‘Roma’ Would Have Featured A Bear Playing The Tambourine If Alfonso Cuaron Got His Way

Directors have been known to be divas on set. Of course, when you’re the person that is in control of just about every aspect of the film, a certain amount of ego is bound to seep into a production. But sometimes, a producer has to step in and put a director in check. Especially if that director wants to have a literal cockfight in the opening scene or a wild animal to play a musical instrument.

READ MORE: 16 Must-See Movies For November: ‘Favourite,’ ‘Widows,’ ‘Beale Street’ & More

That’s exactly what happened with two major awards contender films, “The Favourite” and “Roma” according to a new interview with THR. “The Favourite” producer Ceci Dempsey says while in pre-production with director Yorgos Lanthimos, the director explained he wanted to feature a cockfight at the beginning of his film. However, as Dempsey had to point out — cockfights are illegal. So she pushed back, and ultimately, they arrived at a compromise.

Dempsey explains:

“There was a cockfight that figured quite heavily in the beginning of the film, but you can’t do a cockfight, and I had to say no. It’s not legal, you can’t even fake it. And he’s into very authentic … everything has to be authentic. So this was a massive tragedy from which I thought we would never come back. He and [screenwriter] Tony [McNamara] rewrote it as a duck race, which is now one of our favorite scenes. It’s funny and it’s witty and it’s silly, whereas a cockfight would’ve been very aggressive and quite serious.”

READ MORE: Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘The Favourite’ Is Deeply Hilarious And Fabulously Entertaining [Venice Review]

Now, Lanthimos isn’t the only acclaimed filmmaker that has a film hitting theaters this fall that had to be put in his place by a producer. Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuaron found himself in the same situation when he demanded that producer Gabriela Rodriguez obtain a real bear that could play the tambourine for his upcoming Golden Lion award-winning film “Roma.” You see, as we’ve discussed before, Cuaron’s film is all about the details. And one of the major details was a tambourine-playing bear that used to hang out at the corner in his neighborhood in Mexico City.

She explains:

“I tried to tell him ‘No, we can’t do this’ a lot, but he always gets his way somehow. [Laughter] We had a meeting with all the neighbors, the ones who used to live there when he was young, and they were like, ‘Remember there was this bear that used to play a tambourine that used to stand on the corner.’ And Alfonso goes, ‘I want a bear playing a tambourine.’ I’m like, ‘I’m not going to get you a bear playing a tambourine.’ And Nico Celis, my co-producer, who is Mexican, he’s like, ‘Oh, I love this challenge, I’m going to do it.’ After calling every zoo, every place around that could possibly, Nico goes, ‘Well, maybe I’ll wear a bear suit and stand on the corner.’ I’m like, ‘This is getting out of hand. Someone tell him he’s not getting a bear.’”

READ MORE: Alfonso Cuarón’s ‘Roma’ Is An Immensely Moving And Stunningly Personal Glimpse Into The Past [Venice Review]

Take it from these producers, if you’re a filmmaker and you are demanding something unrealistic, remember, even Yorgos Lanthimos and Alfonso Cuaron have to hear “no” every now and then. That being said, it would have been great to see a man in a bear suit play the tambourine in “Roma,” huh?

“The Favourite” hits theaters November 23, and “Roma” hits select theaters beginning on November 21 before hitting Netflix December 14.