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Jake Gyllenhaal (right) and Conor McGregor in ‘Road House’.
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After saying that he would not attend the premiere of road house In protest, Doug Liman is actually at the SXSW screening of his latest film, The Hollywood Reporter Has confirmed.
In January, Liman wrote an open letter expressing his displeasure that Amazon MGM would not release the film in theaters, despite what he said were positive test screenings. He wrote at the time: “Amazon asked me and the movie community to trust them and their public statements about supporting movie theaters, and then they turned around and are using road house sell plumbing fixtures.”
In protest, he wrote that he would boycott the SXSW premiere. But on Friday night he was sitting in the audience for the film’s premiere.
The film is a remake of the 1989 film of the same name starring the late Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott. (A title card at the top of road house premiere said the screening was dedicated to Swayze.)
In Liman’s version, Jake Gyllenhaal plays Elwood Dalton, an ex-UFC who is living in his car when a Florida roadside bar owner (Jessica Williams) approaches him asking for a job as a bouncer. He quickly enters into competition with a wealthy developer (Billy Magnussen) looking to take over the bar.
Before the movie, Gyllenhaal shouted out Liman from the Paramount Theater stage, saying, “I also want to thank our amazing director, he’s in the audience tonight.” The actor added that he and Liman have been friends for 15 years and have wanted to work together for a long time: “He’s so brilliant and this movie is too.”
Along with Gyllenhaal, Williams and Magnussen, Lukas Gage, Post Malone and JD Pardo were also present at the premiere, as well as UFC champion turned actor Conor McGregor, who plays the film’s resident villain.
Online reactions largely highlighted McGregor’s campy, over-the-top performance. During the post-screening Q&A with moderator Dax Shepherd, McGregor said of making the film: “It’s very hard work. When I saw it come to life on the screen, while I was watching the movie, I thought, ‘I’m going to ruin this.'”
From the stage, McGregor thanked the filmmakers for casting him and added, “Doug Liman is not on stage and he should be on stage,” which was received with loud applause from the audience.
Gyllenhaal spoke about working to bring in McGregor road house, saying: “We were chasing Conor and waiting for him to do the movie, and suddenly we got the call that he was going to do it. You know the feeling when you buy the house you’ve always wanted and you’re like, ‘What the fuck did I just do?’ That’s the feeling. He wanted to run as far as she could.”
road houseAnother newcomer, Malone, was asked how he found the experience. He laughed, “Shit, I don’t know what I’m doing. He said backstage that there is no such thing as autotune for acting. “It really is very hard work and everyone here destroyed it.”
road house will be released on Prime Video on March 21.