Saulnier Says Stewart Helped Save Green Room

Filmmaker Jeremy Saulnier said Patrick Stewart helped keep Green Room from shutting down when the actor agreed to play the film’s villain, Darcy Banker, recalling the production’s near-collapse at an anniversary screening in Los Angeles. Saulnier described the project as close to being halted because the role of the neo-Nazi group’s leader had not been cast. He said Stewart unexpectedly expressed interest, and that after speaking with the actor, the production received the commitment it needed to proceed. Saulnier’s account of the film’s production history came from his remarks at the screening. Green Room, released in 2015, casts Stewart against type as Banker, a calculating neo-Nazi leader. The thriller follows a punk band trapped at a remote venue and facing the group. Saulnier said Stewart’s involvement allowed the film to move forward, and credited him with helping make his continued filmmaking possible. Saulnier also remembered Stewart as a kind leader to the cast and a gentleman on set. He recounted that Stewart once asked to add an expletive to a scene. Saulnier said he initially wondered what the actor had in mind, then approved the addition when Stewart specified the...