LOS ANGELES — In summer 2021, when producer Joanna Laurie was planning production of "The Son," an upcoming drama from Oscar-winning writer and director Florian Zeller, she knew stress levels would be exponentially high for cast and crew. They had to contend with strict COVID-19 safety protocols and the movie's difficult subject matter: suicide.
So the London-based producer did something unconventional: She arranged to hire a company that would provide confidential virtual therapy sessions to anyone on set who needed it during shoots in New York, London and France. The program was so popular, she plans to replicate it on other productions.
"We just had to make completely sure that in the process of making a movie about mental health, that we really took total care of the cast and crew who are going to be dealing with this, which is a very sensitive subject," said Laurie, a producer at See-Saw Films. "I think it's something that we'll see a lot more of."
