It’s a difficult time for Jennifer Esposito, who is having to leave her home after taking out a mortgage to finance her first film as a director, Fresh Kills. The movie, released in June 2024, earned a little over $68,000 in the US. While many know Esposito for her acting roles in shows like Blue Bloods (Detective Jackie Curatola), The Boys (Susan Raynor), Crash (Ria), and The Affair (Nina Solloway), she recently shared a video on Instagram about her situation and criticized the lack of diversity in Hollywood, referring to it as “white supremacy.”
I look terrible – I’ve been crying because I’m having to move out of the house I took out a mortgage on to fund my film. It’s frustrating that people who are now successful aren’t willing to simply support my work. I realized that, of course, no one is obligated to do anything for anyone else. But then I wondered if we should feel some obligation to each other as humans. Maybe that’s part of the problem we’re facing now. I actually believe we do owe each other basic kindness and respect.
A few years ago, while talking about her film Fresh Kills, Esposito explained to KTLA that she was tired of waiting for investors to support her creative vision. She decided to take control of the project herself. She asked, “Will I be glad I paid off my house at the end of my life, or will I be happy I finally gave myself the opportunity I’d been waiting for?” The movie, which is divided into five parts— “A New Home, An Old World”, “Loyalty, Violence, and Silent Questions”, “Illusions and Fronts”, “Betrayal and Tragedy”, and “The Reckoning”— tells the story of sisters Rose and Connie, whose mother struggles to keep the family together after their mafia boss father is imprisoned.
In a review for MovieWeb, Julian Roman praised Fresh Kills for its excellent depiction of New York City in the 1980s and 90s.
Self-Funding Movies Doesn’t Always Reap Rewards
Lionsgate
Esposito isn’t alone in funding her own big projects. Many directors, like Kevin Smith with Clerks, Peter Jackson with Bad Taste, Darren Aronofsky with Pi, and Oren Peli with Paranormal Activity, have successfully taken that risk. However, Francis Ford Coppola’s recent investment of at least $120 million of his own money into his film Megalopolis is a particularly striking example.
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Francis Ford Coppola was already a major Hollywood director – known for films like Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and The Godfather trilogy – when he finally released Megalopolis. He had dreamed of making this large-scale science fiction film for 40 years. The movie featured a star-studded cast including Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, and Coppola’s sister, Talia Shire. However, after struggling to find a distributor and market the film, the 86-year-old director faced disappointing box office results, with Megalopolis earning only $14.3 million. Considering this is likely to be Coppola’s final film, it serves as a warning about the challenges of bringing ambitious projects to life.
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2026-02-05 16:18