‘The Adam Project’ Director Shawn Levy Reveals How Johnny Depp Inspired Him To Get Behind The Camera
10.03.2022 - 23:55
/ etcanada.com
Shawn Levy is making his mark in Hollywood.
The Canadian producer-director is featured in the new issue of WSJ. Magazine, talking about his new movie “The Adam Project” with Ryan Reynolds, and his career in movies.
Before pursuing his path as a director, Levy attempted acting, landing a guest-starring role in the series “21 Jump Street”, starring a young Johnny Depp.
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Describing meeting Depp, the director recalls saying, “Hi, Mr. Depp. My name’s Shawn Levy. I’m so excited to be here,” at which point Depp slowly turned to Levy and answered, “Welcome to the puppet show. You like to dance, puppet? Because that’s what you do for a living now. Dance, puppet, dance.”
Levy remembers Depp mimicking a marionette on strings, which prompted him to think: “Maybe I want to direct and hold the strings.”
Over the years, Levy has also worked with Spielberg, who has also been an inspiration to him.
“I asked, ‘Steven, how do you know what the right shot is?’” Levy recalls. “And he goes, ‘The way you picture it in your head —that makes it right.’ It was formative. It has had a profound impact on how I direct and how I produce.”
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Levy has found something of a muse in Reynolds, with four new projects in development, including a sequel to “Free Guy”.
“He’s a Swiss Army knife — a Canadian Army knife,” Reynolds says of Levy. “There are a lot of tools in there, and it’s really interesting to watch him unearth tools that I’m not even sure he realized he has.”
He adds, “The guy is incredibly prolific, more so than anyone