Chris Rock’s new movie “Misty Green” centers on a fictional actress (Rosalind Eleazar) mounting a Hollywood comeback after years in the throes of a fading career. Misty’s journey pokes fun at some of the trappings of trying to “make it” in the entertainment industry, a pursuit that Rock himself is rejecting after his decades-spanning career in the biz.
“Most people don’t make it, quote unquote, in Hollywood,” he told Variety at the “Misty Green” New York Film Festival premiere Saturday night. “Making it is, to me, where I’m at right now: my daughter having great kids. Having love in your life. If you got no love, you’re broke as f—k. That’s making it. All this other stuff, it’s just a job at the end of the day.”
Rock plays a director who reunites with Misty after previously getting her booted from a “Cinderella” remake. (Earlier this month, he revealed to Variety that he originally imagined Donald Glover for the role.) Rock and Eleazar’s characters bond over their shared inability to remain faithful in relationships, playing into a familiar stereotype about Hollywood life.
“I don’t think it’s a Hollywood thing, it’s just life,” Rock told Variety. “Our two characters bond over our infidelities. And, yeah, it’s a lot. But it’s show business, man. Rock ’n’ roll!”
“Misty Green” also marks a real-life underdog moment for Eleazar, who tops the call sheet on a feature film for the first time. Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis declared that Eleazar “is a best actress contender that dares anyone in the room to argue otherwise.”
“I’ve had bouts of not working,” Eleazar explained. “ I know many actors that have had huge bouts of not working and are constantly knocked down. And I have a lot of respect for actors that get up and do it all over again. But it’s also a universal story about any industry. It’s not just about actors.”
Rounding out the ensemble are Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick and Topher Grace. On just a $5 million price tag, Rock says he was able to assemble a star-studded cast for “Misty Green” by keeping the production local to Los Angeles.
“That was one of the reasons I got this great cast, because I just happened to be filming in L.A., so that definitely helped,” he said. “I would love to film more movies in L.A. It’s a money thing at this point. Tax incentives would help.”
