Nicole Kidman Defends 'Grace of Monaco' At Cannes Premiere

by UInterviewMay 14, 2014, 12:00 am >

Grace of Monaco opened the 2014 Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, May 14, amid conflict between director Olivier Dahan and distributor Harvey Weinstein and criticism from Monaco.

Grace Kelly's Children Call Film 'A Farce'

Directed by French director Olivier Dahan, Grace of Monaco stars Nicole Kidman as the legendary Grace Kelly, beloved actress who left Hollywood behind when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco. The film attempts to paint a portrait of Kelly’s unhappy marriage and desire to return to Hollywood, a portrait Kelly and Rainier’s three children vocally oppose. Prince Albert II, Princess Caroline and Princess Stephanie released a statement on the film, calling it “a farce” and insisting that it not be considered as a biopic.

“The director and producers refused to take into consideration the many observations made by the Palace because these called into question the entire script and the characters of the film,” reads the statement, released prior to the film’s premiere.

At the film’s press conference, Kidman commented on the statement, expressing her sympathy to Kelly’s children and admitting that the situation is “awkward.”

“Obviously, I feel sad because I think the film has no malice towards the family or particularly towards Grace or Rainier. It’s fictionalized obviously. It is not a biopic. There is the essence of truth, but with a lot of these things you take dramatic license at times. But I understand also because it’s their mother and father and they’re trying to protect the privacy of their mother and father,” Kidman said.

Harvey Weinstein Is A No Show At Cannes Premiere

But, the dismissal of the film by Grace Kelly’s children is not the only drama surrounding Grace of Monaco’s premiere. After a highly publicized battle between director Dahan and American distributor, and Hollywood heavyweight, Harvey Weinstein, many wondered if the two had, in fact, worked through their creative differences. According to reports, Dahan and Weinstein disagreed on certain editing and story choices in the film, with Weinstein dictating changes that Dahan was no longer willing to accommodate. Weinstein wanted a more glamorized and happy story, while Dahan and producers Pierre-Ange Le Pogam and Uday Chopra envisioned a darker tone.

“It’s right to struggle, but when you confront an American distributor like Weinstein, not to name names, there is not much you can do. Either you say, ‘Go figure it out with your pile of s—t’ or you brace yourself so the blackmail isn’t as violent,” Dahan was quoted as saying in October.

Weinstein demanded Dahan cut a more upbeat version of the film for its US release, and is currently attempting to renegotiate the terms of their distribution deal, reportedly hoping to cut $2 million from the film’s original $5 million price tag. While Grace of Monaco opens in France and other European markets soon after its Cannes premiere, the film does not have a set US release date.

Screenwriter Arash Amel has opted not to participate in many publicity events for the film, supposedly hoping to be kept out of the fight between Dahan and Weinstein. He did, however, reveal his belief that what caused the conflict was “an issue of cultural interpretation.”

Many speculated on whether Weinstein would attend the Grace of Monaco premiere at Cannes, or make a show of not attending out of protest. On Wednesday before the premiere, Weinstein released a statement saying he would not be attending the premiere, but cited a trip visiting Syrian refugees as the reason for his absence and sending "all the best" to the filmmakers.

At the press conference for Grace of Monaco, Dahan said that his conflict with Weinstein was over and claimed that Weinstein has no intentions of distributing a different cut of the film in the United States.

“No, Harvey will use that version [the one screened at Cannes]. If some changes need to be made we will make them together. There is no dispute,” Dahan stated.