Chris Rock says ‘Misty Green’ challenges Hollywood’s ‘positive’ roles for Black women
Rock says he made the comedy-drama to give Black women more complicated roles, and it stars Rosalind Eleazar as a fading actress seeking a comeback.
- Chris Rock attended the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Saturday to promote "Misty Green," a comedy-drama he wrote, directed, and stars in about a down-on-her-luck actress attempting a Hollywood comeback.
- Inspiration struck after Rock witnessed a formerly famous actress performing in a "loop group" while editing. He explained at The Hollywood Reporter's Studio that "something about watching her sparked the initial" for the film.
- Speaking at TIFF's "In Conversation With&" series on Sunday, Rock said "Misty Green" challenges Hollywood's tendency to portray Black women as "relentlessly positive characters." He wanted the central character, played by Rosalind Eleazar, to be complicated and messy.
- Filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson provided feedback on the project, offering "a tweak here or there." Actress Thoms, who plays a casting director, said it was "fun to go to work every day" under Rock's direction.
- Distributed by A24, "Misty Green" opens in theaters on Oct. 9. Rock's most dramatic project features a protagonist he describes as "really bad at blackjack," taking another card when she already has 19 and scrambling to stay in the casino.
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Chris Rock returns to film after a decade with "Misty Green", a dramatic comedy about Hollywood, featured in the TIFF for its serious focus. Starring Rosalind Eleazar, the film addresses topics such as racism and fame, being hailed by criticism for its depth and performances.
The Toronto Star
Chris Rock says ‘Misty Green’ challenges Hollywood’s ‘positive’ roles for Black women
TORONTO - Chris Rock says his new film “Misty Green” is partly about pushing back against Hollywood’s tendency to portray Black women as relentlessly positive characters.
"I'll always be a comedian," Chris Rock told the press on Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival (TIF), where his film was presented as a world premiere on Saturday. "But the next film can be ultra-shadow, or then totally crazy," said Rock, whose latest film "Top Five" dates back to 2014. "I don't want to lock myself in anything" but just "try to make (this film) great." In "Misty Green", Rosalind Eleazar plays a festive actress whose career, once …
Chris Rock Reveals Paul Thomas Anderson Gave Notes on ‘Misty Green’
Chris Rock revealed on Sunday that filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson provided feedback on his latest directorial project, Misty Green. The comedian mentioned during the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday that Anderson watched the movie, which Rock wrote and directed, before telling The Hollywood Reporter that he watched Misty Green as […]
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