Given the variety of streaming services currently available to the public, we're in the midst of what is colloquially known as the streaming wars. There's a steady stream of content coming for those with a Netflix subscription, including the recent release of Good Grief, a movie directed and starring Schitt's Creek icon Daniel Levy. And he recently spoke to CinemaBlend about why he needed an acting coach on the Netflix drama.
The trailer for Good Grief showed off the movie's emotional premise, where a queer man (Levy) is suddenly deep into mourning when his husband (Luke Evans) suddenly dies on Christmas. Since Levy won Emmys for Schitt's Creek, one might think it's surprising that he needed an acting coach for his film directorial debut. As you can see in the video above, I had the privilege of speaking with the multihyphenate ahead of Good Grief's release, where he explained why having an acting coach was key to the movie. After all, he wrote, directed, and produced the film in addition to playing the lead character. As Levy told me:
A very good friend came and was an acting coach for me. I was important that I had a set of eyes behind the camera just to make sure that I was okay because there was no one sort of directing me. So I just set myself up with a really nice support system and did the work in advance to know exactly what I was walking into so that there were no real blind spots.
Some serious points were made. While Daniel Levy is used to wearing multiple hats on film projects just as he did with Schitt's Creek, the subject matter of Good Grief was decidedly more heavy. And while he was comfortable and prepared for the filmmaking process, he wanted another set of eyes on what he was doing in front of the camera. Can you blame him?
While comparing what it was like working on Schitt's Creek and Good Grief, Daniel Levy hammered in how important his preparation process is. He shared how he wants to work closely with all the designers and technical elements, that way he can focus on being an actor when in front of the camera. And for the new Netflix movie, Levy wanted someone on set who was focused on his performance, while Levy wore his many hats.
Since Good Grief is officially streaming, I can confirm that this specificity and care really paid off. The movie is a moving take on grief, and Levy's performance is layered, emotional, and endlessly charismatic. And having a support system like an acting coach was no doubt helpful in his process.
Good Grief is streaming now on Netflix. Be sure to check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
