July was poised to be a big month for Justin Simien. The PR rep turned acclaimed indie filmmaker (Dear White People) was making the major leap to mainstream movies, having helmed Disney’s Haunted Mansion, which is stuffed with spectacle as well as stars like LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Jared Leto.
However, the path to the film’s nationwide release on July 28 became complicated, when partway through the movie’s press tour, the SAG-AFTRA strike began. Actors joined forces with striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members to lobby collectively for better pay and protections against the troubling employment of AI. So far, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) has remained intransigent to these demands.
This strike pulled Haunted Mansion’s stars off promotion duty and onto picket lines. But what did it mean for the movie’s director, seeing as the Directors Guild of America (DGA) has struck a deal with AMPTP?
Justin Simien is contractually obligated to Haunted Mansion‘s promotional tour.
For one thing, it meant when Disney continued with the Haunted Mansion premiere by hosting a red carpet that did not feature the film’s cast but instead, influencers and the theme park’s costumed villains, Simien was still contractually obligated to appear (more on that below). As Disney drew ire online for this event, so too did the director. On social media, some claimed Simien’s being on the red carpet did not show support of the striking writers and actors.
In an interview with Mashable, conducted days after the movie’s controversial premiere, Simien addressed his red-carpet appearance, revealing the conversations that went on behind the scenes.
Justin Simien talked to the cast and guilds ahead of his controversial Haunted Mansion red-carpet appearance.
“[My doing the red carpet] was done in tandem with the cast,” he began, before noting he’d also spoken to representatives at both the DGA and WGA. “I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with DGA leadership and WGA leadership. There are so many WhatsApp threads with all of us affected by this. And it just felt like the right thing.”
For Simien, it wasn’t just about promoting his movie. The red carpet was a chance to celebrate the work of those who — because of AMPTP’s refusal to negotiate — could no longer speak for themselves. “This movie is really unique and it’s special,” Simien continued, “The script was written by a very talented woman, Katie Dippold, who cannot speak for her work [right now].”
“It stars a diverse cast — and it’s not just diverse for diversity’s sake,” Simien noted. “This movie has many Black leads that have never done a movie this big before. And they don’t get to speak for their work. So not only am I contractually bound and obligated because my guild has made a deal with AMPTP, [but also] I felt like I had to honor them and take whatever heat came my way. We really put a lot into this movie.”
Simien acknowledged that because the movie is based on a known IP, the Disney theme parks’ popular Haunted Mansion attraction, “It is so easy to be cynical.” But he spoke passionately to the earnestness with which the cast performed their cavalcade of macabre characters. “What was exciting (in making the film) is that these really big stars were also incredible actors that really came to work and play.”
Justin Simien wants to speak for the work put into Haunted Mansion.
To conclude his considerations, Simien reflected on his experience as a PR rep for movies back in the mid-2000s. “I didn’t want all of that intention to not get talked about,” he said of the cast’s sincerity. “Because if you don’t talk about it, people aren’t going to pick up on it and talk about it for you.
“I have been at this for a minute,” he explained. “I started in publicity. Some of the first movies I worked on as a publicist are Brokeback Mountain and Something New, movies that really needed people out there talking about what they intended to do. Otherwise, they would go unseen. And I’m sorry, I spent three years of my life really, truly killing myself, honestly, stretching the limits of what me and my family can endure to make this movie. I’m going to talk about it. Period.”
Look for more from Justin Simien on Haunted Mansion on Mashable.
Haunted Mansion opens only in theaters July 28.
