Green Room director Jeremy Saulnier has credited Sir Patrick Stewart with saving the film from "shutting down".
Saulnier's thriller stars Anton Yelchin and Callum Turner as members of a band targeted by neo-Nazi skinheads after witnessing a murder with Stewart playing the head of the gang - and Saulnier has now revealed the movie was almost shelved before the Star Trek actor "nosedived" into the project and got them the green light.
During a 10th anniversary screening of Green Room at the Alamo Drafthouse in Los Angeles shortly after Stewart's death on October 28, Saulnier explained: "Who’s sad as f*** we lost Patrick Stewart yesterday? Me. I came here to shamelessly promote [new movie] Slayground, but instead, I’m just gonna celebrate Patrick Stewart. He had no business doing this movie [Green Room]. He every option to do otherwise ...
"[We were] at the point of no return, building sets, and under the gun without [casting the character of] Darcy ...
"We’re f*****, and we were close to shutting down. And Patrick Stewart, out of the blue, sort of expressed interest in the project. And in a whirlwind, about a week later, I was on the phone with him. I left the stage [thinking,] 'Maybe we’re gonna have to break down the sets and shut the whole movie down.'
"Instead, this dude came out of nowhere, from way above our sort of zone, and just swooped down, nosedived into our cruddy a*** movie and saved us, and said yes. And the movie was instantly greenlit."
Stewart took on the role of gang leader Darcy, allowing the production to move forward, and Saulnier insisted the actor saved his moviemaking career.
He said: "We moved forward, and I thank him for just taking that leap and making Green Room a thing. Patrick Stewart is why I still can make movies. He saved the day. Too good to be true."
Saulnier called Stewart a "f****** sweetheart, true gentleman", adding he was a "very kind leader to our whole cast."
The director also opened up about filming a scene with Stewart when the actor decided he wanted to "add a little something" to the script.
He said: "I was like: ‘What is it, Patrick?’ He’s like: ‘Well, during this one part of the scene, when the camera’s coming through there, I’d like to say, f***!'
"And I was like: 'And?' 'Just f***.' I was like: 'Permission granted, sir'. And I just knew that he was completely aligned with the film, its aesthetic, its intentions and with me as a filmmaker, and it was just this lovely, lovely thing."
Patrick died last week at the age of 86 following a secret battle with Alzheimer’s disease. A statement posted on his social media accounts read: "We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny, following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s disease and Lewy Body dementia.
"He has been held in the warm embrace of family and friends, surrounded by live music, prayers, tears, laughter, and the kind of profound emotion that only he could inspire after a lifetime of devotion to all of us.
"We will forever cherish the peaceful ease and reflection on his face, an enduring reminder of his invincible grace."
