With widespread theater closures caused by the global health crisis, not many movies have made it to theaters so far in 2020, but Puerto Rican film producer Rosa Peart didn't let that stop her from making sure the biggest project of her career got to the silver screen. Rosa, who was born and raised in Connecticut to parents from eastern Puerto Rico, started working on the film The War With Grandpa, starring Robert De Niro, seven years ago when her then 8-year-old son pitched the idea to her and her husband, Marvin Peart.
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Despite numerous trials—including securing financing for the $38 million film, getting one of the most famous actors in the world to commit to the movie, and then dealing with the unique challenges of seeing the film through to completion while much of the film industry was shut down—Rosa will see her hard work and dedication come to fruition when The War With Grandpa hits theaters on October 9. So how did this mama Latina make it all happen? With lots of passion and a solid work ethic that she attributes to her heritage.
Keep reading to find out everything that Rosa Peart, the executive producer of The War With Grandpa, told us about the film, her career, and the impact her culture has had on her success in our one-on-one interview with the Latina filmmaker.
It all started with a family rule.
When her son, Tre, was young, Rosa and her husband had a rule that if he wanted to see a movie, he had to read the book first. She told MamásLatinas that because of the house rule, her son thought all movies had books that went with them, so after he read the book for a school assignment, he asked her to watch The War With Grandpa. When he found out there was no movie, he felt convinced that there should be.
Rosa encouraged Tre.
Rosa, who studied film and script development before launching a successful career in the music industry, suggested Tre pitch the idea to his dad, Marvin, a film and television producer who has worked on productions like Mob Wives and The Perfect Holiday.
Tre had firsthand experience.
Tre could personally relate to the plot of The War With Grandpa, which is about a middle schooler who has to give up his bedroom when his grandfather comes to live with his family. For all of Tre's life, his abuela has come to visit from Puerto Rico for weeks at a time, often sharing a room with Tre. He seemed to connect with the story, and Rosa had faith in his idea, so she taught him how to deliver a pitch, and he was able to sell his father on it.
From then it was game on.
Once Rosa and husband Marvin decided to produce the film, she threw herself into the project and was involved in every aspect of production, from optioning the book and securing the financing to script revisions and casting.
The Peart family is making their mark.
When The War With Grandpa was completed, it became Rosa's second movie production credit and made Tre the "youngest executive producer in Hollywood." Rosa had previously produced 2015's Life on the Line starring John Travolta while simultaneously working on The War With Grandpa.
Her biggest challenges?
With all of the silly hijinks in the film—which also stars Uma Thurman, Cheech Marin, and Christopher Walken—Rosa knew financing would be crucial, and being a small, Black- and Latino-owned production company, securing the $38 million for the film was a huge undertaking. "We've been at it and it's a real pride and joy, you know, to have accomplished this," she said.
She persisted through obstacles.
Rosa said that "pushing through doors when you get resistance" has been one of the biggest obstacles she's had to overcome as a woman and a Latina in the film industry, explaining that even when she was on set, people would be surprised to learn that she was the film's producer and financier. She didn't mind, though, saying that she kind of enjoyed being the "undercover boss."
Count it all joy.
Rosa takes challenges and obstacles in stride and keeps a positive attitude, because once she overcomes them, they can all be counted as accomplishments. "It gave me joy to see that too," Rosa said of how surprised some people were to learn her roles in the film, which is already receiving rave reviews from families who've enjoyed advanced screenings.
And her biggest accomplishment?
One of Rosa's biggest triumphs, she said, was getting Robert De Niro on board. "It was my son's idea," Rosa said. "He's our favorite actor of all time." She explained that at the time, Tre had never seen any of Robert's movies but always heard his parents talking about him and his films.
Their pitch to Robert was convincing.
Considering that these days Robert De Niro isn't doing so many of the legendary gangster films and thrillers that he's known for, Rosa and Marvin thought they had a good chance of convincing him to star in The War With Grandpa. In a nutshell, they told him, "You have never done a family comedy where everyone can watch you," noting that it would be a new experience for him and a way to introduce younger audiences to his work.
And then there was the global health crisis.
While filming was finished before the health crisis struck the US earlier this year, production offices and movie theaters closed for months. But once theaters began to open again, Rosa and Marro Media jumped right back in and were able to secure The War With Grandpa the spot as the first new family feature film to hit theaters once they opened their doors, which will hopefully mean good things for the film's box office numbers.
'We need this.'
"It's a good time for this. We need this in the world right now…a chance for families to go out together and just have a fun time, you know, in these dark times right now," Rosa said of the feel-good film.
So...what's next?
Rosa tells us that Marro Media is excited to keep producing films and television series. A sequel to The War With Grandpa is already in the works, and Rosa and company are also planning to produce a television series starring Hollywood A-lister John Travolta.
Rosa doesn't take her success for granted.
"I have a lot of passion, work ethic," Rosa told us. "You work hard and you get your goal. I attribute that to my heritage," she added, speaking on her own personal approach to her career and how her culture has influenced her as a professional.
Never stop trying.
Rosa's dedication, hard work, and humility have made her a success, but she's well aware just how difficult it is for women, let alone Latinas, to make it in the movies. "Never stop trying," she said. "Keep working on your craft. It's really difficult, it's a man's world, and being a woman also—it's hard for white women—so being a woman and Latin, it's even harder," she continued. "Give me a call," she offered with a chuckle when asked what advice she could give Latinas hoping for a career in the film industry.
