Ron Howard and José Andrés met at a conference — they were both featured speakers — several years ago, but their mutual admiration goes back much further. The director-producer knew Andrés through his many successful restaurants and charitable work at World Central Kitchen, and according to the chef, he’s known Howard since his 1984 film Splash. The two became professional acquaintances when they joined forces for the documentary We Feed People, which tells the origin story of World Central Kitchen’s efforts to provide food-based disaster relief across the world. “It’s fascinating to me how many people we meet in the distance because of their art, or a speech, or a book,” Andrés tells THR. “And then they have huge influences in who we are. When I tell you I met Ron in his early movies, it’s true.”
The chef had been courting requests from documentarians for ages, always deferring due to lack of time — but when the request came from Ron Howard himself, he couldn’t say no. Andrés agreed to let Howard’s film crew follow the WCK team as they deployed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and shared countless hours of archival footage dating back to their earliest activations (Howard’s team also conducted interviews with the chef and many of the organization’s leaders and volunteers). “It was important to José that it not be a story centrally about him,” says Howard. “He said, World Central Kitchen isn’t just me. And I love telling stories about units of people who come together to solve problems.”
The resulting project, which is currently available on Disney+, portrays all the trials and tribulations inherent in helping disaster victims on a large scale: the logistical struggles of cooking and distributing food in areas without power, the bureaucratic red tape the team dodges to gain access to activation locations, and the many days on the road that threaten to strain Andrés’ relationship with his wife and three daughters. “The amazing thing is that people who are staying home, those family members, are equally part of the story,” he says. “And they’re the reason I’m doing all this — if one day something happens to my family members, I know someone will come help us.”
In the video above, Andrés and Howard reunite virtually for a THR Presents panel, powered by Vision Media, to discuss the origins of their origin story, what went on behind the documentary cameras, and what they hope We Feed People will inspire in its viewers.
This edition of THR Presents is brought to you by Disney+.