Current:Home > FinanceHow Jordan Peele gave Dev Patel his 'Pretty Woman' moment with struggling 'Monkey Man'-LoTradeCoin
How Jordan Peele gave Dev Patel his 'Pretty Woman' moment with struggling 'Monkey Man'
View Date:2024-12-24 00:50:20
AUSTIN, Texas − A weary-eyed Dev Patel rallied to give a talk at South By Southwest on Tuesday morning after the late-night premiere of his directorial debut at the festival.
“I’ve only had like 30 minutes sleep,” Patel, 33, told a crowd gathered at the Austin Convention Center for the discussion of “Monkey Man” (in theaters April 5). “I’m functioning on Red Bull and truffle fries.”
Patel, who co-wrote and stars as a man looking to avenge his mother's murder, said the idea for "Monkey Man" stemmed from his grandfather’s captivating retelling of the story of Hanuman, the half-man, half-monkey Hindu deity. The plot was also sparked by the 2012 gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in India, and Patel wanted to make a movie about “fighting for what’s right and what’s good.”
Jennifer Aniston'couldn’t believe' this about her 'Friends' namesake Rachel Zegler
The “Slumdog Millionaire” star had to put up a fight himself, as making the film was such a process. He “reluctantly” co-wrote the screenplay and “got nudged into the director’s seat.”
COVID nearly killed the movie, until Patel switched filming from India to a studio in Indonesia. He lost his production designer and suffered the death of his gaffer (lighting). Finances were also an issue.
“You see throughout this film, we didn’t have enough stunt men,” Patel said. “So in the final sequences I’m killing the same eight guys” repeatedly.
He dropped to his hands and knees to glue a stunt table back together because they could only budget two. Not to mention the injuries Patel suffered during production. Early on, a stunt man stomped on his foot and broke it, Patel told USA TODAY at the premiere. He tore his shoulder and broke his hand in a fight with co-star Sikandar Kher.
“It was a huge problem to have your hand in a cast for the entire film,” Patel said Monday night. “We put a screw in the hand and the doctor’s like, ‘You cannot put any weight on it or anything. I was like ‘OK, OK.’ And then we carried on shooting.
“We had to change all of the choreo to one-handed moves,” he said. “It was a real process of ferocity and just trying to find a way to get it done.”
The film was dropped by Netflix, and then he received a call informing him that Jordan Peele liked it.
They connected over Zoom, during which Peele asked Patel to tell him everything he’d gone through making “Monkey Man.” After Peele signed on, Universal followed.
“It was like that scene in ‘Pretty Woman,’ when you go back into the shop … with the credit card,” Patel said referencing Vivian's returns to a Beverly Hill boutique that previously wouldn’t let her shop there. “I was Julia Roberts, covered in blood, with a knife.”
Kate Beckinsaleshares photos from the hospital, thanks 'incredible' mom for her support
Peele hyped the audience in attendance for Monday’s premiere at Paramount Theatre.
“This is a film that simply demands to be seen in a theater with a huge, raucous audience,” Peele said. “It’s a movie that proves that films can be all things. You can have a movie that tells an amazing story, that has meaning, that has depth, and you still can just kick a bunch of people’s (butts) along the way.”
veryGood! (8112)
Related
- Advocates Expect Maryland to Drive Climate Action When Trump Returns to Washington
- Archeologists discover a well-preserved Roman statue in an ancient sewer in Bulgaria
- More than 100 people sickened by salmonella linked to raw milk from Fresno farm
- BMW to recall over 394,000 vehicles over airbag concern that could cause injury, death
- Tropical Storm Sara threatens to bring flash floods and mudslides to Central America
- Author Brendan DuBois charged with 6 counts of child sex pornography
- RHOC: Inside Shannon Beador & Alexis Bellino's Explosive First Confrontation Over John Janssen
- Neutral Milk Hotel's Julian Koster denies grooming, sexual assault accusations
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- When does 'Big Brother' start? 2024 premiere date, house, where to watch Season 26
Ranking
- John Robinson, former USC Trojans and Los Angeles Rams coach, dies at 89
- On NYC beaches, angry birds are fighting drones on patrol for sharks and swimmers
- New York law couldn’t be used to disarm reservist before Maine shooting, Army official says
- Diana Taurasi to miss another Mercury game due to injury. Could it affect Olympic status?
- Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
- 10 second-year NFL players who must step up in 2024
- New York’s top court allows ‘equal rights’ amendment to appear on November ballot
- Bachelorette Fans Left “Screaming” After Spotting Creatures During Season 21 Premiere
Recommendation
-
Parts of Southern California under quarantine over oriental fruit fly infestation
-
Colombian warlord linked to over 1,500 murders and disappearances released from prison
-
Shark-repellent ideas go from creative to weird, but the bites continue
-
Review: Believe the hype about Broadway's gloriously irreverent 'Oh, Mary!'
-
Barbora Krejcikova calls out 'unprofessional' remarks about her appearance
-
Referendum set for South Dakota voters on controversial carbon dioxide pipeline law
-
Stock market today: World stocks mixed with volatile yen after Wall Street rises on inflation report
-
Multiple Chinese warships spotted near Alaska, U.S. Coast Guard says