Hollywood remembers director Joel Schumacher

Filmmaker Joel Schumacher, the man behind movies like Flatliners, St. Elmo’s Fire, and the classic '90s-era Batman franchise, has died. The 80-year-old director, who had been battling a cancer diagnosis for the last year, passed away yesterday in New York City. Schumacher began his career in the costume department and his history of working with wardrobe stayed with him — he famously introduced nipples to the Batman and Robin costumes donned by Val Kilmer, Chris O’Donnell, and George Clooney. His Hollywood collaborators are speaking out today and remembering his iconic career, as well as what Schumacher, as a person and an LGBTQ+ advocate, meant to them.Minnie Driver recalled a time when Schumacher threw some serious (and seriously funny) shade on Driver’s behalf. The actor worked with the filmmaker on the 2004 adaptation of The Phantom of The Opera alongside  Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, and Miranda Richardson.

#JoelSchumacher was the funniest, chicest, most hilarious director I ever worked with. Once,on set,an actress was complaining about me within earshot; how I was dreadfully over the top (I was)Joel barely looked up from his NYT+said “Oh Honey,no one ever paid to see under the top”

— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) June 23, 2020

Driver wasn’t the only colleague to mention how Schumacher was known for his sartorial talent. The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson reminded film fans that Schumacher also spent time in the wardrobe trenches, designing the costumes for a 1973 film that starred Raquel Welch and James Mason.

Along with everything else in his career, Joel Schumacher was the costume designer on The Last Of Shiela. Legend. pic.twitter.com/dWsBCUhZeo

— Rian Johnson (@rianjohnson) June 22, 2020

Jim Carrey paid tribute to his friend in a Twitter post that described Schumacher’s life as “heroic.” Carrey appeared in Batman Forever as The Riddler in 1995.

Joel Schumacher has passed away. He saw deeper things in me than most and he lived a wonderfully creative and heroic life. I am grateful to have had him as a friend. pic.twitter.com/7kOeJ96rL8

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) June 22, 2020

On Instagram, Seal shared a video of himself performing an acoustic version of his biggest hit, ‘Kiss From a Rose.’ The song was chosen by Schumacher to run during the closing credits of Batman Forever and its inclusion gave the singer a serious career boost, making the album and the song a hit long after its initial release. “I owe my career, I guess, in large part to Joel Schumacher who took a chance,” Seal said in the video. “Who took a song that was always a good song, but a kind of unconventional one, so it wasn’t immediately palatable. But the difference was that everyone who went to see that movie, when they came out of that theater, the last they heard was, ‘Baby!’ And I guess it kind of stuck.”

 

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Joel Schumacher (1940-2020)

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Matthew McConaughey is another star crediting Schumacher for having helped him in the early days of his career. Speaking to Variety, the actor said “Joel not only took a chance on me, he fought for me. Knowing the studio might never approve a relatively unknown like myself for the lead in A Time to Kill, he set up a secret screen test for me on a Sunday morning in a small unknown studio because as he stated, ‘Even if you do great, you may not get the part, so I don’t want the industry to ever think you screen tested and DID NOT get the job.’”Padma Lakshmi said that her friend Schumacher was her “favourite dinner guest” and wrote about what a wonderful human being he was outside the world of moviemaking.

I’m so saddened by the passing of one of my dearest friends and confidantes, Joel Schumacher. He was sharp, whip smart, witty and wise. He was kind and always had the best advice. He was my favorite dinner guest and someone I love deeply. RIP pic.twitter.com/D6Jz98Fz90

— Padma Lakshmi (@PadmaLakshmi) June 22, 2020

Actor Kiefer Sutherland also posted a tribute to Schumacher, who he called his talented “partner in filmmaking.” Sutherland’s history with the director spans several films including the unlikely vampire comedy-horror The Lost Boys. The actor and director went on to make three more movies together.

pic.twitter.com/yv09WIY17V

— Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) June 22, 2020

Finally, Star Trek: Discovery and Hannibal writer Bryan Fuller credited Schumacher for being more than just a Hollywood legend. Fuller said that he was also a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ creatives hoping to make it in the industry — “Nipples and all.”

I DISTINCTLY REMEMBER FEELING HOPEFUL WHEN I LEARNED HE WAS GAY AND OUT, AND THAT THERE MAY BE A PLACE FOR ME YET. HIS VISIBILITY MATTERED, NIPPLES AND ALL.https://t.co/DqYUMKI4fq via @variety

— Bryan Fuller (@BryanFuller) June 22, 2020

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