Good Fortune was written and directed by Aziz Ansari in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Keanu Reeves as Gabriel, a bumbling guardian angel, Aziz Ansari as Arj, a struggling employee, and Seth Rogen as Jeff, a wealthy venture capitalist. Keke Palmer plays Elena, an activist fighting for better working conditions.The film, which premiered at TIFF, explores themes around the American Dream, wealth, and empathy through a body-swap premise—Gabriel swaps Arj’s life with Jeff’s to show that money does not solve all problems.The cast recently sat down with Esquire to talk about the film. We also get an incredible moment where Reeves reenacts Neo's iconic bullet-dodging sequence, much to Palmer's excitement. (We're fangirling too, trust us.)Check out the convo here, then our big takeaways for filmmakers. - YouTube www.youtube.com Start with Authentic EmotionAnsari describes how his latest film began with a real social observation about economic inequality in LA. He saw one person blessed by the last 20 years, another screwed by them. The script became Ansari’s attempt to address economic disparity and gig economy hardships, but he said initially it was a dramatic story.He didn't start with jokes. He was telling a story about a guy sleeping in his car. But the frustration about widespread problems was his jumping-off point, and then he figured out how to make it funny. Your personal investment in the material becomes the foundation for authentic storytelling.As he said, "No matter how rough my life has been, you're always laughing at some point."...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday