How do you bring to life a lost world of elite prestige—and the fall from grace of a master criminal? In HBO's new movie The Wizard of Lies, production designer Laurence Bennett, perhaps best known for his work on The Artist was tasked with just that: recreating the sudden downfall of Bernie Maddoff, arguably the biggest thief in American history.



The film, which was directed by Barry Levinson and stars Robert De Niro as the now-legendary fraudster, explores the vast destruction Maddoff left in his wake and the tragedy of how it affected his family, but Bennett was most drawn to the scenes that "go most directly to the puzzle of Bernie, someone who could be so controlling and not perceive himself that way."

"There’s a megalomania there and a self-interest that he couldn’t see, a self-serving that was just relentless. As long as everything was fine for him and his immediate world was comfortable and emotionally stable, he was fine," Bennett said.

"Here’s a person who dissembles at the drop of a hat and will not answer straight questions. Remind you of anybody?"

For more of Bennett's commentary on the project and an exploration of the film's visual arc, read on.



The Wizard of Lies premieres Saturday, May 20 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.

