Opus director reveals secret 350-page manifesto that would be ‘awful’ if revealed
'I would be heartbroken if somebody used it to do something awful.'
Mark Anthony Green has opened up about his directorial debut, Opus, as he reveals why he wrote an entire bible about a made-up religion, in preparation for his movie.
A24’s new psychological thriller Opus stars Ayo Edeberi and John Malkovich and was released last week after initially debuting at the Sundance Film Festival.
The film focuses on a group of music journalists who are invited to pop sensation Alfred Moretti’s home to hear about his grand return to the industry after a long hiatus.
Of course, things take a very sinister turn and it appears that the group is very much in danger from Moretti’s sycophantic groupies who are called the Levelists.
The movie is a directorial debut for director Mark Anthony Green, known as MAG, who was previously a journalist at GQ for 13 years. Speaking in a candid interview with Metro, he explained why he needed to write an entire 350-page ‘bible’ in preparation for the film.
‘Let me tell you something, Lord, nobody wants to be like “I wrote a manifesto.”
The director of Opus has opened up about the preparation for his new movie (Picture: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for GQ)To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
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Previous Page Next Page‘As a straight male, writing a manifesto? Now I’m on a list somewhere. I’m in terrible company.’
He then added that manifesto might be a strong term for what he created: ‘I wouldn’t call it a manifesto. It’s their [ the Levellists] Bible, basically the meditations of level.’
He explained that he felt this was necessary in order to ensure that he was informed when it came to working on set and explaining the behaviours of the religious group.
‘I just felt like, you know when you’re on set, you’re making a film, you’re constantly being asked questions. Like the director’s cliche of like, “I answered 100,000 questions today,”
‘I knew who Moretti was, I knew who Ariel was. I knew the story we were telling, but the religion, it felt like it was going to be such a source of the decision-making that I wanted to have it fully fleshed out.’
When asked if he handed out this bible to the cast, Green had a quick response.
‘Oh, I will never put it up. No one’s seeing that.’
‘I don’t want to make a religion and I would be heartbroken if somebody used it to do something awful.
‘I didn’t give it to any of the actors, or to any of the crew or anything. I wrote it. I believed in it,’ he quickly clarifies, ‘I didn’t believe the religion. But I was like, “This feels very real. I think this would this would stand up.”
The director is (Picture: JC Olivera/Variety via Getty Images) Ayo stars in the new film (Picture: A24)Speaking to Metro, Murray Bartlett who plays Stan Sullivan in the film revealed that his character was inspired by a real man who worked at Rolling Stone magazine.
The actor said: ‘He was sort of based on someone who started and ran the Rolling Stone for a very long time. And not specifically, just a compilation of those kind of guys that are sort of in that old boys’ club.
‘The ones that have been in the music business for a long, long time. And, you know, feel kind of entitled in their position.’
‘Nobody is based on one person,’ Green agreed, but added that many of the characters were inspired by the people he worked with throughout his journalism career.
‘I’m not young anymore, but when I was a young journalist, I had those kind of interactions. So I wanted him to feel real.’
He described the character as being the archetype of a music editor who might say ‘No one makes albums anymore’ and believed the old ways of the music industry were far superior than today.
‘I think we all do this, where whatever you live through, that is what you think is the better way to do it.
‘So [the character archetype] was there at Rolling Stone during the time MTV was the authority on music videos, and the goal was to make an album with no skips, and it was about the album and living with it. ‘
‘Murray’s character is the easiest to get wrong in this movie because it so quickly could become a heavy-handed caricature,’ he said. ‘Microaggressions are really everything with that person and he did an amazing job.’
Murray has been praised by the director (Picture: AP)The film is a criticism of celebrity culture, and Green explained that he hopes that the movie sparks a conversation about tribalism and how we treat those who have fame and influence.
‘I think that it is this global pandemic of tribalism. It spans well past entertainment, and there are these icons, human figures, that being, believing in them, has become our entire identity.
‘I don’t have the answers. I’m an artist. I made a film that is super fun and provocative and evocative of whatever emotion. And I just want people to ask the questions. Chief among those questions is: does this thing still serve us? Has this gone too far? Are we entirely too divided because of tribalism? ‘
He added: ‘I hope people go and enjoy themselves first and foremost, and then hopefully talk. Talk it out with people who are way smarter than me, and I hope some answers come from it.’
Opus is in cinemas now.
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