Courteney Cox reveals how she landed ‘Evil Genius'

Courteney Cox may have found her next directing gig in the most Hollywood way possible: sitting at her favourite spot in the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The Friends alum revealed that a chance encounter with filmmaker Barbara Schroeder ultimately led her to Evil Genius, marking Cox’s first feature directing project in 12 years.

“I was at the Beverly Hills Hotel sitting at the counter; my favorite spot in the corner. I saw [Schroeder], and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I love Evil Genius. You did such a great job,’” Cox said at The Hollywood Reporter’s Studio at 1 Hotel during TIFF.

Schroeder, who directed the Netflix documentary of the same name, apparently had an unexpected pitch ready.

“She said, ‘It’s available to direct.’ She goes, ‘You should run with it.’ We had a good relationship before. … I made a lot of deals there [at the Beverly Hills Hotel], and made a lot of money there. It’s just interesting.”

Cox then added one important detail about her preferred business headquarters: “at the counter.”

“I can’t get inside the poker room.”

The casual encounter eventually turned into a much bigger commitment.

Cox said Evil Genius spent “eight years” in development, surviving COVID-19 lockdowns and the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes before finally shooting in 2025.

Still, she refused to let the project disappear.

Cox “couldn’t let [the story] go because I loved it.”

The film stars Patricia Arquette, David Harbour, Michael Chernus, Garret Dillahunt and Danielle Macdonald and revisits the infamous 2003 “pizza bomber” case involving the death of Brian Wells.

So, next time Hollywood says inspiration can strike anywhere, perhaps check the hotel bar first.