British director of ’12 Years a Slave’ recently revealed that a “lot of people didn’t want the movie made”.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Steve McQueen was faced with a number of challenges before making it to the big screen.
Known for his frankness, McQueen said that he understood why people didn’t want a story like 12 Years, at least, initially: “[P]eople want to close their eyes on some subjects. They want to keep on going, they don’t want to look behind them.” [THR]
Steve McQueen even pointed out how 12 Years a Slave could only be made in Hollywood. It was extremely difficult for the diector ro raise the money to make the movie in Europe, and that he was very fortunate to have people like Brad Pitt that trusted his vision.
“12 Years could not have been made anywhere else… It had to be made in Hollywood. I couldn’t raise the money in Europe. And I was extremely lucky that people trusted me and trusted my vision. Brad [Pitt] was amazing. I was lucky enough to work with people who understood what I was trying to do. They gave me their trust. I had final cut, and that was that.”
Steve McQueen is currently finishing a short film he shot on a Super 8mm. The film centers on a story of a young fisherman on a Caribbean island who meets a tragic end at the hands of some drug-dealers.
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