Chris Rock Redefines "Making It" at "Misty Green" NYFF Premiere

Chris Rock told Variety at the New York Film Festival premiere of "Misty Green" on Saturday night that Hollywood success is an illusion most people never achieve — and that he no longer measures his life by it.

"Most people don't make it, quote unquote, in Hollywood," Rock said. "Making it is, to me, where I'm at right now: my daughter having great kids. Having love in your life. If you got no love, you're broke as f—k. That's making it. All this other stuff, it's just a job at the end of the day."

"Misty Green" stars Rosalind Eleazar as a fictional actress mounting a Hollywood comeback after years of a fading career. The film satirizes the trappings of trying to "make it" in the entertainment industry — a pursuit Rock, after decades in the business, now rejects outright.

Rock plays a director who reunites with Misty after previously getting her fired from a "Cinderella" remake. Earlier this month, he revealed to Variety that he originally imagined Donald Glover for the role. On screen, Rock and Eleazar's characters bond over their shared inability to stay faithful in relationships, a scenario that plays on a familiar stereotype about Hollywood life.

Rock dismissed the idea that infidelity belongs to the film industry alone. "I don't think it's a Hollywood thing, it's just life," he told Variety. "Our two characters bond over our infidelities. And, yeah, it's a lot. But it's show business, man. Rock 'n' roll!"

The film also marks a breakthrough for Eleazar, who tops the call sheet on a feature film for the first time. "Misty Green" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Variety chief awards editor Clayton Davis declared that Eleazar "is a best actress contender that dares anyone in the room to argue otherwise."

Eleazar connected the character's struggles to a broader experience of professional failure. "I've had bouts of not working," she said. "I know many actors that have had huge bouts of not working and are constantly knocked down. And I have a lot of respect for actors that get up and do it all over again. But it's also a universal story about any industry. It's not just about actors."

The ensemble includes Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, Anna Kendrick and Topher Grace. Rock assembled that cast on a budget of just $5 million by keeping the production local to Los Angeles.

"That was one of the reasons I got this great cast, because I just happened to be filming in L.A., so that definitely helped," he said. "I would love to film more movies in L.A. It's a money thing at this point. Tax incentives would help."

With Eleazar positioned as a best actress contender and Rock arguing that the film's themes reach far beyond Hollywood, "Misty Green" now heads into awards season carrying weight that its $5 million budget never suggested.