Okay, so this little tidbit is from nearly a year ago, but it’s a bit more relevant given that the promo machine for Alejandro G. Inarritu‘s "The Revenant" is really going to start heating up. We already know the movie has "Inception" duo Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy reteaming for a harsh vengeance story, shot in harsh conditions, told, well, harshly. But one person you won’t be seeing on the awards season campaign trail for the picture is Michael Punke, the author of the book upon which the movie is based.
READ MORE: Leonardo DiCaprio And Tom Hardy Battle The Elements In New Trailer For ‘The Revenant’
As Maxim revealed, Punke, in addition to being a writer and screenwriter, just happens to also be the Deputy United States Trade Representative and U.S. Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. Damn.
As such, the State Department will not allow him to speak to the press — not even when "The Revenant" novel was reissued earlier this year — and as his publicist, James Meader, told the magazine, “He can’t even sign copies for us.” However, his family have made it known how much work Punke put in.
Tim Punke says that his brother “used to get up at five in the morning, go into work and write for three hours, and then he do his job for eight or ten hours,” and his worth ethic was so unflagging he caught pneumonia four times. But this is the kind of stuff Michael Punke would probably like to tell you himself.
“I think he’s definitely disappointed that he’s not able to do some of that [press] stuff right now,” Tim said. “It’s so fun.”
Hey State Department, maybe ease up a bit? "The Revenant" opens on Christmas Day.
