Brad Furman on Basketball, Filmmaking, and Resilience

Don’t Kill the Messenger welcomes director and producer, Brad Furman

In this episode of Don’t Kill the Messenger, host Kevin Goetz welcomes director and producer Brad Furman, known for films like The Lincoln Lawyer and City of Lies. The episode opens with Furman reading a touching tribute letter he wrote after the passing of his friend, filmmaker John Singleton, setting the tone for an intimate conversation about perseverance, mentorship, and the evolution of his career.

Brad Furman on Audience Testing with Kevin Goetz:

I remember meeting you on my first film, The Take with Clint Culpepper in around 2006,
and you approached the process with so much love and care. I was this like little itty
bitty filmmaker and you had this presence about you and you treated me in a manner
that was so kind and caring. You really deeply cared that I heard the information that I
was educated on, the information that I was being taught, how to make a better film
and to use the information to my benefit. And that was applicable on every movie. I
mean, you tested The Take for me, Lincoln Lawyer for me, Runner Runner. I learned a
ton.

From Basketball to Film School

Furman’s journey began on Philadelphia basketball courts, where he refused to let others define his limitations. “My personality was probably very genetic – if you told me I couldn’t, well I found a way,” he explains. Furman shares his transition from college basketball at Emory to pursuing film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, discussing how his competitive sports background shaped his approach to filmmaking, “When people went on vacation, I went to the gym. So, I took that exact model and I just tried to replicate it.”

Early Career and Notable Mentors

His early Hollywood years included a pivotal role as Julia Roberts’ assistant, though he initially hesitated to take the position. He recalls his first meeting with powerhouse agent Elaine Goldsmith Thomas: “I showed up to her office door and she was on a loud call with someone and she snapped at me… And I said, ‘You don’t have to yell at me. I’m Brad Furman, it’s a pleasure to meet you.'” That moment of self-respect earned him not only her respect but also a life-changing opportunity.

A Family Affair with Shirley MacLaine

Furman discusses People Not Places, a project 12 years in the making that began with his mother Ellen Furman’s screenplay specifically written for Shirley MacLaine. The film, starring MacLaine and Stephen Dorff, became Furman’s “most beautiful experience” in filmmaking. Furman shares:

Tore my soul out in the most beautiful way ever. She just understands and appreciates the director and the filmmaker. I think because of the nature of working with my mother and because of the challenges that come with that, and also because of the love and the pain from my childhood that makes me the man I am in a beautiful way. Shirley accessed and triggered all of it.

City of Lies and Perseverance

When City of Lies faced distribution challenges, Furman showed creativity and resilience. “The stuff on Johnny Depp starts coming out into the press, so he becomes persona non grata. And then this thing that we never heard of called The Pandemic happens,” he recalls. Rather than give up, Furman “became a banker” for 18 months to rescue the film from being a distressed asset.

The Lincoln Lawyer Journey

Furman shares his regret about leaving Lakeshore Entertainment after the success of The Lincoln Lawyer. He reflects on lessons learned from working with Tom Rosenberg and the challenges of navigating studio politics.

On working with Tom Rosenberg:

I was young, I was extraordinarily young. And what I didn’t understand was Tom was like a father to me. You know when your father gives you brilliant wisdom but you can’t hear it or you don’t want to hear it. I was this unabashed kid who didn’t want to hear the wisdom. I wanted it my way and he wanted it his way. And that’s where the friction came from. But that is on me. I don’t put that on him.

Personal Growth and Current Projects

Furman views his career through a sports metaphor: “I’m in my Michael Jordan years right now, meaning I’ve been kicked around. I went through the eighties where I lost and now I’m in the nineties. I’m in my prime years.” This growth extends beyond filmmaking: “When I sit with my daughter at the beach, when we were making People Not Places and we were just alone watching the sun go down, I never felt peace or joy at that level.”

From his early days making The Take with John Leguizamo, through the breakthrough success of The Lincoln Lawyer with Matthew McConaughey, to battling to release City of Lies with Johnny Depp, and now creating intimate character studies like People Not Places with Shirley MacLaine, Brad Furman’s career demonstrates remarkable range and resilience.

For the full conversation, check out the podcast episode here. And let us know your thoughts on the episode in the comments!

Don’t Kill the Messenger, hosted by movie and entertainment research expert Kevin Goetz, brings his book Audienceology to life. This bi-monthly podcast takes a peek behind the filmmaking curtain as Kevin talks with famous filmmakers, studio executives, stars, and other creatives about movies, filmmaking, audience test screenings, and much more.