BOOK SMART
THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK The self-help bestseller tells it like it is…
Amovie version of his book The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck was not something author and blogger Mark Manson ever envisaged. “There are a lot of things that have happened in the last five years that I never even imagined,” he says. “This is one.” Published in 2016, Manson’s guide to life – one that reflects on his personal failures – has sold over 12 million copies.
Drawn in by the runaway success of this unique self-help book, which encourages readers to seek out the truly important, production companies swamped Manson with all manner of movie-adaptation offers. “There was a sitcom idea. There was a reality TV show idea,” he recalls. “I mean, you name it, somebody came with it. And nine times out of 10, I was like, ‘What? What are they talking about? What does this have to do with anything?’”
He eventually settled on working with Kiwi producer/writer Matthew Metcalfe (Capital In The 21st Century) and director Nathan Price (The Hothouse). “There’s only been a few self-help documentaries, and they’ve generally been like marketing puff pieces,” says Manson. “We wanted to blow that up and do something completely different. Throw a curveball at people. Show them something they haven’t seen before. We really saw it as an opportunity to just play with the format and with people’s expectations. Because that’s what the book did.”
It was Metcalfe who suggested that Manson front the documentary. “When he originally told me, I was kind of like, ‘Moi? Can’t you hire somebody goodlooking and way more interesting to do this?!’ But ultimately, it made sense, because so much of the book is about me.” To prepare, Manson watched Errol Morris films, taking inspiration from the veteran documentarian’s ability to relax his interviewees.
Filled with asides and anecdotes, the film borrows heavily from the book – notably a tale involving ex-Metallica musician Dave Mustaine. “I love stories where people who seemingly get everything they want end up absolutely miserable,” grins Manson, noting how Mustaine, despite forming hit band Megadeth, always compared himself to his former outfit. “Just the amount of success he’s accomplished is astronomical. Yet he’s still found some way to be dissatisfied about it.”
Such is the perversity of human nature; not even Manson was immune when his book blew up. “It’s kind of embarrassing to say, because I should live my own advice. But I was surprised at how emotionally challenging that amount of success quickly was. That sounds obnoxious for anybody to say, but it did not make me happy.” And now, after he’s made the film? “I’m definitely in a much better spot,” he smiles.
‘We really saw it as an opportunity to just play with the format’ MARK MANSON
THE SUBTLE ART OF NOT GIVING A F*CK RELEASES ON DIGITAL ON 9 JANUARY.