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film producer and director
American film producer and director
PROFILE
Bill Pohlad
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FROM Bill Pohlad
The Business
Bill Pohlad: Love & Mercy Love & Mercy director Bill Pohlad made a bold choice with his Brian Wilson biopic: he cast both Paul Dano and John Cusack to play the legendary Beach Boys co-founder at different points in his life. It was a risky plan, but it worked. Pohlad's uniquely structured bio-pic is one of the few summer releases now in the Oscar race. Dano plays the 1960's "Pet Sounds" era Brian Wilson, while Cusack plays Wilson in the 1980's -- during a time when abusive therapist Eugene Landy controlled almost every aspect of his life. The person who helped Wilson break free was Melinda Ledbetter, played in the film by Elizabeth Banks. Both the real Brian Wilson and Melinda Ledbetter served as consultants on the film. /p> This is Bill Pohlad's second movie to direct, but he's no stranger to the industry. Pohlad spent the past decade primarily as a producer. He's got a nose for award-winners -- including Brokeback Mountain, Into the Wild, The Tree of Life, and 12 Years a Slave. Bill Pohlad is the son of Carl Pohlad, who became a banking billionaire and owned of the Minnesota Twins baseball team until his death in 2009. Son Bill is still on the team's board but he didn't go into the family business. Instead he fell in love with film at an early age and of course, what he really wanted to do was direct. His first attempt, Old Explorers,was a bomb. It took 24 years for Pohlad to try again with Love & Mercy. He tells us why he waited, and what it was about this project in particular that compelled him to jump back into directing.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
'Love & Mercy' Tells Brian Wilson’s Story The classic Beach Boys album Pet Sounds came out in 1966. Soon after that Brian Wilson, the main composer and driving force behind the Beach Boys, began hearing voices. He had a mental breakdown, which led him to spend three years in bed. Later, in the 1980s, he came under the control of a corrupt psychologist, Eugene Landy, who became a kind of svengali figure who took over every aspect of Wilson’s life. A new film coming out this week, Love & Mercy, tells the story of Brian Wilson during those two periods of his life. We hear from the director.
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