Hailing from the Virginia Beach Atlantis Apartments, and what he considers to be “the mud,” Pharrell Williams admitted he is shocked to have the opportunity to bring forth his life’s story with Legos.
At a Piece By Piece screening and “Over The Moon” Lego activation in Los Angeles on Friday, the artist explained, “That’s what impossible looks and sounds like … I wasn’t interested in my story, but only until I realized the most fun part and the most integral part of it all was getting over my ego.”
The star — who’s known for his hit songs including “Happy,” Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U” and Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like Its Hot,” as well as his fashion with collaborations with brands like Louis Vuitton — is the subject of an upcoming coming-of-age film centered on the highs and lows he experienced as he achieved success.
While fans can expect to see Williams’ life story play out on the silver screen, the journey is explored through animated Lego pieces — a decision that the artist said was reflective of him, but also an opportunity to be creative.
Lego vp, global brand development Alero Akuya also spoke with The Hollywood Reporter at the event, explaining why the company collaborated with Williams on the project.
“He just has so many different dimensions of culture, which he taps in to express his ideas, his experiences, his identity, and we felt like that was a really great conduit to kind of help inspire kids and families as well,” she said.
The exec continued, “Pharrell specifically said that Lego bricks are a great universal tool in which anyone can understand a story because you have many figures which represent people, and of course brick by brick and the system itself, which can be built into anything,” adding, “Using it as a medium to tell his story for him felt like a no-brainer, but it’s something that can resonate with all ages.”
While visually, the movie is intended to entertain all audiences, Williams explained, “[The story is] something that appears and pierces through my own insecurities, my flaws, my opinions, my considerations and just into my soul’s purpose on the planet.”
Piece By Piece hits theaters on Friday.
