movie, you’re able to explore a lot of dynamics
and social issues in a way that’s safe to present to
people that otherwise might not wanna listen.”
He wants people to listen. Bright is very
much about prejudice, the themes upfront. The
elves, the wealthy one percenters, sit atop the
social hierarchy, the humans underneath, with
the orcs at the bottom, treated with suspicion
and contempt, constantly getting their asses
kicked by the cops. “It looks at social issues we’re
having right now with policing and racism and
segregation and diversity,” says Ayer between
takes. “These things that we have a hard time
coming to terms with, especially in American
society. “It’s a fantastic lens to look at those
problems in a way that people who maybe
aren’t so progressive, and have a more
conservative worldview, could maybe be
opened up a little to others.”
The metaphors are clear. “Fairy lives don’t
matter today,” says Smith’s Ward at one point,
smashing up a critter with a broom, but Ward’s
main gripe is with orcs. Ward was written as
white; Ayer’s casting of an African-American
gave it a sharper, subversive twist: the racist black
cop. This, says Smith, is new. “There’s a really
cool scene with an orc that’s being beaten by the
police and we’re watching it happen,” he explains.
“And my character asks Jakoby, ‘Are you an orc
or are you a cop? I need to know right now.’ So
there’s really subtle undertones, and it’s really
interesting for me as an African-American to be
on the other side, asking that to the next group
of people down the social ladder.”MUCH HAS HAPPENED IN THE WORLD
since Bright was shot, the American news cycle
full of travel bans and tiki torches. With Bright’s
release weeks away, how does Ayer feel about
the timeliness? “It’s a bigger opportunity for
the message of the film to be received,” he says.
“It hasn’t become irrelevant in the time since
it was shot, that’s for sure. At the end of the
day it’s a movie, made to entertain, but if you
can transcend that and do something that’s
important — wow, what better motivation?”
Being released via Netflix increases that
opportunity, he says. When we speak, he’s
still not sure if there will be an accompanying
theatrical release, but he couldn’t seem less
bothered. Empire asks if he’ll miss the fact
that people might not be able to see it in
cinemas, and he says no as if the mere question
is ridiculous. “This thing’s gonna explode in
the world,” he says. “It’s the widest worldwide
release of a movie ever. That’s history-making
right there.”
Most importantly, David Ayer is just glad
he’s made a David Ayer film, even if it is full
of fairies and orcs. “It’s just about trying to be
a good person, surviving in a broken world,
wrestling with your demons,” he says. This
time, it’s personal.BRIGHT IS ON NETFLIX FROM 22 DECEMBER
An orc/Ward encounter.