Making a movie is a complicated endeavor. A process full of juggling acts, schedule foreplay, and a lot of willpower being drained on a daily basis. The fans see the director, writer, and actors on the poster, but truth be told, there are over a thousand people who personally affect the making of a movie.
And that's why I want to personally stand and applaud at the feet of Ridley Scott right now.
Last week, Scott announced he would be cutting Kevin Spacey completely from his upcoming Christmas release, All The Money in the World-and replacing him with another Oscar caliber actor in Christopher Plummer.
This is unprecedented, especially for a large scale film by a well-known director. Scott has six weeks to shoot Plummer's scenes, reshoot other actors with him, and mix it all into a finished product that is set to be an Oscar favorite and box office success. This isn't a first time director making a film for 20,000 dollars with a no-name cast and Spacey. This is bringing names like Mark Wahlberg and Michelle Williams back into the fray to fix something.
This is how reform starts in Hollywood, ladies and gentlemen. A highly respected and revered director making something right in the hardest way possible. He could have kept Spacey in the film-and in the process detached the movie from millions of eyes due to one man's terrible ways. Thousands of souls worked on this film, but it would have been for nothing. Scott is fixing this, and no, I don't think the studio pressured him to do so. Ridley Scott doesn't answer to any studio these days.
The exclusion from Scott's film spells the end for the talented yet highly troubled actor. After being cut from all things Netflix, including House of Cards and an original film, Spacey has now completely lost a role in a sure-fire Oscar hopeful. This is the most damaging blow, because as great as small screen success is, the big screen is where Spacey made his largest dent. Now, both are gone, and he's powerless.
If I was one of the abused parties in the Harvey Weinstein, Spacey, Jeremy Piven, James Toback, Louis C.K., or other cases, I'd become an instant fan of Scott. Instead of issuing a statement saying how sorry he is and how we need to do better, he actually did something better. Ridley Scott acted in a big way and started the process.
Let's not forget that the man turns 80 in ten days, so this kind of hustle is truly impressive. It would have been easy to pack it in and let the movie roll out. But Scott simply isn't standing for it, and also wants the thousands of people who worked on his film to be recognized and for its potential to be realized.
With mere weeks to go before the release of a major studio film, Scott abolished Spacey from his film, and in the process, brought more attention (positive waves) to the project while doing something noble.
Once again, bravo, Ridley Scott. You may win an Oscar before you are done, but this may be your finest hour.
