The Hollywood Reporter continues to provide insightful roundtables during awards season with their newest Producer’s Roundtable. The hour-long discussion features producers Matt Damon (“Manchester by the Sea”), Darren Aronofsky (“Jackie”), Todd Black (“Fences”), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (“Silence”), Frank Marshall (“Sully”), and Marc Platt (“La La Land”).
The conversation is wide-ranging as each of the producers discusses how to enable their respective directors to achieve their particular visions. Talking about “La La Land,” Platt notes, “I had a very strong, opinionated, lovely young filmmaker, Damien Chazelle, and it was about protecting [his] vision when I saw it veer off.” When discussing “Silence,” Koskoff says, “Specifically, with ‘Silence,’ this film that [Martin Scorsese]’s lived with for nearly three decades, it was just giving him the time and the tranquility and safety to execute what he needed to do.”
Other interesting insights include the fact none of the producers watch their own films (with the exception of Koskoff and “The Departed“), and that it was Harrison Ford who brought Sully’s story to Clint Eastwood and Frank Marshall. Additionally, Matt Damon was going to direct “Manchester by the Sea” but, as with his Gus Van Sant-directed film “Promised Land,” he keeps “giving away these good directing jobs.”
When asked the standard desert island movie question, Koskoff answers, “ ‘Silkwood‘ [because] I love dramas based on real-life events.” Aronofsky has a more lighthearted answer, responding, “ ‘ Time Bandits.’ I love the fantasy of it. I can remember when Gilliam first had God appear and chase them all down that dark passageway.”
These roundtables are a great watch and this one helps shed light on what exactly the job of a producer is and how integral they are in the creation of a film. Check out the entire discussion.