Martha Stewart’s documentary director has responded to the TV star’s unfiltered criticism following its release. R.J. Cutler revealed that he saw it coming while reinforcing his opinion on how the Netflix film was made. He also revealed details of his conversations with the business mogul.
R.J. Cutler Shared His Thoughts
Following Martha Stewart’s scathing remarks about Cutler’s 2024 docu-film, Martha, he shared how he felt about her criticism. The filmmaker noted that if Stewart had ideas he deemed good, he would take them. “If she has ideas I think are good ideas and will help the film I’m making, I’ll take a good idea from anybody. Believe me.”
Cutler made this known in the latest episode of Matt Belloni’s The Town podcast. He continued by mentioning that he was not surprised that the TV personality would have made a different film than he did. He stated that Martha Stewart was upset when she gave him her feedback after seeing the movie. “She was upset that I didn’t make the changes that she wanted to make, but this is the process.”
The director who made similar stories on Anna Wintour and Billie Eilish added that Stewart expressed herself in her text messages to him, suggesting that they were not so pleasant. He noted that they had many conversations while joking about publishing the text messages someday.
Praised Martha Stewart For Film’s Creation
It was clear that Martha Stewart and R.J. Cutler had major differences over the film. However, he acknowledged how she consented to making the movie. Cutler noted how difficult it was for someone to allow a different person to tell their life story.
“It takes a tremendous amount of courage on her part to trust me. I respect that,” he said. Cutler stated it was important to be empathetic towards the subject, but that did not mean giving them control of the movie. He added that Martha Stewart understood the process, but she wanted a different approach.
She Was Dissatisfied With The Details
Martha was released on Netflix on October 30, 2024. Stewart shared her candid review shortly after the premier with The New York Times. The Martha Stewart Living founder particularly hated the movie’s final scenes. These scenes showed her tending to her gardens and home grounds.
The Martha Stewart Show star felt she was portrayed as a lonely person. “Those last scenes with me looking like a lonely old lady walking hunched in the garden? Boy, I told him to get rid of those. And he refused,” she explained. The 83-year-old stated that Cutler had total access to information but used very little.
She further bemoaned the choice of classical music. Martha Stewart stated that she wanted the movie to feature more rap music. She also expressed dislike for how the film included her 2004 prison stint.
Martha Stewart’s Documentary 2.0
Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Stewart revealed her decision to take matters into her own hands. She announced her interest in a second version. She stated that although the documentary was fine, it left much out.
Martha Stewart explained the possibility of speaking to the producers about another documentary. “There’s a lot more to my life. I’ve lived a long time, and I just thought maybe we’ve left out some stuff,” she mentioned. The Bad Moms star showed her displeasure with the filming process and Cutler’s camera angles. In all, she believed he could have done better.
Final Thoughts
Martha Stewart’s Netflix documentary was supposed to be an in-depth look into her arguably colorful life. The culinary expert has lived many lives, from being a magazine founder and a self-made billionaire to her special friendship with rapper Snoop Dogg. However, she believed R.J. Cutler’s story-telling was underwhelming. Hopefully, the next installation will get approval from the TV legend.
