Why Pharrell Didn’t Tell Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani and More A-Listers He’d Be Turning Them Into Legos for His Documentary

variety.com:

Ethan Shanfeld Early on in “Piece by Piece,” Morgan Neville’s unorthodox doc about one of popular music’s most influential figures, Pharrell Williams says that the best way to express himself is through Legos. “I was given Lego sets as a child, and that was a really amazing platform for me to allow my imagination to flourish and to learn things about myself, as it has for most kids and a lot of people — millions and millions of people on this planet,” Williams told Variety at the Toronto Film Festival, where “Piece by Piece” made its international premiere.

While most documentaries rely on footage captured by the director, teaming with the toy company gave Williams and Co. a “cinematic liberty that wouldn’t otherwise exist.” He said making the Lego-animated documentary was an “unprecedented exercise.” The movie, out Oct.

11 via Focus Features and Universal Pictures, features talking-head interviews and narrative sequences with many of Williams’ closest collaborators over the years.

Williams assembled an A-list roster of music stars for “Piece by Piece,” including Jay-Z, Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Pusha-T and Timbaland.