Scott Weintrob Talks Directing 'Legacy' Harvey Keitel for 1st Film

Director Scott Weintrob is making his directorial silver screen debut with Apple TV+’s action thriller Paradox Effect — and even Weintrob was shocked that legendary actor Harvey Keitel agreed to hop on board.

“The thing about Harvey is lots of actors don’t want to work with a first time filmmaker,” Weintrob, told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of the Tuesday, September 24, release. “Once they’re at a point in their career, they’re like, ‘Oh, we just want to make studio movies.’ And I get it. Harvey’s not like that. He’s a legacy. He’s, like, one of the living greats.”

Weintrob gushed over Keitel’s previous works — which included some of Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese’s first films like Pulp Fiction and Taxi Driver — noting that the acclaimed actor is known for taking a chance on new directors.

“He gave lots of directors a shot and he looked at my work, and we spoke and he had watched my work,” Weintrob said.

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According to Weintrob, Keitel is traditional in his acting approach, sharing that he has “no interest in social media” and no interest in anything other than, “Who is my character? How did I get here? What are we doing here? Why am I saying these lines? Who am I talking to?’” he said. “He wants to know everything, and you really build the character together.”

The Emmy Award-winning director also told Us that Keitel was also interested because Weintrob “wrote specifically” for him. “I think he auditioned me,” Weintrob quipped, adding that the film had the actor for five or six days of shooting.

Paradox Effect, which takes place in Bari, Italy, follows a young woman (Olga Kurylenko) who has recovered from an addiction. While she’s on her way to pick up her daughter (Alice Astons), whom she hasn’t seen in over a year, she witnesses a murder. The perpetrator (Keitel) then spots her and picks her up for a full-night ride.

When asked what it was like working on an intense film with child actors such as Astons, Weintrob told Us “You’ve got to think of a scenario that she would understand, right? So that’s the hard thing with kids. You can’t talk to them or give them the same brief, or whatever your direction as you would an adult.”

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While most well known for his commercial work, Weintrob is excited to continue directing scripted films in the future.

“[I want to make] movies until I can no longer,” he told Us. “That’s my interest. That’s my passion. Everybody, if they’re lucky enough to find their passion, that’s the most amazing thing, and mine is making movies.”

Paradox Effect is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Reporting by Sarah Jones