Director Paul Feig shares his experience working with Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick

Paul Feig on the making of ‘Another Simple Favor’: ‘It was too much fun’

“I mean that’s what I always do,” says Feig, 62. As a former actor himself, Feig believes in tapping into the creative potential of his performers.

“When I work with actors, I give them a lot of leeway. I want them to figure out what they want to wear, etc., because I was an actor, I know. Like if I’m just saying, ‘Say this. Say this the way I wrote it,’ I’m cutting off this huge bit of talent.”

His collaborative approach allows actors to contribute their ideas and insights, leading to a more dynamic and engaging final product.

“So every movie, every show I’ve ever done, I collaborate with them and go, ‘Here’s the stuff,’ and they’ll come [back with], ‘Oh what about this? What about this?’ And that’s how we work. That’s how I’ve worked with every movie star ever.”

The director was thrilled to reunite with Lively, 37, and Kendrick, 39, for Another Simple Favor. “It was too much fun. Too much fun,” Feig says.

“I mean, I had such a great experience on the first one. It always kind of stuck with me, like, ‘God, I love working with the two of them’ — as well as the rest of the cast.”

The first film, a dark comedy starring Lively and Kendrick, was released in 2018 to critical and commercial success. Based on the book by Darcey Bell, the story does not have a direct sequel, allowing Feig to take the characters in new and unexpected directions.

Another Simple Favor sees the return of Lively, Kendrick, and Henry Golding, joined by new cast members Elena Sofia Ricci, Elizabeth Perkins, and Allison Janney.

The film is set to release on Prime Video on May 1.