Terry Gilliam: Trump Destroyed Humor
According to Cinemadrame News Agency, Terry Gilliam says Donald Trump’s renewed presidency has “destroyed” comedy and humor, thus derailing his new film, “The Carnival at the End of Days.”
The 84-year-old filmmaker, whose credits include “Brazil,” “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” and “12 Monkeys,” stated in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter that Trump’s return has profoundly impacted the state of comedy.
“I think Trump has significantly changed things,” he says. “He’s turned the world upside down… We have ‘woke’ activists with a very narrow-minded and self-righteous view. They’ve scared many people and made many cautious about joking and mocking things, because if they joke, these people will say you’re attacking others. But no, humor can be found in humanity!”
Gilliam continues: “So dark humor and satire are essentially dead. And humor, to me, is one of the most essential things in life. We have six senses; the seventh sense is humor, and if you are deprived of it, life becomes miserable.”
The director also mentioned in another part of the interview that his new star-studded film has been thrown off its original course due to these changes: “[Trump] messed up my last film. Because it was a satire about the last few years when we witnessed those events. He turned the world upside down. That’s why he destroyed my film.”
Gilliam adds: “I think Trump has destroyed humor. I mean, how can you satirize what’s happening and his behavior in the world? Regarding ‘The Carnival’ film, a few days ago I thought maybe I should put an introduction in it and say what you’re about to see is a period that historians call the lost Trump years from 2020 to 2024. I guess I’ll have to rewrite many parts of the film. I’m still trying to determine what approach to take.”
Gilliam has been trying for several years to secure funding for this film, which he calls his “swan song.” Jeff Bridges (as the voice of God), Johnny Depp (as the Devil), Asa Butterfield (as Adam), Adam Driver, and Jason Momoa have joined his new film. Unofficial reports suggest the film’s budget is around $40 million.
He previously told the French publication Midi Libre: “The simple story is about God’s destruction of humanity for destroying His beautiful garden, Earth. Only one character tries to save humanity, and that is the Devil, because without humanity he becomes unemployed, while he is an eternal being and thus unemployment is terrible. He finds young people and tries to convince God that they are the new Adam and Eve. God nevertheless destroys humanity. It’s a comedy.”
