The interview David Fincher didn’t want released
In the world of cinema, renowned director David Fincher is often associated with his legendary meticulousness. Notorious for his insistence on retakes and rigorous casting decisions, he is a filmmaker defined by an exacting standard of perfection. And as recent revelation shows, Fincher’s pursuit of flawlessness may not be limited to the realm of directing but extends into his personal media appearances as well.
It’s been confirmed that Fincher has withheld the release of a lengthy, two-and-a-half-hour interview. The director felt it was imperfect, despite being fully conducted and ready for publication, and has insisted that the release be postponed until he’s able to provide additional information to the interviewer. Fincher obviously expects the same degree of control offset that he can exercise when making his own movies. The news came from host Marc Maron of the WTF With Marc Maron podcast.
Speaking to Jodie Foster on an episode of his show, the interviewer vented his frustration. “I did a two-and-a-half-hour conversation with him,” Maron said. “And he didn’t think it was right. He wouldn’t let us release it. So I’m sitting on this two-and-a-half-hour conversation with David Fincher. He’s like, ‘I don’t know, let’s hold off on it, because I think I could do more’.” This drive to do better, even when it comes to a simple interview, left Maron calling Fincher a “perfectionist, a tormented guy.”
Foster, who worked with Fincher in 2002 for Panic Room, shared her thoughts on the director: “He just makes me want to put my arms around him and tell him, ‘You know what, it is gonna be okay. Like, chillax.’ And I love him for it. I love him that he is so committed… And he gives 100,000 times more than anybody else on the movie. He can do any of our jobs better than we can.”
Foster continued to praise the director, explaining how he’s a man of many hats. “He’s a better actor than I am,” she admitted. “He’s a better prop master. He’s a better DP. So I always just like, bow down in the presence of somebody who really is just so gifted and so committed. But it’s hard to be David Fincher,” Foster hastily added. “I wouldn’t want to be him.”
Recalling her experience filming Panic Room, Foster’s admiration and respect for Fincher remain evident – despite the gruelling demands of multiple takes even while she was heavily pregnant. “He doesn’t drive me crazy. I love him. He makes me laugh. And it’s true that it’s annoying that you have to do as many takes as you do… And despite all of that, like, I would just do anything for him. Yeah, I would do anything for that guy.” Foster’s opinion on Fincher’s directorial style isn’t necessarily the general consensus; Jake Gyllenhaal famously refuses to work with him again.
Her praise of Fincher serves only to tease the unreleased interview even more. Maron, who has had the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson and Robert Eggers on his show, is gifted with an ability to put people at ease and yield revelatory anecdotes from talented artists. Undoubtedly the man is sitting on a treasure chest; we can only be patient and hope Fincher gives the green light soon. In the meantime, production is well underway for the director’s new film, The Killer, starring Michael Fassbender.
Watch Fassbender talk about the new Fincher film below.
