:24,187 --> 00:39:27,190 Ed, what about for you? 954 00:39:27,234 --> 00:39:29,367 Well, uh, my mom and my dad were doctors, 955 00:39:29,410 --> 00:39:32,848 and I think I -- very early on I decided 956 00:39:32,892 --> 00:39:34,720 I wanted to get involved in film, 957 00:39:34,763 --> 00:39:37,549 like, when I was very young and wanted to produce. 958 00:39:37,592 --> 00:39:39,855 Weirdly, I had this instinct around wanting to produce 959 00:39:39,899 --> 00:39:42,771 when I was in my teens, even, my late teens. 960 00:39:42,815 --> 00:39:45,644 Um, I think it was also partly a reaction 961 00:39:45,687 --> 00:39:48,298 against what my parents were doing or what they did, 962 00:39:48,342 --> 00:39:49,691 and partly that. 963 00:39:49,735 --> 00:39:51,040 But -- but then when I was a little older, 964 00:39:51,084 --> 00:39:52,564 when I was in my mid-20s, 965 00:39:52,607 --> 00:39:54,348 I was like, "God, should I have done medicine? 966 00:39:54,392 --> 00:39:56,089 Should I have been a doctor?" So there's part of me that still 967 00:39:56,132 --> 00:39:58,221 has a kind of curiosity around that, 968 00:39:58,265 --> 00:40:00,310 but I don't know if I would have made 969 00:40:00,354 --> 00:40:02,748 a very good doctor, but... Tom, what about for... 970 00:40:02,791 --> 00:40:04,184 Ackerley: I was an assistant director, 971 00:40:04,227 --> 00:40:05,881 so I went into film really young. 972 00:40:05,925 --> 00:40:08,057 Similar. My parents were in a different field, 973 00:40:08,101 --> 00:40:10,190 and I knew I wanted to make movies 974 00:40:10,233 --> 00:40:12,758 from such a young age. 975 00:40:12,801 --> 00:40:15,717 I grew up in the UK and the UK film environment is so strong. 976 00:40:15,761 --> 00:40:18,851 So I went that route and then went into producing, 977 00:40:18,894 --> 00:40:22,420 so if I wasn't producing, I'd -- I'd probably still be, 978 00:40:22,463 --> 00:40:25,205 you know, assistant director, but if not, what I thought -- 979 00:40:25,248 --> 00:40:27,468 I'd probably be in events of some kind, sport events 980 00:40:27,512 --> 00:40:29,470 or music events or something like that. 981 00:40:29,514 --> 00:40:31,254 I think of the show formula one put on, 982 00:40:31,298 --> 00:40:34,954 and, like, orchestrating that on a global level is incredible. 983 00:40:34,997 --> 00:40:38,261 -It's not too late, Tom. -Yeah. 984 00:40:38,305 --> 00:40:40,742 Side job. 985 00:40:40,786 --> 00:40:42,352 Well, you all, I can't thank you enough 986 00:40:42,396 --> 00:40:43,919 for this conversation. 987 00:40:43,963 --> 00:40:46,531 It's been enlightening and fun and incredible. 988 00:40:46,574 --> 00:40:49,795 So to finish things off here, a quick toast to you all. 989 00:40:49,838 --> 00:40:51,623 I drank -- I drank all mine. 990 00:40:51,666 --> 00:40:54,713 Good. That's what we should be doing right now. Thank you. 991 00:40:54,756 --> 00:40:56,454 Cheers. 992 00:40:59,152 --> 00:41:00,414 Oh. 993 00:41:00,458 --> 00:41:01,981 I don't know about you, 994 00:41:02,024 --> 00:41:03,504 but I feel like we learned so much today 995 00:41:03,548 --> 00:41:05,680 from the people who make movie magic happen. 996 00:41:05,724 --> 00:41:07,073 And now that you know what a producer 997 00:41:07,116 --> 00:41:08,944 actually does, I don't know. 998 00:41:08,988 --> 00:41:11,686 It seems pretty easy to make $1 billion at the box office. 999 00:41:11,730 --> 00:41:15,298 I mean, am I right? Am I right? I'm probably wrong. 1000 00:41:15,342 --> 00:41:17,170 But until next time, guys, I'm Yvonne Orji 1001 00:41:17,213 --> 00:41:19,825 and this is "Off Script with 'The Hollywood Reporter.'" 1002 00:41:19,868 --> 00:41:24,786 ♪♪