USA/FILE: Oprah Winfrey and Steve Spielberg team together to produce the new film "The Hundred-Foot Journey" which premieres in New York

Record ID: 221392

  • Title: USA/FILE: Oprah Winfrey and Steve Spielberg team together to produce the new film "The Hundred-Foot Journey" which premieres in New York
  • Date: 5th August 2014
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (AUGUST 04, 2014) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) HELEN MIRREN, ACTRESS, SAYING: "She was a hands off producer. I wonderful sort of fairy Godmother to have in the background . You knew if anything was going to go down, going to go wrong, she would come in with a coach and the golden slipper and get you out of it, you know, and save y
  • Embargoed: 20th August 2014 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVACT4A9XYTDB5VHORUFB8NIAUPI
  • Story Text: Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg are hoping their new film "The Hundred-Foot Journey" will be the right recipe for box office success as their premiere the new film in New York on Monday (August 4).
    Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren stars as Madame Mallory, a French restaurateur who feels threaten after an Indian family, lead by Bollywood star Om Puri, opens an eatery directly across from her upscale restaurant.
    The food war turns into culinary harmony as Manish Dayal, who plays Puri's son in the film, begins to work for Mallory thus becoming a famous chef.
    On the red carpet Mirren explained the film has a deeper message.
    "Throbbing away like a heart beat in the middle of the film is a very serious message about in those famous words, can't we all just get a long together. It's about the interaction of cultures. So its got a very serious message especially in Europe in these days. And in America, these days of immigration."
    Winfrey and Spielberg first worked together on the 1985 film "The Color Purple" and said reuniting was simple.
    "I called him. Juliet Blake had the book and script. She brought it to me. We brought it to him. He said yes," Winfrey revealed.
    "It was a fast yes," added Spielberg.
    "And there you go. We are off to the races," said Winfrey.
    The duo, along with Juliet Blake produced the film adapted from the book of the same name by author Richard Morais.
    Dayal used the book as a guide during filming.
    "I had the book under my arm throughout the whole shoot. I really wanted to incorporate it as much as I could. Because as you know scripts based on books are very different and I wanted to keep the character who he was and I hope I did that," said Dayal.
    Mirren said Winfrey, who currently owns and runs her own U.S. cable network OWN, was an ideal boss.
    "She was a hands off producer. I wonderful sort of fairy Godmother to have in the background . You knew if anything was going to go down, going to go wrong, she would come in with a coach and the golden slipper and get you out of it, you know, and save you."
    Puri, who plays the patriarch of his family in the film, carried his nurturing nature off set.
    "I was practically cooking every Saturday Sunday for my family, for my children in the film. And there would come over and we use to cook different dishes," said the actor who has appeared in over 250 films over the past 35 years.
    Although Winfrey and Spielberg enjoyed being partners Spielberg said he wants to get Winfrey in front of the camera again.
    "I want to encourage Oprah to get back into acting because I would love to have take two for me to direct her," said Spielberg "And I won't be so scared this time," added Winfrey.
    "The Hundred-Foot Journey" will be released in U.S. theaters on August 8.
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