


Martha Stewart did not hold back when she was interviewed by The New York Times about the new Netflix documentary that was meant to immortalize her life as the country’s first self-made female billionaire. According to Stewart, there are many things she wanted director R.J. Cutler to do differently. And she made that very known.
“R.J. had total access, and he really used very little,” she told the outlet. “It was just shocking.”
She outlined every qualm she had with Martha, from the camera angles used to the soundtrack and the storylines they highlighted.
“Those last scenes with me looking like a lonely old lady walking hunched over in the garden? Boy, I told him to get rid of those. And he refused,” she revealed. “I hate those last scenes. Hate them.”
She also said that she asked Cutler to use music from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Fredwreck for the film. “I said, ‘I want that music.’ And then he gets some lousy classical score in there, which has nothing to do with me,” she complained to the outlet.
Stewart also claimed Cutler left out many interesting anecdotes she shared with him, including that Alan Dershowitz used to flirt with her, instead choosing to focus on her 2004 trial and prison sentence.

“It was not that important. The trial and the actual incarceration was less than two years out of an 83-year life. I considered it a vacation, to tell you the truth,” she said, calling the trial “extremely boring.” She also noted that Cutler didn’t include one key detail from the trial: The judge fell asleep at the bench.
However, she appreciated that the documentary “shows a strong woman standing up for herself and living through horror as well as some huge success.”
Cutler responded to Stewart’s complaints, though he reportedly declined to comment on each of the specific points she raised about the film. Despite her reaction, the director maintained that he was “really proud” of the documentary.
“I am really proud of this film, and I admire Martha’s courage in entrusting me to make it,” he said. “I’m not surprised that it’s hard for her to see aspects of it.”
“It’s a movie, not a Wikipedia page,” he said. “It’s the story of an incredibly interesting human being who is complicated and visionary and brilliant.”
Martha is now streaming on Netflix.