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Tag: morgan-neville

  • ‘Lorne’ Exclusive Interview: Director Morgan Neville

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    Opening in theaters on April 17th is the new documentary from Oscar winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (‘Man on the Run’) called ‘Lorne’, which chronicles the life and career of ‘Saturday Night Live’ creator Lorne Michaels.

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    'Lorne' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Lorne’ director Morgan Neville.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Morgan Neville about his work on ‘Lorne’, the style of the documentary, making it funny, his unprecedented access to ‘Saturday Night Live’, the show’s darkest period, conducting the interviews, what he learned about Lorne from making the movie, and the future of the long running show.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: Morgan Neville Talks Paul McCartney Documentary ‘Man on the Run’

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    Moviefone: To begin with, the film plays almost like an ‘SNL’ parody of a celebrity biopic with animated sequences and Chris Parnell’s narration. Was that what you set out to do from the beginning or did you have to pivot when you realized you might not get what you need from Lorne Michaels himself?

    Morgan Neville: I think my intent in the beginning was, I want this to be funny. I didn’t know how exactly. But beyond that, I don’t entirely have a plan about what the film is going to be. I know it had all these great ingredients. I know Lorne’s story is interesting. He’s a fascinating character who rarely does interviews or shows people into his life. I know the show is fascinating. I knew there were lots of interesting things, but I didn’t know how it would fit together. When we started shooting, what you see in the beginning of the film is my first day of shooting, where the cameras come out, and then Lorne vanishes. I felt like one of the themes of the film is basically the theme of me making the film. You go from somebody who really doesn’t seem like he wants a film made about him to somebody who has made his peace with it and is willing to give us a glimpse inside. That was my experience of making the film. So, the idea of bringing Chris Parnell in is a way of channeling ‘SNL’, but also the ‘TV Funhouse’. I mean, it’s also something that I’ve done with a lot of my films. I want the subject of the film to help me decide how to tell the story, so it feels like the telling of it is related to the subject. So, I just kept thinking, well, what is the ‘SNL’ version of a documentary about Lorne? Not to say that because it’s funny that there’s no substance there. Because one thing I’m also proud of is how the emotion sneaks into the film quietly, in a way you’re not expecting. Lorne, in the beginning, is like, “Why is this guy even here? Why is he torturing this poor crew?” But then you understand a lot more about what makes him tick and he opens in that way.

    MF: The movie is very funny. Can you set out to make a funny documentary, or is that a result of the subject you are focusing on?

    MN: I think humor is one of the great under discussed things in documentary film. I think some of my favorite documentaries are funny in different ways. That could be anything from the films that inspired me to make documentaries, like ‘Sherman’s March’, ‘Roger & Me’, and ‘The Atomic Cafe’. I mean, all the documentaries that got me excited, that are funny in different ways. Even in films I’ve made, like, ‘Best of Enemies’ or ‘Won’t you be my Neighbor?’ There are some big laughs in those films, too. But I think humor is such a great way of letting the audience exhale and open themselves up in a way if they’re laughing. They’re way more receptive to what you might want to share with them. So, I love that, and why can’t documentaries be comedies sometimes? So, this was me intentionally in the beginning saying, “I do want this to be a funny film.” Because it’s a film, most people who are going to watch it are comedy fans. I’ve seen a lot of documentaries about comedy that are really depressing. There are a lot of dark stories in comedy. But I always wanted to remember the comedy part of it, too. ‘Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces’ was the first comedy documentary I did that was purely comedy, and this is the second. With both, I tried to balance the funny with some weight or gravitas at the same time.

    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.
    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.

    MF: Can you talk about the unprecedented access that you had to Lorne and ‘Saturday Night Live’ and what did you learn about him as a person from your access?

    MN: I think people think of Lorne as sitting on a throne, deciding who makes it in comedy and who doesn’t make it, and that he is just sitting there, flipping his finger, and deciding the fate of people. I think Lorne sees himself as beleaguered, in the trenches, and worrying about next week’s show and making 100 phone calls to sponsors, network people, affiliates, agents, studios, and cast members to just keep all the plates in the air. So, it’s funny that everybody thinks Lorne is just sitting pretty. I think Lorne feels like he’s just barely making it, because I asked everybody in the film, “At what point do you think Saturday Night Live became a show that was not going to disappear?” Some people said, “Well, when the show reinvented itself after 1995 with Will Ferrell and that amazing cast, or maybe after 9/11, when it became a place where people came together and mourned and laughed together for the first time.” I asked Lorne that question, and he said, “Maybe this year.” You know, fifty years in! So, I think Lorne’s the last person to pat himself on the back and feel like, job well done, we don’t have to worry anymore. I think Lorne is thinking about, “When this cast gels, where’s it going to be in two years?” He’s thinking about things like that. “Oh, this writer I have who might want to leave, maybe I can get him to work on a TV show, and I can get him a development deal.” He’s constantly pulling levers to keep everything kind of bubbling along and that’s something, People don’t see him sweat, but I think he feels like he’s in the thick of it. I think it’s maybe part of why he made the film, is for people to understand that producing is a real job. It’s not just sitting back and collecting checks. It’s a lot of invisible things that people just don’t understand.

    MF: You mention in the film that the closest Lorne came to losing control of the show was in the mid- ‘90s, which culminated in the firing of Norm MacDonald. In discussing it with Lorne, did he express any regret in how that went down and being unable to protect Norm in the same way he has protected so many ‘SNL’ performers before and after?

    MN: I don’t think so. I love Norm’s comedy. But, let’s face it, Norm was asking for it and in the funniest way possible. Norm was warned again and again and again. So, I think Norm enjoyed poking the bear, and I don’t think Norm felt like Lorne was to blame for any of that. I think the other person in that equation was Jim Downey, the legendary writer who started in season two, and was on and off the show for decades, who I interviewed in the documentary. Jim, at that time, was running ‘Weekend Update’ with Norm, and the two of them were thick as thieves, and they were the ones who were enjoying poking the bear. When Norm got fired, Jim got fired too, but Lorne quietly got Jim back the next year. I think Lorne both felt a loyalty to Jim, and really wanted to protect Jim. Norm was going to be fine. Lorne told the bosses, “Okay, I’ll let them go,” and then quietly rehired Jim, and helped Norm land his next thing. Again, it’s something that made Lorne incredibly unhappy to have to go through, but he is the king of the long game. You may lose the battles, but he always wins the war.

    John Mulaney in 'John Mulaney: Baby J' Photo: Netflix.
    John Mulaney in ‘John Mulaney: Baby J’ Photo: Netflix.

    MF: Of all the interviews you conducted, who had the most insight into Lorne and was there anyone you wanted to interview but were unable to?

    MN: I mean, the only person I really wanted to interview who said no was Dan Aykroyd, and he had said he was just talked out from doing documentary interviews, which is fine. I get it. But at the same time, for a film like this, you could interview so many people, and I interviewed even more than I normally like to. I normally don’t like to interview a ton of people for a film because I want there to be a smaller chorus of voices. But even here, I could have interviewed another fifty people for this film easily. So, I wanted people from different chapters of his life, people like Howard Shore, who he met at camp as a 14-year-old to Rosie Shuster, his first wife he met in high school who became one of the original writers on ‘Saturday Night Live’. But one of my favorites was John Mulaney because he is both, such a great talker, but also a real student of Lorne’s. They’re friends, but I think John has studied Lorne, and I think when they’re together, John constantly peppers Lorne with questions, and he’s collecting as much information about Lorne as he can. So, I think he was ready to talk. I think he loved talking about Lorne. I think we did, like, a two-hour interview, and I said, “Well, I think that’s good,” and he was like, “Well, let’s keep going.” So we went for another hour, and then when we did the round table, he said, “Oh, I want to do that.” So, I got him together with Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, and Fred Armisen. But I think Mulaney was probably the MVP of talking about Lorne.

    MF: Finally, I get the sense from the film that Lorne Michaels is ‘Saturday Night Live’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ is Lorne Michaels, and that there is no retiring for him. He’ll leave the show when he must and it may go on for a while, but that will be the end of the show as we currently know it. What is your sense of the future of the series and how long do you think it will go on without Lorne Michaels at the helm?

    MN: I think Lorne is not going to run the show for another fifty years, but he wants it to continue, and I think it will continue, just because, for no other reason, the IP of ‘SNL’ is very valuable, and people still watch and will continue to watch. It’s one of the last places where we come together to watch things. You know, it’s like sports and ‘Saturday Night Live’. There aren’t a lot of places where we all come together to watch things. So, I think there are a lot of reasons why it will continue. I just don’t think it’ll be the same, because, in part, Lorne’s not doing it, but also because I can’t imagine it continuing to be as wasteful as it is. I mean, Lorne says that in the film. It’s made wastefully, but that’s because by being wasteful, you get to discover more things. He’s producing way more than he needs for a week. So, if you’re able to throw out a third of all your work every week and just pick the best two thirds, it makes it better. But it’s also kind of crazy to know you’re going to throw out a third of all your work every week. I also don’t think there’s one person to fill Lorne’s shoes, which are impossible to fill. But I think the thing about Lorne is he’s managing two different ways. He’s managing down, which is him with the writers and the cast, and all of that, which he’s great at. You hear all those stories of how he works with cast members. But the other part of his job is he’s managing up. So, dealing with the network people, and the sponsors, and affiliates, and studios, and all of that, in a way that is invisible, and is a very different skill than dealing with writers. So, you know, part of me feels like it would take at least two people to do his job.

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    What is the story of ‘Lorne’?

    ‘Lorne’ is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.

    Who appears in ‘Lorne’?

    'Lorne' opens in theaters on April 17th.
    ‘Lorne’ opens in theaters on April 17th.

    List of Morgan Neville Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Lorne’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies on Amazon

     

  • Movie Review: ‘Lorne’

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    Opening in theaters on April 17th is the new documentary ‘Lorne’, which was directed by Morgan Neville (‘Man on the Run’) and chronicles the life and career of ‘Saturday Night Live’ creator Lorne Michaels.

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    Related Article: Morgan Neville Talks Paul McCartney Documentary ‘Man on the Run’

    Initial Thoughts

    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.
    (L to R) Erik Kenward, Steve Higgins and Lorne Michaels in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All rights reserved.

    Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville accomplishes the near impossible by capturing the illusive Lorne Michaels in the new film ‘Lorne’. The documentary, which is very funny, is almost an ‘SNL’ parody of celebrity biopics with pitch perfect narration from alum Chris Parnell and TV Funhouse style animation.

    Neville was given unprecedented behind the scenes access to Michaels and ‘Saturday Night Live’ and lifts the curtain to show how the sausage is really made. With interviews from ‘SNL’ alum like Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Kristen Wiig and Mike Myers, the movie explores Michaels’ career, the history of the show, and how ‘SNL’ is really made.

    Story and Direction

    'Saturday Night Live's Studio 8H.
    ‘Saturday Night Live’s Studio 8H. Photo: NBC.

    Director Morgan Neville is no stranger to documenting famous people, as his last film, ‘Man on the Run’ was centered on Paul McCartney. But the opening scene of ‘Lorne’ makes one think that Neville has finally met his match in Lorne Michaels. The ‘SNL’ creator seems surprised and annoyed that he even agreed to having a documentary crew follow him around, and virtually disappears once the movie begins.

    This forces Neville to pivot quickly and results in a movie that is closer to an ‘SNL’ parody of a documentary, which makes for a very funny movie. Some of the techniques that Neville uses to offset the loss of his subject include focusing on interviews with ‘SNL’ cast and alum instead and incorporating cartoons and narration. Those choices, whether out of desperation or not, transform the film from a standard celebrity documentary to a truly funny and entertaining experience on its own terms.

    But despite his best efforts, the film eventually does breakdown Michaels’ defenses and gives an honest and in-depth look behind the curtain at the man that created a comedic industry. In fact, Neville’s access to ‘Saturday Night Live’ was astounding and gives a rare never-before-seen look at exactly how the show is really made with glimpses into the writer’s room, pitch meetings, guest meetings, rehearsals, and finally choosing the sketches for that episode.

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    In addition to chronicling how the show is made week to week, the film also goes through Michaels’ personal history, the beginnings of his career, how he created the show, ‘SNL’s ups and downs including his exit in 1980, his return in 1985, almost losing the show in the 90s, and the various cast changes, as well as his film career, which includes writing ‘Three Amigos’ and producing ‘Wayne’s World’.

    Morgan Neville is the best documentarian working today and has made some of the finest documentaries in recent years including the Oscar winning ‘20 Feet from Stardom’, ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’, and ‘Man on the Run’. But ‘Lorne’ might be his best work yet, cracking the code on one of the most important figures in entertainment history.

    Celebrity Interviews

    John Mulaney and Tina Fey at Netflix's Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.
    John Mulaney and Tina Fey at Netflix’s Next on Netflix event. Photo: Netflix.

    While reluctant at first, Lorne Michaels does eventually sit down for several interviews and is surprisingly open, despite his reputation for being guarded. However, his insight into his past and the inner workings of the show are delivered cryptically and in a very Lorne Michaels way. But we do get a rare look at his lakeside hideaway retreat in an undisclosed area of Maine, as well as his rigorous late-night schedule.

    You really come to understand that Michaels is a creature of habit, basically living the same schedule for fifty years, even eating at the same handful of New York restaurants and ordering the same meals for decades. People often wonder why ‘SNL’ has such a strange schedule, working late into the night and into the early morning most days. It’s because of Lorne, that’s his schedule, the show just adopted it.

    Neville assembles a fantastic group of Lorne’s friends and former ‘SNL’ cast members including Steve Martin, Paul Simon, John Mulaney, Tina Fey, Conan O’Brien, Seth Meyers, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, and Mike Myers.

    John Mulaney had the most insight about Lorne, while Tina Fey acted like she didn’t really know him at all. But the most fascinating exchange was watching an intimate dinner between Michaels and friend Steve Martin.

    My one critique is I do wish Neville had interviewed more of the earlier cast members, as there seemed to be a focus on only cast members from the last 25 years. Where was Chevy Chase and Bill Murray? Where was Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler? What about Will Ferrell? But this may just be a result of who was available and not by design.

    Final Thoughts

    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville's documentary 'Lorne', a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.
    Lorne Michaels stars in director Morgan Neville’s documentary ‘Lorne’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

    ‘Lorne’ is a brilliant documentary that delivers a rare look at an almost mythic figure in popular culture and gives true insight without damaging the myth. At the same time, for fans of ‘Saturday Night Live’ or comedy in general, the movie is a must see that really dissects how the series became an institution and why it is still going strong after fifty years.

    ‘Lorne’ receives a score of 90 out of 100.

    'Lorne' opens in theaters on April 17th.
    ‘Lorne’ opens in theaters on April 17th.

    What is the story of ‘Lorne’?

    ‘Lorne’ is an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations. The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures, and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.

    Who appears in ‘Lorne’?

    • Lorne Michaels as Himself
    • Tina Fey as Herself
    • Maya Rudolph as Herself
    • John Mulaney as Himself
    • Andy Samberg as Himself
    • Bill Hader as Himself
    • Fred Armisen as Himself
    • Conan O’Brien as Himself
    • Chris Rock as Himself
    • Jimmy Fallon as Himself
    • Seth Meyers as Himself
    • Kristen Wiig as Herself
    • Mike Myers as Himself
    • Steve Martin as Himself
    • Paul Simon as Himself
    'Lorne' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Lorne’ director Morgan Neville.

    List of Morgan Neville Movies and TV Shows:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Lorne’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies on Amazon

     

  • ‘Man on the Run’ Interview: Director Morgan Neville

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    Debuting on Prime Video February 27th is the new documentary ‘Man on the Run‘, which was directed by Morgan Neville (‘Piece by Piece’) and follows the life of Paul McCartney from his formation of Wings through the 1970s.

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    'Man on the Run' director Morgan Neville.
    ‘Man on the Run’ director Morgan Neville.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Morgan Neville about his work on ‘Man on the Run’, how he got involved in this project, McCartney’s post-Beatles career, the legacy of Wings, conducting the interviews, choosing to only use the audio in the film, and what it was like for him to spend time with Paul McCartney.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: Director Kevin MacDonald Talks Documentary ‘One to One: John & Yoko’

    Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Prime Video.
    Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Prime Video.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved in this project and what interested you in telling the story of Wings and focusing on this specific post-Beatles point in Paul McCartney’s life?

    Morgan Neville: I got a call from Paul’s manager, almost five years ago, saying, “Would you be interested in working on a documentary that touches on the Wings era of Paul’s career?” Within three seconds, I said, “Yes.” I’ve been an obsessive Beatles and Paul McCartney fan my whole life and a big Wings fan. The first record I ever bought was a Wings record, so I go way back. But I also knew that this period of his life was one that people don’t know that much about. So, the film begins essentially the day the Beatles break up, and then Paul must figure out all kinds of existential questions about, “Who am I, who am I as an artist? What kind of person am I?” You know, in a very short period, he gets married, has a kid, adopts his wife, Linda‘s child, and the Beatles break up. Then he moves to a rural farmhouse in Scotland. I mean, this is all like within nine months this happens. So, that’s kind of the beginning that sets up this story. But what you see is that Paul really struggles through this time for all these different reasons. So, it was kind of understanding the human part of it that I find very relatable.

    (L to R) Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.
    (L to R) Linda McCartney and Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.

    MF: What was it like conducting the interviews and can you talk about making the choice to only use the audio in the film?

    MN: I did many interviews with Paul over many months. I never filmed them. I just did audio. Part of it was we could have more intimate conversations, I guess, and really try to take our time and talk. But the other thing I knew was that I don’t want to have 80-year-old people saying, “50 years ago this was a great thing.” Those types of films are very retrospective. Somehow, when you take those off camera, it just becomes a present tense story. So, you’re just kind of flowing through it, and all the voices from the archive voices to the new voices, just become this soup. I feel like it’s a bit of a trance that the film can put you in. It feels like you never leave that decade, really, the 1970s through the film.

    Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.
    Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Linda McCartney. Copyright: © Paul McCartney under exclusive licence to MPL Archive LLP.

    MF: Finally, as a fan, what was it like for you to spend time with Sir Paul McCartney and really get to know him on a personal level because of this project?

    MN: Totally surreal. I am a huge fan, but I think about 15 minutes into the first interview, I said, “Okay, I have to take my fan hat off and put my filmmaker hat on and just talk to him as Paul.” Then there are moments where my fan hat pops back on. But the amount of trust and space he gave me to make this film is kind of remarkable. So, I am I’m very grateful to him and grateful to consider him a friend.

    Paul McCartney in 'Man on the Run'. Photo: Rupert Truman. Copyright: © MPL Communications Ltd.
    Paul McCartney in ‘Man on the Run’. Photo: Rupert Truman. Copyright: © MPL Communications Ltd.

    What is the story of ‘’Man on the Run’?

    Paul McCartney forms new band Wings after Beatles breakup. Archival home footage shows his life with Linda McCartney, who influenced his music. The film follows Wings from formation through the 1970s, during which McCartney wrote hit songs.

    Who is featured in ‘Man on the Run’?

    'Man on the Run' premieres on Prime Video February 27th.
    ‘Man on the Run’ premieres on Prime Video February 27th.

    List of Rock and Roll Documentaries:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Man on the Run‘ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Morgan Neville Movies On Amazon

  • ‘Piece By Piece’ Interview: Director Morgan Neville

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    Opening in theaters on October 11th is the new documentary/biopic about the life and career of Pharrell Williams called ‘Piece By Piece’, which was completely animated with LEGO.

    Directed by Morgan Neville (‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’), the film features LEGO animated interviews with Pharrell, Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg.

    Related Article: Marisa Abela and Director Sam Taylor-Johnson Talk ‘Back to Black’

    Director Morgan Neville in 'Piece By Piece, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.
    Director Morgan Neville in ‘Piece By Piece, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with filmmaker Morgan Neville about his work on ‘Piece By Piece’, collaborating with Pharrell and LEGO on the groundbreaking project, making an animated movie for the first time, whether the film is a documentary or a biopic, conducting the interviews, becoming a LEGO figure himself, and the emotional connection the audience has with the characters in the movie.

    You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.

    Director Morgan Neville discusses 'Piece By Piece'.
    Director Morgan Neville discusses ‘Piece By Piece’.

    Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how this unique project came together and what it was like working with Pharrell Williams to tell his story on screen?

    Morgan Neville: This crazy idea came from Pharrell, where he apparently had the idea that if he was ever going to do anything like a documentary, it would be in LEGO. Apparently, everybody he told this to said, “That’s a terrible idea,” or “It’s a crazy idea. It’s an unattainable idea.” Fortunately, he was a big fan of my films, and he said, “I want Morgan to do it.” I met him, and the way he pitched me was, “It would be interesting if you made a documentary about my life, and when you were done with it, you threw out all the images and just replaced it with LEGO.” When he said that, I got excited. I didn’t think it was crazy. Well, maybe I did think it was crazy. But the craziness of it is what I thought was interesting because it was so unusual. I didn’t even know what it would mean, and we just spent years in production figuring out what it could mean. But it felt like it opened so many creative doors. From that, we just had this incredible burst of creative freedom, which is what you want. I felt like that was Pharrell producing me, like, “Here are the ingredients. Now you go make it.”

    Pharrell Williams stars in director Morgan Neville’s 'Piece By Piece', a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.
    Pharrell Williams stars in director Morgan Neville’s ‘Piece By Piece’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

    MF: Before making this movie you were primarily a documentary filmmaker, what was it like for you to direct an animated movie and work with LEGO on this project?

    MN: The documentary process and the animation process are opposites. The documentary process is revision and looseness. You don’t have a lot of control. You’re just trying to kind of stitch together the messiness of reality into something. In animation, you’re God. You get to build the world. You get to put everybody wherever you want them and make everybody say whatever you want them to say. So, there was a tension between those two things that I really wanted to keep. I think it was interesting. Rather than erasing the imperfections, I wanted to embrace the imperfections and keep the grammar of documentary going. There were many times in working on the film with my animation director, who is fantastic, and our studios, that they would say, “Well, you don’t do it that way in animation.” I was like, “Oh, but we are. We are. We’re going to try.” Whenever they said, “Oh, you don’t do it that way,” I’m like, “Why not? Why can’t we do it that way?” So, there was an interesting tension there that I think bore incredible fruit. It was the kind of thing where I knew my ignorance could be a bit of an asset, like let me insist on doing things this way just to see what it brings, and at the same time, also embracing the freedom of animation where, particularly when songs come in in the movie, anything can happen. So, me saying, “Well, we’re not in a documentary anymore. We’re in his head and in his head, anything can happen. We can be underwater, and we can be floating. Let’s embrace that too.” That, for me, having done this for a long time, was so incredibly liberating.

    (L to R) Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams in director Morgan Neville’s 'Piece By Piece', a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.
    (L to R) Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams in director Morgan Neville’s ‘Piece By Piece’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

    MF: While the film is an animated documentary, it’s also an animated biopic about Pharrell’s life. Was that the goal or something you found naturally through the process of making this movie?

    MN: It’s a natural process and I feel like this is true of a lot of my filmmaking storytelling in documentary, is that it’s not so much that I want to give you all the achievements of Pharrell Williams, because that is an eight-hour film. It’s more like, how do I tell a story about a Black nerd from the projects who doesn’t fit in, and then suddenly he completely fits in, and what does that mean to his own creative voice, and how does he stay in touch with it? It’s a story of a creative person on this journey. That gets me excited, and that is a story that I identify with as a creative person. So that part of it, I kind of fully embraced, that we were making a movie that way. The other layer to it is that it’s a musical in that I really listened to all the music he did. In my Spotify, I have 10 playlists of Pharrell songs he sang, songs he wrote, songs inspired by, songs with his solo albums, and songs with N.E.R.D. and The Neptunes. I spent a lot of time listening to everything and trying to find songs that spoke to me or felt like they were telling a story about Pharrell’s life and then trying to really use the music to tell the story as much as we could too, which is great. Then on top of that, being able to then show the film to Pharrell and say, “Okay, Pharrell, why don’t you write some new songs based on my view of your story?” He said to me that because he was looking at himself through my eyes, it made it way easier for him to write music as opposed to if somebody just said, “Hey, why don’t you write a song about your life?” But the fact that he was able to see it through my eyes gave him a focus that allowed him to do it. I love all that. I love that creative feedback loop that we created.

    Snoop Dogg in director Morgan Neville’s 'Piece By Piece', a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.
    Snoop Dogg in director Morgan Neville’s ‘Piece By Piece’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

    MF: Can you talk about the interviews you did for this film and how did people react when you told them they would be depicted as LEGO figurines?

    MN: Well, we didn’t tell anybody in the beginning that it was going to be LEGO. It was kind of a secret. It’s not that we were trying to deceive people, but we told people it was going to be a documentary and we were going to animate it. Five years ago, we started these interviews, and we didn’t want it getting out, but we also didn’t want people necessarily performing or thinking, “Oh, I’m talking as a LEGO minifigure.” So, we just tried to keep it organic like I normally would on a documentary. Then over years of animation, we started to tell people. I started to show some of the people in the film their character designs. I have to say, every single person was excited. Who doesn’t want to be a minifigure in LEGO? So, a lot of people, even people who were kind of like, “What? Really? Is this going to work,” every one of those people now wants their own minifigure. So, I think it was something that just clicked so well that turned out better than I could have expected. It was exciting.

    (L to R) Pharrell Williams and director Morgan Neville in their film 'Piece By Piece', a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.
    (L to R) Pharrell Williams and director Morgan Neville in their film ‘Piece By Piece’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

    MF: You are also featured in the film. What was that like for you as a filmmaker to be a character in the movie and what did you think about your own LEGO representation?

    MN: Yeah, I’m not normally a character in my movies, but this was such an unusual movie that I felt like if I was honest about my role in the film, it helped the audience understand how we got here. So really it was a way of me solving a story point, but it’s real. That’s really me trying to figure out what this movie is. So, in that way, even though the film is a documentary, it also plays like a film about a guy trying to make a documentary about Pharrell too. All those different gears, the lines of what’s documentary and what’s musical and what’s a biopic, to me, you have a lot of those questions going in, but hopefully when you come out, it just makes sense.

    (L to R) Director Morgan Neville and Pharrell Williams in their film 'Piece By Piece', a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.
    (L to R) Director Morgan Neville and Pharrell Williams in their film ‘Piece By Piece’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

    MF: Finally, have you been surprised by the emotional connection audiences are having with these plastic characters?

    MN: Yeah. I was worried because a LEGO minifigure is very reductive. Characters have no nose; they have no ears. You can’t see them cry or sweat. There’s a lot of restrictions. The question was, if I’m showing close-ups of a minifigure in an interview, is that compelling? Is it going to be emotional? Is it going to connect? Right when we started doing tests, it started to work. Kind of my own theory on it is that you project a lot of yourself into LEGO because it’s low resolution in that way, that you can see yourself in characters more. Now a lot of people who see the film say, “I forgot I was watching a LEGO movie,” and I love that. There are a lot of people saying that they get emotional watching it, and I felt emotional about making it, but you never know if that’s going to translate. So that’s been one of the best things to come out of finally being able to show people this film is just seeing how it connects so deeply with folks.

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    What is the plot of ‘Piece By Piece’?

    The film documents Pharrell Williams’s life and musical career, incorporating Williams’s faith and expressing his artistry by means of LEGO.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Piece By Piece’?

    • Pharrell Williams as himself
    • Morgan Neville as himself
    • Gwen Stefani as herself
    • Kendrick Lamar as himself
    • Timbaland as himself
    • Justin Timberlake as himself
    • Busta Rhymes as himself
    • Jay-Z as himself
    • Snoop Dogg as himself
    (L to R) Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams in director Morgan Neville’s 'Piece By Piece', a Focus Features release.
    (L to R) Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams in director Morgan Neville’s ‘Piece By Piece’, a Focus Features release. Photo: Courtesy of Focus Features / © 2024 Focus Features LLC.

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