How many producers can go out there and say they helped make several film franchises possible with their help? Producers Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan can certainly say that. The duo have produced several movies including “Night at the Museum,” “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” and the first three “Harry Potter” films in the highly popular series. That’s not to mention the other original projects that they’ve produced throughout the years, entertaining us all on a continually grander scale.
Then one day a manuscript of Kathryn Stockett’s new novel “The Help” lands in their lap. Next thing you, they’re going full steam ahead, transforming the Kathryn Stockett New York Times’ Bestseller novel into a wonderful feature film. There are many people who contribute to creating a single successful feature-length film, but the producers are those who make sure it blossoms into a movie they’d be proud to have their names on.
Producers Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan laugh and occasionally talk over each other about brining “The Help” to the big screen, the dark days of the Civil Rights movement and how great it is to have a couple of the biggest rising stars in their cast.
ShockYa: How did you both get involved with the project? What initially attracted you to it, especially since it’s a fairly new novel.
Chris Columbus: I think it was Tate’s (Taylor) with me which goes back about six years so I’ve always been looking at his short films. We got Michael (Barnathan) and everyone to support Tate (Taylor) as a director at 1492 Films. When he came in with “The Help” we read the manuscript before the book was released and we knew it was something we wanted to support and make. Then when he came back with the script, the book had been released and was starting to inch its way up the New York Times’ Bestseller List. It was just a matter of us finding a studio that would be in sync with us and support Tate (Taylor) as a director. A lot of people passed but thankfully DreamWorks came in with Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider and said that they would make the movie.
Michael Barnathan: And it was very fortunate because the book didn’t leave the besteseller list, and it’s still there–
Chris Columbus: And it’s continued to climb.
Michael Barnathan: It’s got some sort of record-setting going on.
Chris Columbus: In fact I believe right now it’s number one in the paperback list and it is number three in the New York Times’ overall electronic section, so it’s just crazy.
ShockYa: Do you think one of the reasons why the novel is so successful is because the topic it’s dealing with, especially since it’s still relevant in a way. When Emma Stone was at the roundtable she talked about how in history class the Civil Rights movement would be touched upon just for a chapter or two to more recent generations. Also, do you think that’s one of the main reasons why the novel is drawing in people so much?
Chris Columbus: People are srtill being oppressed, it still exists in other cultures constantly.
ShockYa: You can also relate it with gays and marriage rights, topics of that nature.
Chris Columbus: Yes, so it continues to this day. Unfortunately someone is going to be oppressed in this society and it’s going to be relatable forever. I think the fact that the Civil Rights movement is very young, that it happened fifty years ago, is still fresh in people’s minds. To be completely honest, when you go to the South it’s still there. Those guys, the ones who were responsible for the murders, the lynchings, all of those things; they’re still alive. They’re still there. That adds a certain sense of fear and an awareness when you’re down there. It’s not all rosy down there, let me just be honest with you, there is a sense of fear. When we saw some of the older gentleman in the area you think to yourself ‘What was their general opinion of what was going on in that era? Were they aware of it?’ You’re curious about it and don’t really have the guts to ask any of them about it. But I’m curious because —
Michael Barnathan: I think they saw it as, from their point of view, their way of life. They didn’t know anything different because they were brought up that way.
ShockYa: Just accustomed to it all.
Michael Barnathan: Yeah, so these guys were workers. This was a culture of workers who worked for them. I think they just saw it as a way of life and I think they understand now that it probably wasn’t a really good thing. They recognize that I think in general as a society.
Chris Columbus: And you did get that sense.
Michael Barnathan: Yeah, but there’s still high poverty, higher unemployement amongst some African Americans and amongst some of the Caucasian population. There’s still issues but there’s also a lot of attention to Mississippi within Mississippi. They’re trying to break that cycle. We met a very interesting African American lobbyist and businessmen who was trying to bring green technology business to Greenwood. It seemed like a great idea, there’s a lot of money for green technology. When you took away cotton in Mississippi and it went overseas, what was left was unemployment because there was no industry to replace that. So that’s been the different thing that people have been trying to do, especially with technology because technology is something important that you can bring it in quickly and you can start to work on it. It was an interesting experience for us.
ShockYa: And at the same time it’s kind of great too that you guys put together a film like “The Help” because even though there is oppression that will probably never go away, you have films like this that show you can overcome all of that.
Now I want to talk a little bit more about the casting. I know that since day one Kathryn (Stockett) and Tate (Taylor) said Octavia Spencer, even when the novel was being created, was the actress they based the character Minny off of. What about the remainder of the cast? And what do you like about them especially Jessica Chastain and Emma Stone who are the rising stars. You’ve got to be pretty happy when you realize that you have a couple of the biggest rising stars in your film.
Chris Columbus: I think it’s honestly, and I swear I’ve been reluctant in our entire career to sort of say ‘Oh we can do this well,’ we’ve tried to maintain a certain level of being humble. But when this film was finished and I started to see exactly what you were saying, I realized that the Potter kids really worked out for eight films. I thought to myself ‘We really do have kind of a, some sort of instinct in terms of casting,’ and you don’t challenge it. You go back and you look, and we’ve messed up a few times, but in terms of the track record that’s probably our strongest suit that we’ve been very fortunate in finding the people we put into the films. Mostly not stars.
Jessica Chastain, again, was someone that Tate (Taylor) really fought hard for and in a sense convinced us that she was right for it. Emma Stone we always knew was just phenomenal, but Jessica (Chastain) has proven, especially in this movie, that she is going to be a huge star. She’s capable of doing anything. To have these two women in our movie right now, and for me it’s very odd because I go to the grocery store Emma (Stone) is on two covers, Emma Watson from Potter is on two. Then there’s Daniel Radcliffe on one, I mean it’s weird. That’s a good feeling, we’re in a good place for casting right now. Again, I hope we don’t loose it.
If you want to read Chris Columbus’ thoughts on the beloved “Harry Potter” film franchise ending, click on the link here.
“The Help” is out in theaters today. Check your local theater for show time and more ticket information.