‘The Fabelmans’: Steven Spielberg Would Have to Leave the Set as Childhood Memories Bombarded Him With Grief

Steven Spielberg has directed films on every conceivable topic for over half a century. Sharks, dinosaurs, aliens (friendly and hostile), pirates, spies, soldiers, and heroes from history and fiction. His versatility as a director is unmatched. However, the one topic Spielberg has largely avoided is himself.

The director’s personal life has always been on the periphery of his movies. Since Spielberg was a young upstart on the Universal backlot, his talent has been the stuff of legend, but his life story has only been used metaphorically. The Fabelmans forgoes metaphor in an effort to get closer to the truth.

‘The Fabelmans’ offers insight into Steven Spielberg’s childhood

The Fabelmans is Spielberg’s most reflective creation to date. The film, which first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, is the director’s reflection on his childhood, a declaration of purpose for his entire career, and a tender depiction of his flawed parents, Leah Adler and Arnold Spielberg.

The movie may star Gabrielle LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman (not Steven Spielberg), but in reality, you’re witnessing Spielberg narrating his life story before anyone else.

Steven Spielberg credits the pandemic for finally writing ‘The Fabelmans’

Spielberg first thought of creating a film about his childhood story in 1999, and his sister Anne wrote a screenplay called I’ll Be Home for it. However, the Jurassic Park director was worried that his parents would be hurt if he told the story of his family, so he put the project on hold. 

In 2019, Spielberg revisited the idea of the film with Tony Kushner, a screenwriter, while making West Side Story. The two finally finished The Fabelmans screenplay by the end of 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic caused lockdowns.

During an interview with The New York Times, Spielberg revealed that the global pandemic served as the catalyst for him to finally commit to making a film adaptation of his childhood experiences. 

The director claimed he frequently spent his free time driving about LA along the Pacific Coast Highway, which afforded him a chance to think about the state of the world due to the pandemic. Spielberg thought about what story he hadn’t told that he’d be mad about if he didn’t. He decided it was the story of his formative years between 7 and 18.

While filming ‘The Fabelmans,’ Steven Spielberg would often have to leave the set, bombarded with grief

The Fabelmans is understandably a profoundly emotional project. In light of his parents’ deaths — his mom in 2017 and his dad in 2020 — Spielberg set out to portray them and his sisters Nancy, Sue, and Anne on film. His sisters were instrumental in developing their family’s story, reading through every script draft and adding personal recollections.

Carter’s team found toy soldiers like the ones Spielberg played with as a child. They also found the exact kitchenette that his family had in Arizona, down to the round table. Spielberg told The Hollywood Reporter that he’d experience “something close to grief” every day when he entered the set that was a replica of the home in which he grew up.

Spielberg reverted to his childhood self during the production and got very emotional. The Color Purple director said those were the hard times when he had to leave the set after calling “Cut.” He’d then see Michelle Williams and Paul Dano around the corner, coming to comfort him.

Seth Rogen, who plays a family friend in The Fabelmans, opened up to The Hollywood Reporter about just how emotional the on-set experience was, saying, “He would cry a lot, openly. I saw him cry dozens of times throughout filming the movie, which was actually very beautiful, and I think made everyone want to really honor what he was doing.” 

Despite his willingness to accept Michelle and Paul’s comfort, Spielberg tried to keep Gabriel LaBelle at arm’s length from his emotions. The director said, “I didn’t want to put too much burden on Gabe because he’s new to making movies.”

While it had been 21 years since Spielberg wrote a movie, The Fabelmans is a work of art.