When the director of Shrek 4 pretended he was sick to help David Lynch on Inland Empire
Mike Mitchell told an astonishing anecdote, around fifteen years after the fact.
You may not know his name, but still Mike Mitchell is a recognized artist in Hollywood. It is notably he who is in charge of the fourth part of Kung Fu Pandawhich will be released in theaters this year.
While promoting the film, he was questioned by Total Film and revealed a juicy little anecdote, from the time when he directed Shrek 4: Once Upon an End (definitely, he is subscribed to the fourth parts). In the midst of making the animated film, in the mid-2000s, Mike Mitchell suddenly fell ill and had to be absent for a whole week…
“I shouldn’t say this on the phone with everyone at Dreamworks listening… but here’s what happened: I realized Shrek 4 at Dreamworks, and I discovered that David Lynch needed a production assistant on set a night shoot on his film Inland EmpireEdit” he says. He then volunteered with the filmmaker of Mulholland Drive, while making the other team believe that he was unwell. He was in fact only affected by “lynchite” acute…
“It was a very difficult shoot. There was a one-legged blonde Asian woman with a monkey. There was a lumberjack sawing wood. There were twelve Nubian dancers. The stars were Laura Dern and Isabella Rossellini. It was on the floor of a mansion and it was a spectacular, giant, unique sequence. And David was himself in front of the camera,” he says. When we hear this story, we can say to ourselves that Mike Mithell was indeed plagued by feverish hallucinations, yet it is very present in the film released in 2006 and recently re-released in 4K. Shrek 4 arrived in theaters a little later, in 2010, the time to finalize all its animation.
Don’t ask David Lynch if he’s seen Denis Villeneuve’s Dune!
Mithell absolutely does not regret his choice, Shrek 4 having been a hit at the box office upon its release. “It was great. I learned how David Lynch makes his films. He gave me as much direction as he gave Laura Dern. He is very serious and focused. It was incredible.” He adds : “He’s one of two directors I’ve worked with who allows smoking on set. Smoking is not usually allowed. But this guy smokes like a fireman all the time!”
Kung Fu Panda 4 tells how Po, the dragon warrior, will have to face a new enemy: Chameleone. Capable of transforming into anyone and acquiring the abilities of her opponents, Chameleone will be a new challenge for Po who will be accompanied by Zhen, a vixen whose help will be invaluable. Kung Fu Panda 4 releases in cinemas on March 27, 2024.
