Political disagreements prevented high-profile artists from allowing their music to be included in the recently released “Melania” documentary, a producer said.
Marc Beckman, an adviser to Melania Trump and a key figure in the film’s production, told Variety in a recently published interview that musicians including, Guns N’ Roses and Grace Jones, as well as Prince’s estate, declined to have their songs featured because of political concerns.
“There was music that we tried to get, but sadly, there were politics to it,” Beckman said in the recently published interview.
The documentary, which chronicles the first lady’s life leading up to the 2025 inauguration, was released in theaters Jan. 30. Despite the refusals, the film features recognizable tracks such as the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Aretha Franklin’s rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
Beckman said members of Guns N’ Roses were divided over whether to license a song for the project.
Sweet Child O’ — absolutely not
“The guys from Guns N’ Roses were split down the middle politically,” he told Variety. “There was a beautiful song we wanted to use. One of the guys — I don’t want to name names, it’s not fair — said, ‘You got it. Go.’ And the other one was basically like, ‘There’s just no way.’”
Grace Jones also declined to license her music, Beckman said. “She apparently couldn’t get over the political hurdle, notwithstanding the fact that the film is not a political film,” he said.
According to Beckman, Prince’s estate blocked use of his music over concerns about an association with President Donald Trump.
“Prince would never want his song associated with Donald Trump,” Beckman recalled the estate’s attorney saying. “But it’s not a Donald Trump film. He comes into the movie once in a while, but this is all about Melania. It’s not political.”
However, despite setting box office records for a non-concert documentary, “Melania” is projected to finish its theatrical run with $16 million to $20 million in total revenue.
The film is not considered a financial success; it cost Amazon roughly $75 million to produce and market.