Courteney Cox Says She Decided to Direct ‘Evil Genius’ After Chance Encounter at the Beverly Hills Hotel: “I Made a Lot of Deals There”

Fans may have the Beverly Hills Hotel to thank for Courteney Cox ’s newest project.

The Friends alum revealed that she was approached about directing Evil Genius , her first feature film as a director in 12 years, after accidentally running into Barbara Schroeder, who directed the Netflix documentary of the same name, at the iconic hotel in Beverly Hills.

“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 , presented by sponsor Canada Goose. “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.” Related Stories TV Josh Hartnett Reveals He Was "Actively Not Looking to Do a TV Show" Before Joining 'Below' Movies Sebastian Stan Says "Invitation to Be Negative" in Society "Starts at the Top": "It's Just So Lazy"

Cox jokingly added that those deals were always “at the counter”: “I can’t get inside the poker room.”

Cox’s chance encounter sparked the idea to direct, but it took years to get Evil Genius off the ground. The Scream star told THR that the film was in development for “eight years” through the COVID-19 lockdown and the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes before going into production in 2025.

Despite facing significant obstacles, Cox “couldn’t let [the story] go because I loved it.”