Russell Brand was so uncomfortable watching Brand: A Second Coming , the documentary that revolved around his life, that he has not only labelled it “oddly intrusive,” he also tried to block its release.
The film, which was directed by Ondi Timoner, premiered at the South By Southwest film festival on Friday evening, but not before Russell Brand cancelled his appearance at the event.
Daily Beast has reported that the reason Brand is so uncomfortable is because it chronicles the decline of his relationship with his ex-wife Katy Perry.
The aforementioned publication has explained that in Brand: A Second Coming, it’s clear that Brand and Perry’s relationship declined because she didn’t match his passion to try and make the world a better place.
It’s also been reported that the film shows Brand struggling to contend with Perry’s career explosion, especially since the comedian was also struggling to comprehend his own fame.
After a trip to Kenya, where he saw children living in abject poverty, he returned home to his Hollywood mansion and tried to speak about this frank juxtaposition with Perry. However, she could only respond, “I think you’re a genius and you make me look good, and that’s why I picked you.”
Speaking about the downfall of the marriage, Brand explained, “We were going in different directions. Possibly opposite directions.”
According to Variety , Timonor explained that Brand was so uncomfortable with the film, that he tried to cancel its premiere at SXSW. Timonor also admitted that it was difficult to work with Brand.
“Working with Russell Brand was difficult. He tried to control every situation… I really wanted to work with Russell and make him happy, but I also needed to protect the film. He doesn’t like to be filmed for a documentary.”
Work on Brand: A Second Coming began seven years ago, and Brand was actually going to direct the film himself. However, when Timoner was approached in 2013, five other directors had come on-board and left, and she admitted that the footage she was provided with left her non-plussed.
Timoner insisted that she would only oversee the film if she had creative control over it. But after finishing her work and then showing it to Brand, the comedian soon started to have cold feet, which is why he has since distanced himself from it.
On Friday he released a long statement on his website that explained why he couldn’t watch the film, explaining, “I’m told the film is good, but for me watching it was very uncomfortable.”
[Image via The Film Stage ]
