Per Leigh Whannell’s telling of the story, Rock didn’t seem too interested in him when they were introduced, but when Rock’s agent told him that Whannell wrote Saw as they were walking away, the SNL alum turned around and told Whannell how he was a big fan of the franchise.
However, he’s known about Chris Rock’s interest in all things Saw ever since the two of them met at a Variety party in 2014, a year before Whannell’s directorial debut, Insidious 3, came out.