Mel Brooks’ Advice for Dealing With Studio Executives Is Timely as Ever

Studios have a lot of control over the films that they make. Sometimes, they can be more hands-off. Certain directors have had such great successes that studios will allow them to do whatever they want, though those directors are becoming fewer and farther between. If anything, we’ve seen more and more directors succeed because they are willing to do whatever studios want. They see a cinematic universe or franchise and know how to slot themselves into it seamlessly, often losing their artistic identity in the process.

And look, the studio system is a lot different now. Shareholder projections and profits have given way to movie studios being run by people who see numbers, not art. Studio executives have long been… shady, but there at least used to be those who championed artistic vision (often because they knew it could be profitable). It’s a lot harder for a director or writer to stand out, because that isn’t what studios usually want. But if it were up to Mel Brooks, you wouldn’t care what the executives want.

The 2000-Year-Old Man turned 100 on Sunday, and there was much celebration. It’s not often that you get to celebrate such an incredible creative mind living for a century, and the outpouring of love and admiration was a sight to behold. Hell, even at that age, the legendary writer/director/performer has a movie in post-production (Space Balls: The New One), so you’d even see some posts generating hype for that upcoming film (I heard something about it on a recent episode of Blank Check that made me even more excited).

But it was Mel’s classic advice for dealing with studio executives that he gave during an interview with The New Yorker at the ripe young age of 95 that made me smile the most. In the interview, Brooks is asked how he has been able to navigate dealing with the studios over the years. His answer is simple yet hilarious: tell them yes and then do whatever you want. He explains how he was asked to fire Gene Wilder from The Producers, said yes, and then just… didn’t do it.

The story has gone viral several times since he gave the interview, but it continues to resonate. Right now, even people who can work within the studio system well enough that they rise to its ranks, like James Gunn, could still be undone by the whims of a billionaire executive. Nobody’s job is safe, and a true talent could be tossed aside with ease. That is, unless they smile, say, “Yes,” and then just do whatever the hell they want. Unlikely to work in this day and age? Maybe! But it’s worth a shot.

(You can read Mel’s comments below.)

‘Say yes and never do it’

Mel Brooks knew how to deal with the studios

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— Tits McGee (@scientits.bsky.social) June 28, 2026 at 5:26 AM