In light of the multiple allegations of sexual misconduct made against Kevin Spacey, director Ridley Scott made the unorthodox decision to cut him from the almost-finished kidnapping drama All The Money In The World and shoot new material featuring Christopher Plummer in the role of J Paul Getty. The results can be found in the new trailer
This represents a lightning-fast turnaround by Scott, his crew and actors such as Michelle Williams and Mark Wahlberg, who reconvened earlier in the month to crank out the replacement scenes in England and Rome. The film, which follows the true-life tale of Plummer's Getty and Williams' Gail Harris dealing with the kidnapping of her son – his grandson – John Paul Getty III (Charlie Palmer), is still on track for a 22 December release in the States.
Scott talked to Entertainment Weekly about the decision to recast the role. "You have to know who you’re going to go for and if he’s available," says the director. "Chris was always on the list. So you find that out, but quietly, because you don’t want it going around. I flew into New York and met with him and he said yes. So then we had to figure out if everyone else would be available to fit in these new days of shooting. Miraculously, they were. Before you can make the decision you have to make these quick phone calls around – not to the actors directly, but to the agents – saying there’s a possibility I may need some pickups (additional shooting days). You don’t say why because of the gossip, but of course it was really for something much more significant."
And was he daunted by the sudden changes? Apparently not! "Because I know I can deliver. I move like lightning. I’m already two scenes ahead. It’s simple! If you know what you’re doing, you don’t need 19 takes. You do one for the actor, one for me. It’s all planned out. When you storyboard, you’ve already pre-filmed the movie in your head: the wide shots, close shots, establishing shots. You’ve gotten some of your weird ideas when you’re quietly sitting, storyboarding by yourself. After a while you learn to trust and listen to your intuition. And I listen to mine. I trust it." For more from Scott, head to EW's site.
In the UK, All The Money In The World will be out on 5 January.
Kevin Spacey Replaced By Christopher Plummer In Ridley Scott's Latest
Ridley Scott Directing Real-Life Kidnapping Drama All The Money In The World