Producers of some of the biggest films of last year gathered together for this week’s installment of “Close Up with the Hollywood Reporter.” The roundtable includes Oscar-nominated producers Ceci Dempsey (“The Favourite”), Bill Gerber (“A Star is Born”), Gabriela Rodriguez (“Roma”), and Kevin Feige (“Black Panther”), in addition to Nina Jacobson (“Ben is Back” and “Crazy Rich Asians”) and writer/director/producer Paul Greengrass (“22 July”).
The typically all-encompassing conversation turns to a number of subjects in the hour-long talk, including dealing with directors, requirements for successful producing, and how to bring diversity to the screen.
On the first point, Greengrass believes, “The relationship between a director and a producer is absolutely fundamental, speaking from a director’s point of view. The most important thing is that you need to be working with a producer who, in some indefinable sense, you want to please. And you always know whether you have that chemistry or not. It comes very, very quickly, and you never lose it, actually – no matter what your arguments are.”
When the conversation turned to job requirements Jacobson noted that one of the hardest parts of her job is “navigating a slate, [meaning] knowing that to get a movie made and realized, every movie needs to have its own intricately plotted path. To get it developed, who cares? It doesn’t really matter if you’ve developed something, it only matters if you’ve gotten it made … Because it’s not like studios are lining up to make a giant slate of films – many of those are already decided upon, there are franchises taking up a good chunk of the schedule, so what are going to be the slots?”
In regards to inclusion riders and diverse representation, Feige is of two minds, saying, “Well, one question really is: Should people be forced to do it? And maybe the answer is yes, maybe the answer is no. If you’re in a position of power and you’re the one doing the hiring, we have learned … that the more diverse the group of people around the table, the better the movie.”
In discussing harassment and bullying on set, Gerber was quick to bring up, “Our crew, it wasn’t 50/50, but there were many, many women as heads of departments on ‘A Star is Born.’ and that was really Bradley Cooper’s lifestyle. He is very close with a lot of professional women … So if anybody even thought about doing something, they probably would think twice. But I think producers and directors who care about these things need to make it very clear from the onset, even just when you’re in the office, prepping: There is no tolerance for that.”
Rounding out the conversation, the producers were asked what was the most backhanded compliment they’ve received. For Feige, he is often told, “That’s a lotta movie.” Jacobson, however, has often been told that some of her films are “brave,” which she takes to mean “stupid, foolhardy, poorly chosen, [and] unlikely to succeed in the marketplace.” If anything, it’s good to know to avoid that word from now on. Check out the entire conversation below.