Green Room was close to shutting down, with its skinhead leader still uncast, when Patrick Stewart expressed interest. Writer-director Jeremy Saulnier says Stewart’s decision to play Darcy Banker secured the go-ahead for the film.
“He had no business doing this movie. He had plenty of opportunities otherwise.”
Remembering the late actor at a 10th-anniversary screening in Los Angeles on October 30, Saulnier recalled that roughly a week after Stewart’s interest emerged, they were talking by phone. Saulnier had been facing the possibility of dismantling the sets and abandoning production.
Saulnier said “the movie was instantly greenlit; we moved forward. And I thank him for just taking that leap and making ‘Green Room’ a thing.”
Saulnier also remembered Stewart as a “f-cking sweetheart, true gentleman, a kind leader to our whole cast.”
One small request during filming helped convince him that Stewart understood exactly what he was making: the actor wanted to add “F-ck!” during a scene as the camera moved through. Saulnier approved the addition.
