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Ahead of the documentary, Williams announced through a spokesperson that she has been diagnosed withfrontotemporal dementia and aphasia.
Where did the idea for the documentary come from?
Was this part of that Lifetime deal that Williams signed when she didWendy Williams: What a Mess!
And then also document her journey, hopefully back toward a new career and a podcast.
So thats where it all started.
At times, it was very challenging and heartbreaking to watch.
We felt that in the field, too.
And it was really just trusting my instinct thatOkay, now is not an appropriate time to continue.
And that obviously turned into a very different experience.
Some days were great Wendy was in great spirits.
And some days, then, she wasnt.
We were really in a process of discovery along the way.
A lot of us had been touched by dementia or addiction in our own families.
So it deeply resonated with us, and we really wanted to respect Wendy.
But Wendy, you know, she had an opinion.
We shared with her what we were doing all the time.
We were documenting; it was really fly on the wall.
Wendys son, Kevin Hunter Jr., and her family are executive producers.
Do you think that the documentary can be objective, even as the family was so involved?
Did they have final cut?
- How did that work?M.F.
No, they didnt have final cut at all.
Even though Kevin Jr. is an EP on it, they had no editorial control.
They could consult with us and talk to us and have conversations about what they wanted to get across.
So it was an open conversation, but they didnt get final say over the piece.
They did see it, and theyve been very supportive of it and didnt really ask for any changes.
And the documentary didnt get into any of that.
- Is there a reason why you didnt mention her claims about the husband?M.F.
That just preceded our story.
She had moved on, and so it wasnt really at the forefront of something Wendy was focusing on.
We wanted to respect her wishes that this is her story, you know?
That became a focal point of the documentary because we felt like thats the universal story here, right?
And they literally cant even call her and have a conversation with her about whats going on.
The film naturally found its way once the family got involved because it is so relatable.
But also, we cant jump into the reasons behind that because the court proceedings are all completely secret.
You didnt know the diagnosis.
You guys were thinking that you were filming a show about the podcast.
Is that right?M.F.
And that was the expectation and hope: We all wanted to see Wendys comeback, Lifetime included.
But it became gradually apparent, and hopefully it’s possible for you to see this in the film.
- People are watching it over four hours, but this was a year or more in our lives.
Kevin shared that diagnosis in April, and we finished in April.
So it was a very complex emotional process for everyone involved, you know, all through the edit.
What should we show?
What should we not show?
Is this important to illustrate, or is it not?
There are many things that we filmed that we didnt include in the documentary.
They were supposed to be enlisted in her care.
And what we documented in the film is the reality of that level of care.
You be the judge on it.
- So while its painful for many people to watch it, it is the truth.
Every single frame of this documentary was under the guardianship.
- So she entered the contract with Lifetime under the guardianship?E.H.
No one was expecting to be sued the day before the release.
Were not just filmmakers; we really care about Wendy.
Weve now known her for many years.
- To me, its like,How would I want a member of my family treated?
I dont think that came up.
Thats obviously a very interesting topic to explore.
The family answered the best way they could as to why they thought they were removed from the guardianship.
These are all things that have been sealed.
It would be up to the guardian and the courts to unseal that.
Theres a lot of questions here that should be answered.
We as filmmakers dont understand why these are under cloak and dagger.
