Actors Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones are teaming up to bring true events to life in ‘The Burial’. The two actors recently discussed working together and what appealed to them about the story.
‘The Burial’, which will have its world premiere on September 11 at the Toronto International Film Festival, follows the real-life story of Jeremiah Joseph O’Keefe’s lawsuit against the Loewen Group, a Canadian funeral-home company, as documented by 'The New Yorker', reports ‘People’ magazine.
Asked about what drew him to ‘The Burial’, Foxx, who also co-produced the drama, told ‘People’ that it’s “a great American story” and noted, “We actually heard about this project probably 15 years ago. So it tells you how projects can be special. You hear about it 15 years ago, but now, everything lines up”.
“Maggie Betts lines up. [Producer] Datari Turner lines up. Everybody involved lines up, and then here we are embarking upon an incredible story, with an amazing character. It just feels good!” he said, adding that, upon learning Betts was involved as director, he was ready to “jump in.”
Jones plays Mississippi funeral director Jeremiah O’Keefe, who, due to debts, is forced “to sell parts of his business to a corporation rapidly buying up funeral homes, cemeteries and insurance companies to profit from what its CEO, Ray Loewen (Bill Camp), refers to as ‘the golden age of death,’ “ a synopsis from TIFF reads.
“I had a lot of fun working with Jamie,” Jones said. “He’s fun to be around, and every work day was highly energised. We did a lot of laughing and some pretty good work got done, too.” And the feeling is mutual, as Foxx says of Jones, “When the artistic stars line up and certain people step into a role, it usually turns out really, really good. He’s so special for the part.”
