The magic of “Houdini” isn’t just on screen—it has a real-life origin story, and director Rich Lee just shared it.
Lee took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the day he first heard Eminem’s music. Back in 1999, while working as a sculptor at Walt Disney Imagineering, the sounds of “My Name Is” blasted through the workshop, stopping Lee dead in his tracks. He describes the vivid memory: the faces of his colleagues, the workshop smells, and Em’s voice “assaulting his eardrums” in the best way possible.
Little did Lee know that chance encounter would spark a long and fruitful collaboration. Fast-forward 10 years, and he’s directing his first music video for Eminem, “Not Afraid”. Now, over 20 years later, they’ve tackled more than a dozen projects together.
Lee also touched on the nostalgic vibe fans are picking up on in “Houdini”. He acknowledges the references to early 2000s Eminem iconography, calling it a “sequel” to some of those classic videos. The pressure to live up to that legacy must have been immense, but Lee assures fans it was a blast to create.
Quick story!
l moved to Los Angeles in 1999 and I was working as a sculptor and fabricator for Walt Disney Imagineering. I remember walking through the shop one day and some of the carpenters had the radio blasting (as that rowdy bunch usually does!) and the track that was playing was Eminem’s “My Name Is”. I remember that moment so vividly. I remember the faces of who was around, where I was standing, the smell of the workshop and Em’s voice echoing through it. I had no idea who he was at the time but it sounded so different than anything else. I literally stopped in my tracks and just stared at the radio, listening to this unhinged yet so precise voice assaulting my eardrums. I was mesmerized. I could never have predicted that 10 years later I’d be directing my first music video for him…or 20+ years later doing over a dozen projects with him. Wild.
Looking at the comments on social media, the controversy, the love, the hate, etc., one thing that I’m seeing a lot of is a lot of people of my gen feeling a great sense of nostalgia for that early 2000s feeling. We obviously were leaning on some of his early iconography from that time, in a way it’s sort of a sequel to some of those videos (Are we rebooting music videos now?!). It was a lot to live up to and while challenging, it was a lot of fun to put this together.
Anyways, I’m super lucky to be able to do this kind of work and collaborate with icons like Em. Dude is def the GOAT and totally ridiculous and fun to collaborate with!
Quick thank you to the awesome team that helped get this across the finish line!
DIR: @HYPOTHETICALMONKEY
PROD: @JUSTINDIENER
PROD: @LACHEMISTA
PROD/COMMISSIONER: @KKANGSTA
DP: @PROBSTDP
AD: @ANDREWJOHN1
PROD DESIGNER: @BRANDONMENDEZ
WARDROBE: DAWN BOONYACHLITO @boonylicious
1ST AC: NIRANJAN MARTIN
STUNTS: TJ WHITE @tminusproductions
PRODUCTION COMPANY: SYNAPSE VP @synapse_vp
VP SUP: EMILY HALDEMAN @haldemane
VAD: WEEZHB @weezhb
STAGE TECH: LUKE CAHILL @cahill10000
EDITOR: DAVID CHECEL @davidcheceleditor
AI: METAPHYSIC AI @metaphysic.ai
FINISHING: FLAWLESS @flawlesspostproduction
This heartwarming post highlights the genuine passion behind “Houdini”. It shows Lee and Eminem’s long-standing creative partnership and dedication to delivering iconic visuals.
It is always fascinating to see a real person with real emotions behind some iconic pop culture moments. What are your thoughts on the nostalgic vibes in “Houdini”? Let us know!
