Brett Ratner has described being hired by Melania Trump to direct her documentary as a moment of “divine intervention,” saying the opportunity felt like a win even before cameras started rolling.
Brett Ratner talks about Melania Trump
For director Brett Ratner, the validation from the successful opening of Melania is immense. Yet, he told Fox News Digital that he felt like he “won” long before production even began. “I mean, the validation was undeniable, but honestly, I felt like I won just when Melania called me and asked me to direct the film,” Ratner said.
He recounted a moment with Donald Trump. “When I saw the president for the first time, and after I was hired, I said to him, ‘that bullet that missed you, I think was a divine intervention.’ He said, ‘Yeah, I think you’re right.’” Ratner then applied that sentiment to his own journey. Ratner then compared it to his own situation when Melania Trump hired him to helm her film. “That was my divine intervention. So, for me, I got to pinch myself,” he shared.
The director further said that the first lady had a very specific vision that led her to hire him. “Because I said… there were many great documentary filmmakers … And she said, ‘But I don’t want a documentary filmmaker. I want a feature filmmaker who makes movies for the big screen.’” He was excited by her ambition, noting, “She wasn’t just thinking, ‘OK, we’ll do it for streaming, we’ll do it just for the MAGA audience. We’re gonna do it for everyone.’”
The film focuses on the role of the First Lady through Melania’s eyes. For Ratner, this project is a comeback. Following multiple public accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct in 2017, his career stalled.
The director credits Melania Trump for seeing his potential. “I think she saw something that I didn’t think of myself,” he admitted. “She saw in my work and in me that I was capable of doing this. And that’s why I have to give her full credit.”
