Stephen Spielberg's highly-anticipated new film, The Fabelmans, is expected to be different from the director's previous films due to its highly personal nature. It follows a semi-autobiographical account of Spielberg's early life, how he found his passion for film, and how he eventually became the world’s most famous filmmaker. On Sunday, The Fabelmans had its first screening in Los Angeles's TCL Chinese Theater. Following the hugely successful premiere, which received a roaring standing ovation, cast members Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Gabrielle LaBelle, and Seth Rogen commented on their roles in the film. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rogen revealed that he initially thought he was in trouble when he received a phone call from Spielberg. When he found out he was actually offered a role, Rogen described it to be a “very surreal moment":
“I have friends who have worked with Steven Spielberg, and it’s been surreal for everyone I know, but also, the added layer of it being such a deeply personal film... it was something that was not lost on anybody. There was a point that I went up to Michelle and was like, ‘You’ve worked with Scorsese, does this seem different than that?’ And she’s like, ‘Oh, this is way different. This is a singular experience.’”
Williams also added on to Rogen's comments during the interview, explaining that the personal connection that Spielberg has to the film made production a very emotional process for everyone. Speaking about Spielberg, Williams said:
“He would cry a lot, openly. We’d show up on set and he would just see a certain piece of wardrobe or a certain piece of set decoration or everyone coming together to recreate a certain thing. I saw him cry dozens of times throughout filming the movie which was actually very beautiful and I think made everyone want to really honor what he was doing.”
LaBelle confirmed this and added that everyone would “do a group hug afterward”, while writer Tom Kushner confirmed the emotion of the film but also confessed that he “never had as much fun writing” in his entire life. Kushner also revealed that he was the one who came up with the name “Fabelman”, explaining that he was inspired by Spielberg’s name, which translates to “play-mountain” from Yiddish. Kushner was especially fixated on the word “spiel”, which can either mean “speech” or “play.” He said he wanted to convey a similar meaning of storytelling in the title, and thought of the word “fable." Kushner elaborated more on the title’s origin, saying:
“I wanted to have some of that meaning, and I’ve always like the German word ‘fabel,’ which means fable. And because the movie is autobiographical for Steven but it isn’t an autobiography, it’s not a documentary, so there’s a fictional event as well. So I thought that ‘Fabelman’ was a nod to that.”
The Fabelmans is a fictionalized account of Spielberg’s life, and follows the story of a young man named Sammy Fabelman. Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, Sammy uncovers a shocking family secret and explores how the power of film can help reveal the truth. It is directed by Spielberg, and co-produced by Spielberg, Tony Kushner, and Kristie Macosko Krieger. It stars LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman, Williams as Sammy’s Mother, Paul Dano as Sammy’s father, Julia Butters as Anne Fabelman, and Rogen as family friend Benny.
The Fabelmans premieres in theaters on November 11. In the meantime, checkout the official trailer below: