Chris Rock says he was improved by ‘hard coaching’ from disgraced movie mogul

Chris Rock has credited disgraced Hollywood producer Scott Rudin’s “hard coaching” with making him a better filmmaker – saying not everybody responds to being treated gently.

The 61-year-old comedian and director spoke about Scott, 68, during a keynote conversation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday (13.09.26), a day after the world premiere of his new film Misty Green.

Chris was discussing his previous directorial effort, the 2014 comedy Top Five, which Scott produced before allegations about his treatment of employees led him to step away from producing in 2021.

The comedian and actor said: “Being number three or four on the call sheet of a ginormous movie means you’re going to have a lot of days off. I wrote (Top Five), and yeah, it’s got a lot of Woody (Allen) in it. It’s got a lot of Mike Leigh in it. It’s got a lot of Alexander Payne in it.”

Chris wrote Top Five while working on Grown Ups 2, taking advantage of the downtime created by the comedy’s large ensemble cast.

The film starred Chris as comedian and actor Andre Allen alongside Rosario Dawson, and marked his third feature as a director.

Speaking at TIFF, Chris said: “Scott (Rudin) produced it, and he really pushed me in a way. I know people have whatever stories about Scott, (but) I need hard coaching.”

Asked why he responded to that approach, Chris said: “Everybody doesn’t respond to a hug, you know what I mean? I got two daughters. One, you can smile her into excellence. The other one you gotta be like, ‘Hey, what the f*** are we doing?’… Scott really pushed me in a way I hadn’t been pushed in a long time, and it was great.

“I learned to not settle so for anything… especially when it comes to getting talent. (To) pursue the best of the best of the best for everything – in front of the camera, behind the camera. No compromise.”

Scott was one of Hollywood and Broadway’s most powerful producers before reports in 2021 detailed allegations of workplace bullying and abusive behaviour towards employees.

He subsequently stepped away from his film and theatre work and resigned from the Broadway League.

Scott returned to producing in 2025 after four years away, announcing a slate of theatre projects.

His Broadway comeback continued this year, although former employees have continued to criticise his return to the industry.

Speaking to The New York Times about the allegations and his conduct in 2025, Scott said: “A lot of what was said was true. Some of what was said wasn’t true. But I didn’t feel there was any point in responding to all of it because what’s the point of parsing bad behavior? It was bad behavior. I own it.”