Sasha Weiss

Prince kind of hanging out with his friends. Prince on the off hours. Prince, you know, talking shit with the band. Prince writing music, composing music. I mean, he was a great songwriter. His process, nothing. And when they would find, like, the beginning of something or the suggestion of something, there was a little bit of footage of Prince horsing around with his girlfriends, for example.

But the footage was scratched. It seemed like someone had tampered with the tape. So they came to the conclusion that it might have been deliberate, that anything that was candid, that was still around, had been damaged.

But the footage was scratched. It seemed like someone had tampered with the tape. So they came to the conclusion that it might have been deliberate, that anything that was candid, that was still around, had been damaged.

So he does what he always does, which is to start to interview people intensively. And he wants to talk to all the people who knew Prince well to try to understand what was driving him. What was he thinking about? What were his torments? What were his successes?

So he does what he always does, which is to start to interview people intensively. And he wants to talk to all the people who knew Prince well to try to understand what was driving him. What was he thinking about? What were his torments? What were his successes?

And he seeks out kind of everybody in Prince's world from, you know, bodyguards to family members to dear friends to many, many collaborators over the years.

And he seeks out kind of everybody in Prince's world from, you know, bodyguards to family members to dear friends to many, many collaborators over the years.

And what he and his team begin to find is basically another locked door, another wall.

And what he and his team begin to find is basically another locked door, another wall.

People are very reluctant to speak candidly about Prince. They're protective. Some people seem scared.

People are very reluctant to speak candidly about Prince. They're protective. Some people seem scared.

I mean, it's not that unusual in a way for a world famous celebrity, you know, for people not to want to talk about them. But it was very intense. And, you know, it seemed across the board universal, this reluctance. And Ezra and his team started to wonder like, what's the big secret here? Is there some secret that people won't tell us?

I mean, it's not that unusual in a way for a world famous celebrity, you know, for people not to want to talk about them. But it was very intense. And, you know, it seemed across the board universal, this reluctance. And Ezra and his team started to wonder like, what's the big secret here? Is there some secret that people won't tell us?

People slowly did begin to talk.

People slowly did begin to talk.

At a certain point, he had interviewed enough people, over 75 people. To start to get a clearer picture of Prince and to be able to marry a narrative of Prince's life from the beginning really to the end where he died in a very mysterious way with this footage that was in the vault.

At a certain point, he had interviewed enough people, over 75 people. To start to get a clearer picture of Prince and to be able to marry a narrative of Prince's life from the beginning really to the end where he died in a very mysterious way with this footage that was in the vault.

And it's not that there's a secret, but there's a complex, tortured, deeply traumatized person alongside the musical genius. And eventually, Ezra had what he felt was a solid cut of the film, and I was able to watch it.

And it's not that there's a secret, but there's a complex, tortured, deeply traumatized person alongside the musical genius. And eventually, Ezra had what he felt was a solid cut of the film, and I was able to watch it.

Well, one of the things the film does so well is tell the story of Prince's childhood. And it's maybe worth saying that it doesn't unfold the story in a linear way. It accumulates through the interviews, through all of the different people he speaks to, his lovers, his sister, his friends. And what you see is a picture of a boy.