Brad Pitt has been trying to stop a feud that started on the set of ’12 Years a Slave’.
Before ’12 Years a Slave’ was nominated with an Academy Award, director Steve McQueen and screenwriter John Ridley were entangled in a fierce battle over the credit of the Oscar-winning screenplay.
The feud was so intense, that both McQueen and Ridley had tried to keep it quiet until it reached a climax last Sunday Night during the Oscars ceremony.
So here is the story. McQueen’s wife read the book that inspired ’12 Years a Slave’ and Steve McQueen asked Ridley to work on a screenplay version of the production. It is reported that the McQueen helped in shaping the script that Ridley turned in. But when McQueen asked for shared credit, which is common practice in Hollywood, Ridley said no. This infuriated McQueen. The director was so upset he contacted FOX Searchlight and to the dismay of Steve McQueen, they sided with Ridley. That did not make relations any better. Executives for FOX Searchlight asked Brad Pitt, a producer and actor in ’12 Years a Slave’ to step in and help fix the feud.
During the acceptance speech, Ridley made no mentions of the director and some people say McQueen’s response was less than enthusiastic. See the unsmiling applause below:
Later, when ’12 Years a Slave’ won for best picture, Steve McQueen made no mention of Ridley’s contribution.
The two had bad relations for some time. Apparrently, McQueen would ignore the screenwriter and stop people from speaking to Ridley. McQueen also insisted that the writer sit at different tables during award shows. During the BAFTA awards ceremony, TheWrap reports that ” McQueen berated Ridley’s wife while the writer was in the bathroom, trying to snatch up her BAFTA souvenirs and leaving her in tears, according to two insiders who passed along details of the outburst.”
They tried to keep their feud silent and it worked. The movie won several academy awards, BAFTA awards, and a wide array of other nominations.
Ridley is currently in Austin, Texas working on a television series for ABC–American Crime. There are no reports of whether Steve McQueen will help in the making the TV production.
photo credit: wvs & Steve Rhodes via photopin cc
