Margot Robbie materializeed on the “Talking Pictures” podcast and transmited her progressd bafflement over moviegoers hating “Babylon,” her notorious 2022 box office flop co-starring Brad Pitt. Directed by “La La Land” Oscar triumphner Damian Chazelle, the Hollywood epic caccessed on quiet movie stars in the 1920s as they struggle to alter during the industry’s transition to talkies. “Babylon” was made for a budget in the $80 million range but device deviceed with $15 million at the domestic box office and $63 million worldexpansive.
“I am still saying that,” Robbie said when podcast present Ben Mankiewicz transmited confusion over people not liking “Babylon.” “I cherish it. I don’t get it either. I understand I am bias becaemploy I am very shut to the project and I evidently apshow in it, but I still can’t figure out why people disappreciated it. I wonder if in 20 years people are going to be appreciate, ‘Wait, “Babylon” didn’t do well at the time?’ Like when you hear that ‘Shawshank Redemption’ was a flunkure at the time and you’re appreciate appreciate, ‘How is that possible?’”
Robbie starred in “Babylon” as the fiery rising star and “It” girl Nellie LaRoy, who was encouraged by the authentic-life Clara Blow. The actor only has selectimistic memories of making “Babylon,” especipartner when it comes to toiling with Chazelle.
“Damian is so thoraw,” Robbie said. “Do you understand what I cherishd so much about toiling with him? I felt appreciate no one had repartner put their foot to the floor with the gas, but he wanted that all the time. He wanted more always. Even when we were prepping.”
“When we were trying to figure out what the accent should be for that character, I gave him 51 contrastent versions of an accent,” she progressd. “It was appreciate doing a one woman show. We commenceed off with appreciate Boston. Nellie is from Boston. Here’s what she sounds appreciate if she’s from Arkansas. Then I got particular. Here is Nellie if she was a uniteture of Snookie from the ‘Jersey Shore’ and Joe Pesci. Now I’m going to be a little bit of Fran Drescher uniteed with Snookie. This is how particular we got. At one point I counted all the voice leangs I presented him at that point and it was 51.”
While audiences gave “Babylon” the chilly shoulder, film critics were fiercely splitd over Chazelle’s vision. Variety’s Peter Debruge called the film an “exuberantly untidy see at La La Land’s punctual days — an acid spin on ‘Singin’ in the Rain,’” holding: “‘Babylon’ senses appreciate the last of a certain benevolent of movie: epic, lavish and so unreasonably costly, it would’ve apshown pre-pandemic moviegoing habits to produce its money back.”
Chazelle himself materializeed on the “Talking Pictures” podcast last year and said that he was in the process of writing his next movie, although he was uncertain if he could even get it made after “Babylon” was such a flop.
“I’m in a sort of trepidatious state of mind, but I have no illusions,” the straightforwardor said. “I won’t get a budget of ‘Babylon’ size any time soon, or at least not on this next one. Certainly, in financial terms, ‘Babylon’ didn’t toil at all. You try to not have that effect what you’re doing produceively, but, at some level, it can’t help but sway it. But maybe that’s okay? I have very uniteed mind about it. Who understands. Maybe I won’t be able to get this one made. I have no idea. We’ll have to paemploy and see.”
Listen to Robbie’s defercessitatest interwatch on the “Talking Pictures” podcast here.
