Following reports that Vincent Gallo would star alongside Karla Sofía Gascón in director Stefania Rossella Grassi‘s The Life Lift, the actor has denied his involvement in the film and initiated a he-said, she-said back-and-forth.
The Brown Bunny star recently claimed Grassi “knowingly, without my permission, leaked a false rumor” of his casting to the press after presenting the project to him “as if it was financed,” noting he only “listened to their babble” under that impression.
“As I learned the project was not financed or in real production, I told them I would not discuss the project further until they had financing and a schedule,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “They then asked if they could use my name to help raise financing. I clearly said no. In fact, I also warned them not to use my name in any way or announce to anyone I was committed to the film.”
Providing screenshots of their correspondence to the outlet, Grassi claimed to EW that Gallo “expressed his support for the The Life Lift project as documented by copious emails” going as far back as February. Other emails provided by Gallo show reps for the film first contacted him about a separate project about a hacker in 2022.
Grassi said the actor “asked for ‘unanticipated’ amounts in the contract without signing the standard SAG contract,” noting that she wrote a role specifically for him based on his perceived involvement. “The production still has its doors open for Mr. Gallo, but it is necessary that the star understands that every production plan involves stages,” she added.
The Buffalo 66 actor responded, calling the statement “simply untrue” and accusing them of “talking out of their asses” when they presented the project as if it was financed.
“I made it clear I would not discuss the project further. They asked if they could use my name to help with financing. I stated clearly I would not allow them to use my name for financing,” he said. “In an email sent in early March 2025, I wrote, ‘I cannot discuss projects that are not financed and scheduled,’ and warned them they were not authorized to use my name in any way to promote the film or procure financing.”
Gallo added, “Knowing how unethical they are, I would not consider the film under any circumstance. They are clowns.”
The Life Lift follows Gabriel, a New York City man who becomes targeted by Post-It notes in his building’s elevator, ordering him to murder other tenants of the building. Gascón’s character is psychiatrist “likened to both a god and a devil,” according to EW.
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