CoMPANY Films has signed Cannes Lion-winning director Axel Laubscher for commercial representation in the U.S. He is best known for his quirky comedic spots for an international client base including Bankia, Santec, Molto Cool, Richner, Interflora, Vodafone and Fisherman’s Friend. For work in Sweden, Laubscher will continue to operate his Stockholm-based production company Social Club.
Earlier Laubscher had been handled in the American ad market by such shops as Bob Industries followed by Hungry Man. Now his joining CoMPANY reunites him with its executive producers Robin Benson and Richard Goldstein. Benson and Goldstein repped Laubscher years back and have seen his progression as a filmmaker. Benson said of the director, “He has such a colorful background. His unique perspective comes through in all his work. He’s funny and quirky and playful and endearing. Richard and I love his art direction and the look of his film. We loved working with him then, and are excited to be back together.”
Laubscher never dreamed of a career directing comedy but that’s what has evolved for him. He was born in Germany, but lived in Bombay, Colombia and Sweden before moving to New York to attend NYU film school. It was his family’s worldwide travels that he thinks led to his particular brand of humor. “Living in all these different places gave me an antenna for understanding people both behind and in front of the camera,” said Laubscher. “I became a sucker for humor.”
According to Laubscher, the catalyst for a great comedic spot always starts with casting. Laubscher would know, having garnered Gold, Silver and Bronze Lions at Cannes for his spot work throughout the world. “It all begins with the nightmare of casting,” he said with a laugh. “Casting is so important for what I want to do. Sometimes the main characters are a little neurotic and messed up, but hopefully the stories I tell are intelligent and full of insight. That’s what makes the humor universal.”
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More