Apart from the glam and fame of Hollywood that we normally see, there lies a world of racist and sexists people that affect the way movies are cast.
Scott Derrickson, the director of the famous movie Doctor Strange, has been revealing such talks between him and other studio heads on his twitter handle that prove that Hollywood is not all fame and fortune. He has had a trail and a past of being a vocal critic of US president Donald Trump and was also known to stand against sexual harassment in the industry.
The first tweet came on December 31, in which his tweet explains the exchange that happened between him and Bob Weinstein when Bob had disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein’s business partner and brother, who called him to ask him for some last-minute help with a movie. Bob wanted Derrickson, who has made several horror movies such as The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Sinister, to rewrite the film Dracula 2000 just two weeks before it was supposed to begin filming.
ME: Hello?
BOB: It’s Bob Weinstein. You gotta save my life.
ME: How so, Bob?
BOB: My movie needs a rewrite. Shoots in two weeks. It’s called Dracula 2000. It’s terrible. But I’m making it anyway.
ME: If it’s terriblewhy make it?
BOB: Because it’s called Dracula 2000.#TrueStory— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) December 31, 2017
His second tweet came on January 2. In it Derrickson describes a conversation he had with an unnamed studio boss, who wanted him to make a movie about the Salem Witch Trials, but in which the witches were real. Derrickson paused and responded with a legit question that made the studio boss withdraw from the conversation.
STUDIO HEAD: If you love the concept, we’ll make the movie.
ME: Okay.
STUDIO HEAD: “The Salem Witch Trials, but the witches are REAL!”
ME: (pause) That’s kinda like saying “It’s a holocaust movie, but the Jews deserved it”
STUDIO HEAD (pause): I’ll call you back.#TrueStory— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) January 2, 2018
The third tweet came on January 3. This time, Derrickson told a ‘true story’ about casting, and how a studio head shot down his suggestions – Hilary Swank, Laura Linney and Benicio del Toro in the most defamatory way. According to Derrickson, the boss refused to cast Del Toro in the film because, “he’s dirty, he smells.” The studio boss’ reasons for not casting Linney and Swank who were both Oscar winners were weighed down by the use of vulgar comments.
ME: How about Hillary Swank?
STUDIO HEAD: I wouldn’t let her wash my carME: Maybe Laura Linney?
PRODUCER: I wouldn’t fuck her with somebody else’s dickME: I want Benecio Del Toro
STUDIO HEAD: No
ME: Why not?
STUDIO HEAD He’s dirty, he smells, I can tell#TrueCastingStories— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) January 3, 2018
In all his tweets he mentioned a hashtag – TrueStory; which almost makes up for its authentic value in a word to mouth way. These tweets with insider contents in the world of Hollywood are sure to make a lot question it’s working.