Justin Simien Talks Promoting ‘Haunted Mansion’ Alone
When the autopsy is performed on the death of Haunted Mansion at the box office, it will likely raise more questions than answers. Why did Disney choose to release the film in July? Should they have moved the release to avoid “Barbenheimer” and finally how much did the SAG-AFTRA strike hurt the film’s marketing?
Just ahead of Haunted Manson‘s long-anticipated debut in theaters, Hollywood shut down. Not only was the WGA on strike, but SAG-AFTRA joined them just days before Haunted Mansion was set to have its red carpet premiere at Disneyland.
The advent of the strike meant that the film’s stars, of which there are many, were unable to participate in any promotional events.
With an ensemble cast that included LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Danny Devito, and Jamie Lee Curtis, there was a lot of star power missing.
Justin Simien Goes It Alone
Without his cast by his side, director Justin Simien forged forward with the promotional tour, doing his best to whip up support for his latest creation.
Unlike the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, Hollywood’s Directors Guild of America reached a new contract with studios earlier this year.
The new agreement made Simien’s Haunted Mansion mandate clear, but that doesn’t mean it was easy.
“I felt pulled at the seams. The DGA [Directors Guild of America] has a deal — it’s very clear what my mandate is right now. But it’s hard being inside the machine that you’re also sort of fighting to destroy,” he says.
Supporting the Strikers
Although he may not be on the picket line currently, Simien knows how hard it has been for Hollywood creatives. He has nothing but support for both WGA and SAG-AFTRA.
“I don’t think people really understand how tenuous a career in Hollywood is and just how many jobs you have to work. Partly because you’ve got to constantly project success, so it seems so surprising to people. You look at the money a show generates for a network and what people have traditionally made — that was not the case for me. I couldn’t even buy a house in L.A. when I completed [the Netflix series, which ran for four seasons]. It took stringing together multiple jobs, some of which never work out. It is a really, really tough business. And I think if you’re part of any community of difference — if you’re Black or a woman or gay or any of those things — it just compounds. You’re the first to go. You’re already the lowest paid, the most taken advantage of. When this stuff happens, it hits us just a little bit harder.”
Something Positive Will Come
While he knows dark days may be ahead, Simien remains hopeful about the eventual outcome.
“I know enough of us are angry and committed to what we do, that something positive will come from this. I don’t know what it looks like yet. But I feel something coming.”
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