Maggie Betts, writer and director of The funeral, spoke about her film’s Oscar-winning stars at Deadline’s Contenders Film Los Angeles on Saturday. Jamie Foxx plays a lawyer who represents a funeral director (Tommy Lee Jones) in a lawsuit against a large corporation. Betts discovered that she had to give Foxx space for his trial.
“He never takes the same shot twice,” Betts said. “He doesn’t like to rehearse. I think he will only be five minutes early. This is Jamie’s process. The results are extraordinary. He likes to do four tasks and then he wants direction at that moment.”
For Jones, however, it’s all about rehearsal and preparation. But the test for Betts came during pre-production meetings with Jones. He talked at length about his ranch in Texas, and for Betts the attention paid off.
“The next Zoom I had was in Argentina,” Betts said. “He talked about the farm where he was in Argentina. He said something about the water table. I said, “Oh, this water table is a lot different than the one in Texas, right?” He said, “What do you know about the water table in Texas?” I thought, “It’s five feet deep,” because I remembered it. He said, ‘Touché.’ From that moment on, I passed the farm test.”
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The funeral based on a true story. During a meeting with Amazon, Betts wanted the opportunity to rewrite the script. She created the character of antagonist Mame Downes (June Smollett) so that a woman could be involved.
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“It was very brotherly,” Betts said. “It was a relationship between two men. I can create a female character that has an impact on the story and affects the outcome of the story. Because this is a true story, this was the only character created from the material.
The actual case was heard in the mid-1990s and Wright subsequently wrote the script The New Yorker published an article on it in 1999. In the 1920s, Betts felt it was important to update the film’s racial dynamics.
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“You have two black characters representing two white customers in the South who are arguing over this contract dispute,” Betts said. “There is no shame in this for Doug. It was just a historical script. It was about how white people viewed black people, which was not necessarily negative. It needed a more black perspective.”
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The funeral streaming on Prime Video.
Come back on Monday for the panel video.
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Source: Deadline
Bernice Bonaparte is an author and entertainment journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for pop culture and a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest entertainment news, Bernice has become a trusted source for information on the entertainment industry.
