As a movie enthusiast who has spent countless hours in darkened theaters, I must say that “Babylon” left me bewildered and somewhat saddened. Having witnessed the rise and fall of numerous cinematic masterpieces throughout my life, I find it hard to comprehend why such an ambitious and visually stunning film failed to resonate with audiences.
On the “Talking Pictures” podcast, Margot Robbie openly shared her ongoing puzzlement about audiences disliking the 2022 film “Babylon,” a movie that failed commercially alongside co-star Brad Pitt. Directed by Damian Chazelle, who won an Oscar for “La La Land”, this Hollywood production followed silent film stars in the 1920s as they grappled with the shift to ‘talkies’. Despite being made with an $80 million budget, “Babylon” underperformed at the domestic box office, earning just $15 million, and worldwide it grossed only $63 million.
Robbie reiterated his thoughts when Ben showed bewilderment about ‘Babylon’ not being well-received. He admits he shares the same puzzlement, yet remains an ardent fan of the film. Despite his connection to the project and faith in it, he can’t comprehend why people disliked it so much. He ponders if, in 20 years, people will find it hard to believe that ‘Babylon’ didn’t succeed, just like we might be surprised to learn that ‘The Shawshank Redemption’ was initially unsuccessful.
In “Babylon,” Robbie took on the role of Nellie LaRoy, a fiery and popular up-and-coming star reminiscent of Clara Blow in real life. The actor looks back fondly on filming “Babylon,” particularly the experience of collaborating with Chazelle.
Robbie remarked, ‘Damian is incredibly meticulous.’ What stood out for me most during our collaboration was his relentless drive. It felt as though no one else had ever fully accelerated, but he consistently sought more. This determination extended even to the preparation phase.
She explained, ‘As we worked on finding the right accent for our character, I created 51 distinct variations of an accent for him. It felt like a solo performance! We began with a Boston accent since Nellie is from there. But then I got more specific. Here’s what Nellie would sound like if she was part Snookie from ‘Jersey Shore’ and Joe Pesci. Then I added some Fran Drescher to the mix, followed by more Snookie. We even got that detailed.’ At one point, she tallied up all the different accents I had suggested, and it totaled 51.
While audiences gave “Babylon” the cold shoulder, film critics were fiercely divided over Chazelle’s vision. EbMaster’s Peter Debruge called the film an “exuberantly messy look at La La Land’s early days — an acid spin on ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’” adding: “‘Babylon’ feels like the last of a certain kind of movie: epic, extravagant and so unreasonably expensive, it would’ve taken pre-pandemic moviegoing habits to make its money back.”
Last year, I, as a film enthusiast, found myself tuned into the “Talking Pictures” podcast where I heard directly from Chazelle himself that he’s been working on his next cinematic venture. However, he expressed some doubts about whether it would see the light of day following the less-than-stellar performance of “Babylon” at the box office.
The director expressed a cautious yet pragmatic outlook, admitting, “I’m not expecting another ‘Babylon’-scale budget for my upcoming project, or at least not in the near future.” He acknowledged that the financial performance of ‘Babylon’ had been less than ideal, but tried to assure that this wouldn’t unduly influence his creative decisions. However, he admitted that it might subconsciously impact his work. Yet, he seemed ambivalent about this possibility, expressing, “Perhaps this is for the best? I’m torn about it. Time will tell if this project even comes to fruition.” He concluded by admitting his uncertainty, stating, “I can’t predict what will happen with this one. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Listen to Robbie’s latest interview on the “Talking Pictures” podcast here.
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2024-11-27 19:46