Eddie Murphy and Britt Robertson in Mr. Church.
The KCET Cinema Series continued its fall season at the historic Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on September 13 with Mr. Church. The drama stars Eddie Murphy as a cook who comes into the lives of a young girl and her terminally ill mother and forms an incredible bond with them. Following the screening, writer Susan McMartin talked with KCET Cinema Series host Pete Hammond about the inspiration behind Mr. Church. An edited version of their conversation appears below.
The fall season of the KCET Cinema Series is generously sponsored by the James and Paula Coburn Foundation. Screenings continue weekly at the Aero Theatre through October 10. Individual tickets are available on the night of the screening. For more information, see kcet.org/arts/cinema_series/.
On the inspiration for Mr. Church.
This is based on a real friendship. There was a real Mr. Church in my life. He went by a different name, but its based on our friendship.
He came into my life when I was a little girl, just like in the movie. My mom was very sick with cancer and he stayed in my life until the day he died. I always knew that I wanted to write a story about our friendship because it was so unique and he was so important in every aspect of my life - childhood, becoming a writer, everything - and I always knew that one day I wanted to write about us. I never knew how I wanted to tell the story.
I had a baby and he passed away before my baby was born and it was very sad that they would never know each other, that they would never meet, that she would never know this person who raised me and that he would never know her. I thought, well, Im a writer. I can write a story where they meet. Thats how it started. Then I went back to the beginning.
I always say that its inspired by true friendship because everything about the friendship in the movie, about our bond, about what he gave me, what he taught me, our love for each other, who he is, is all real. Then I took creative liberties - two of the main ones being my daughter, he never met my daughter, so I created that story, I am a single mom. The other thing, my mom survived her cancer. Shes actually here tonight. Its funny because I always feel bad. Im sorry to tell you, my mom is still alive.
On killing the mom in Mr. Church.
Ive talked to my mom. My mom was dying of cancer and he was in our life and she is a miracle. She is a total miracle. Ive talked to my mom about this. After she survived her cancer, for many years, I lost my relationship along with my mom, to alcoholism. He became - and thats like a death in itself - extremely important to me. I didnt want to write the movie about my relationship with my mom and go down that road. I really wanted to focus on the friendship, so I chose to give you a romantic exit and kill you.
I killed my mother. And I did it in such a beautiful way. I think its pretty poetic.
Mr. Church screenwriter Susan McMartin. | Photo: Michele Garza.
On the theme in Mr. Church.
I think thats what I love about this story. And you see it at the end when Jelly approaches and doesnt even know he cooks, that idea that we all know different parts of each other and everybody has their own story with somebody. My story with the real Mr. Church was one of a father figure, a best friend, a teacher, where, in somebody elses life, he was a piano player. I love that we all have different relationships. In my life with him, the one thing he always did want was privacy. I always felt like, heres a man who gave me everything, if the only thing hes asking for is his privacy, I have to honor that. I didnt want to put in a fake, Im going to reveal some really weird secret about him just for the sake of Hollywood and storytelling. Because I think that sometimes we fall into that trap. Audiences need everything tied up in a neat bow and thats not how life is. I dont know every aspect, but I know what I was supposed to know and the important things of this man. I knew everything that he wanted me to know about who he was and, in his death, just like in life, I wanted to honor his privacy.
On the length of time it took to get Mr. Church made.
My daughter was a baby and shes now in high school. It took braces and birthdays.
I wrote it very quickly. It really poured out of me. Once I knew, the first line of dialogue came to me while I was taking a walk and I, every day, wrote. Didnt outline it. It really just poured out of me. For five years, it was in the hands of Sam Jackson and his management and they optioned for five years. So, for five years, we were trying to get it made. We would either have Sam or we would lose the director. Or, we would have the director and we would lose Sam. It just didnt happen. Then it sat on the shelf for three more years. Just sat.
What I love is that I wrote this because my daughter was never going to get to meet the real Mr. Church, but in a weird way, she has grown up with him in our home. She has seen her mom do everything to get this movie made and so then, about two years ago, my manager was in a meeting and he gave the script over to, he was in a meeting for a whole different project, but as he left he thought of my script and he said, Would you be willing to read this? Lee Nelson and David Buelow read it and decided, yes, we want to make this and then Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon came on board.
Eddie Murphy in Mr. Church.
On casting Eddie Murphy in the title role.
Once it came back off the shelf, we had Bruce Beresford and we had the producers. We decided, lets rethink who we want for the movie. We had gone down Sam years ago. Its time to start approaching and we all said Eddie Murphy, but, of course, it was a dream. He wont do it. This isnt his type of movie. This is a small movie. Its a drama. Mark Canton said, Im sending it to him anyway. Eddie, halfw
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Eddie Murphy and Britt Robertson in Mr. Church. 
