Strange Darling Director Details How Miramax Almost Ruined His Movie

Director JT Mollner’s latest movie, Strange Darling, is undoubtedly one of the best thrillers of the year for a number of reasons, not the least of which are its unique narrative structure and commanding performances from both Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. With a 95% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s received high praise across the board, but if Miramax had their way, Strange Darling as we know it would never have seen the light of day.

Appearing on The Business with Kim Masters podcast, Mollner discussed the early days of shooting Strange Darling, and how Miramax, the film’s production company, wasn’t too impressed with the initial results. This took the director by surprise, who was confident that everyone involved was performing at the highest level. Those holding the purse strings disagreed, going so far as to shut down the production.

“It was very traumatic for me. It took almost six years to get [
Strange Darling
] off the ground. When we started shooting the movie, we were sending dailies back to the financier, and they just did not like what they were seeing. And I was floored because I really liked what we were shooting. But there were a couple executives who just had different tastes than I do, I think is what it came down to. They said, ‘We hate everything you’re sending us, we’re not enjoying this at all, and we’re not sure if this is going to work.'”

We were shut down for almost a week.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, producer Roy Lee also revealed that Miramax wanted to recast Fitzgerald in the lead, and it was only after his intervention that they backed down. “You’ve seen the movie, and you’ve seen how great Willa Fitzgerald’s performance is,” Lee said. “They wanted to recast. And I said, ‘You cannot recast this movie.'”

How JT Mollner Won the Battle Between Art and Commerce

It’s no secret that art and commerce are often at odds with one another, especially in Hollywood. While the people who handle the money often have the best of intentions, it’s sometimes hard for them to grasp a filmmaker’s vision through that myopic shade of green that clouds their judgment. Such seems to be the case with Miramax, whose CEO, Bill Block, eventually agreed to let Mollner have the final cut on Strange Darling, promising no more interference after an early test screening of the movie yielded positive results.

“The movie that you’re seeing is the movie I wanted to make. I’m very happy with how the movie turned out.”

Given the overall reception to Strange Darling, he should be proud, as should everyone else involved in its production. It’s a masterclass in filmmaking that showcases a unique narrative that zigs where it should zag, keeping audiences on their toes for a full 96 minutes. Both Fitzgerald and Gallner are equally engaging, delivering award-worthy performances that only serve to heighten the suspense of the movie, sucking viewers in to the point where just when we think we have all the answers, Moller and company change the questions.

Strange Darling
makes its way to digital on October 1 from Magenta Light Studios, and is available to pre-order now on Apple TV for $19.99. Check out our interview below with Mollner and cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi for an in-depth discussion about the film.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}