FEATURE:
On the Right Tracks
IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie shot for Vanity Fair in November 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Sorrenti
Recognising Brilliant Female Directors and Actors for Tantalising Music Projects
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I couldn’t think of a more succinct title…
IN THIS PHOTO: Laura Jean Marsh/PHOTO CREDIT: YellowBellyPhoto
then the one I have chosen, but I have been looking back at this year in cinema and some of the amazing films that have come through. It has been a brilliant one for genres like Horror and Thriller, and there have been some huge-budget successes and Indie films that have done really well. The things I wanted to explore here are some incredible female directors and actors – those who I feel are perfectly suited to directing wonderful projects. Although there is increased recognition of female directors, there are still gulfs and gaps not being addressed! In terms of talent and vision, I wonder whether Hollywood is an open and forthcoming when it comes to features and women helming them. Alongside the staggering actresses defining modern cinema and turning in truly remarkable performances, there are incredible female directors who are delivering such important work. One area or genre that I am especially interested in relates to music. Whether covering comedy or drama, I hope 2023 provides a range of projects where music is at the heart. This year ha seen some interesting music biopics come to the screen. Whether it is Daniel Radcliffe playing a fictionalised version of ‘Weird’ Al Yankovic in Weird, or Naomi Ackie playing the late Whitney Houston in I Wanna Dance with Somebody, there have been some success and incredible films featuring an array of artists. As I shall write, biopics are particularly hard to get right. Circling back to the Yankovic biopic, and Evan Rachel Wood is very strong as Madonna. I know Madonna is directing her own as-yet-unnamed biopic (with Julia Garner playing Madonna), which I guess will come out next year. Timothee Chalamet will appear as Bob Dylan in Going Electric, and I know everyone from Michael Jackson and Bee Gees have biopics about them in the works.
It was announced recently that Daisy Edgar-Jones will play Carole King in a biopic called Beautiful. It drew criticism for some because of the casting of a non-Jewish actress. That said, it is being directed by an incredible Jewish directed: the wonderful Lisa Cholodenko. I shall come onto music biopics soon. There are so many amazing women directing at the moment, though I feel they are not given as much exposure and financing. There are four brilliant women I want to spotlight, because they are either directing amazing projects or have that flair and ability one would love to see on the big screen. From a rather selfish perspective, there is a project I am trying to get off of the ground – or paste the scrap paper stage – that several incredibly talented women are in my mind (I know that is not proper grammar!). Margot Robbie is currently creating enormous excitement as she will star alongside Ryan Reynolds next year in Barbie. I am not sure what direction the film will take but, as the trailer shows, it is looking mighty exciting! Robbie has just appeared in the Damien Chazelle-directed film, Babylon – where you can see the trailer below. One of the most eclectic and talented actors of any generation, she turns in these unbelievable performances. So versatile in terms of tone, time period and subject, I think of Robbie as someone who is going to go down as one of the all-time screen icons. She runs her own production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, in California alongside her husband, Tom Ackerley, with their friends Josey McNamara and Sophia Kerr.
Not only is Robbie an exemplary and world-class actor with few peers, she is also an incredible producer. Someone who is very hands-on and respected, I also see her moving into directing. Perhaps another plate to spin, she strikes me someone who would bring so many great projects to life with her distinct and unique leadership. I have a film idea at the moment where music is at the heart. A 1980s-set film in Haight-Ashbury, California, it would revolve around two groups of people, teens and adults, who are trying to make their way and navigate life. With social and political issues sitting alongside the music and culture of the time, it is a comedy that sees the teens find a way to make money and stave off threatening bullies by buying albums through a record club that is advertised on T.V. The film would be called Dozen a Dime, because that is the cost of ordering twelve albums. They then sell them to school friends for profit, and they can use the money to placate bullies and also make plans for themselves. There is a lot more to it but, rather than drop an entire synopsis and treatment here, it was something that I instantly had Margot Robbie in mind for! With LuckyChap Entertainment perhaps as backers, I did have her considered (on paper) for one of the main roles. The more I thought about the film, the more I considered her as director. I don’t think women are given much respect and chance as directors, but there are particular genres and types of films where there is a surfeit.
IN THIS PHOTO: Margot Robbie shot for Vanity Fair in November 2022/PHOTO CREDIT: Mario Sorrenti
Most music biopics or music films are directed by men, but I know Robbie has incredible taste in music. She is a passionate music fan, and I think she could bring to life something like Dozen a Dime. Away from my own self-interest, there are music films and possibilities where I can see Margot Robbie directing the most incredible films. She is someone whose filmography takes in many time periods. From Babylon in the 1920s, to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino (1960s), to I, Tonya (1990), to Barbie (I think Greta Gerwig is setting her film in the 1980s), to Amsterdam (1930s), to The Wolf of Wall Street (1980s), Robbie has bounced between the decades. Of course, she has done a lot of modern films (including Bombshell), but most of her time has been spent in other time periods. It is that curiosity for different parts of history and people that draws Robbie. It also allows greater diversity and completely different canvases. For that reason, there are two potential film ideas and concepts that I think Robbie would jump at. As she is Australian, I have been thinking of a film where music is very much at the core. Robbie was born in Dalby (rural town and locality in the Western Downs Region, Queensland), and I don’t feel Australia is brought to the screen much. I think a film set during the 1990s or early-2000s in that part of the film around an aspiring actor with an Australian soundtrack – songs from the time and classics – would be great. More coming-of-age, it would be set around a teen who is dreaming of California and bigger things whilst using music as inspiration and protection against quite a quiet, sheltered and tough life.
Maybe mixing comedy with something quite gritty, I feel Robbie would love to go to Australia and film in her hometown and areas around that. Maybe a wider look at Queensland. Her film career is so colourful and broad, she is destined to be a director! Another project I rabbit on about is a biopic involving Blondie or Debbie Harry (their iconic lead). Debbie Harry has been portrayed in films before, but I cannot see a biopic exclusively about her or the band. It is one of those film ideas beginning to be realised. I have always imagined Margot Robbie portraying Harry but, as I think more, she would be an amazing director who could green-light. I think Harry herself has always been keen for a Blondie biopic, or there could be one about her memoir, Face It. In terms of people who could play Harry, if it were not Robbie, then actors like Saoirse Ronan or artists such as Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish. Not only would we get a phenomenal soundtrack but, if it were a Blondie biopic, but it would help introduce the legendary band’s music to a new generation. I feel Margot Robbie would be the ideal director. Again, if it was made through LuckyChap Entertainment, then she would also be producer. Robbie clearly has an affection for Harry, so I hold hopes that there will be a Blondie biopic where Margot Robbie is involved!
An incredible woman who is already directing, I have a lot of respect for Laura Jean Marsh. A brilliant actor and writer, her 2021 film, Giddy Stratospheres, is one that influenced the idea for my own film (idea). Her film explores the highs and lows of the mid-‘00s U.K. Indie music scene. Made with quite allow budget, it is wonderfully directed by Marsh! A singular talent, I think she has said how there are fewer opportunity for female directors. They are definitely not talked about that much. Marsh is also a music video director, and this is another area mostly dominated by men. Whether we view music videos as essential anymore or not, it is still exciting seeing innovative and fresh videos coming through. I think Laura Jean Marsh is one of the best directors and writers out there. As music is important to her and films like Giddy Stratospheres, I hope that she directs another music-focused film. She is someone who should be given open doors and opportunities by Hollywood studios. With a bigger budget, I can see her directing large projects that are either similar to Giddy Stratospheres, or films where music is key to the story. In terms of dialogue and visuals, Laura Jean Marsh is a very naturally talented director who we need to see more of on the small and big screen. I can only imagine what she could achieve if she was given a large budget. An exceptional actor, I am particularly drawn to her directing.
I hope to work with her some day in some form, but I know Laura Jean Marsh will inspire other young women to direct. I am not sure why there is not more exposure of female directors, because their voices and work is extraordinary. I am focusing on music and music-related films at the moment, but genres like Horror have seen incredible women adding something new and utterly beguiling to the genre. Laura Jean Marsh is a wonderful talent, and I have had her in mind firmly when plotting and scribbling ideas for my own film and other projects. I wonder whether she is going to direct a lot more next year. Even if Giddy Stratospheres didn’t get huge acclaim – or the credit it deserves -, Marsh’s words and visions shine through. It proves what talent she has and how much potential is inside her. I am going to move onto two other incredible women who I feel either will be or are phenomenal directors – and would be wonderfully suited to direct a music-based film. In terms of genre, there aren’t a huge amount of films that revolve around music, or where music plays an essential role. There should be. The ones that are out there are largely directed by men. I know there are so many brilliant female writers and directors who are not being given the same opportunities and respect as their male peers. Directors and writers like Laura Jean Marsh definitely inspire me!
Someone who I think shares similarities with Margot Robbie, Rachel Bronshan is an actor who has not directed a feature yet, and she also runs her own production company. Based in New York, Scrap Paper Pictures gives women the opportunity to see their ideas (however young and undeveloped) brought to the screen. Another chameleon actor who has extraordinary range and also has featured in a few films/shows from different time periods (including the 1970s-set I'm Your Woman). An exceptional producer and actor who stars in one of my favourite modern T.V. shows, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I love Brosnhahan’s work. The Marevlous Mrs. Maisel is set in New York in the late-1950s/1960s, where Brosnahan plays the titular character. A stand-up who works her way from small clubs to national success, it is a wonderful show that is sadly ending in its next season. Rachel Brosnahan is someone who I would like to work with. As a male creative, I understand I may not be eligible to submit and work with Scrap Paper Pictures, but I had her in mind too for my film idea. Music plays a big part in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and I know Brosnahan is a big music fan. Someone who is going to have a very long and successful career, I can see Brosnahan directing a lot of films. I think about a 1970-set film or T.V. series in New York. Perhaps based around a young women or young female group, I think that she is someone who could bring so much imagination and brilliance to the screen as a director! Something tells me Florence Pugh should star in a potential Brosnahan-directed film. Don’t know why, except the fact Pugh is wonderful in everything and can do anything!
PHOTO CREDIT: Pamela Hanson for Town & Country
I am going to finish with one final amazing women who is also a fantastic director. I just want to bring in some exerts from a fairly recent interview from Town & Country that is quite engrossing. It gives greater insight into the daily life of an actor who is becoming a lot more recognised and famous:
“She landed small roles on TV shows like The Good Wife and Gossip Girl, but her success didn’t come immediately. She worked at a downtown restaurant called L’Express, which had a colorful clientele. “This dominatrix would come in after midnight on Thursdays or something. We had one table that was always reserved for her, and she’d order the escargots,” Brosnahan recalls. She roomed with two friends in Chelsea in a two-bedroom that they jerry-rigged into three. In 2009 she auditioned for Gus Van Sant’s Restless, a role she wanted so badly that she flew to L.A. at her own expense—money she definitely didn’t have—and didn’t get it. A picture from that trip is the very first photo on her phone. She finds it. She’s 18 but looks even younger. “I sobbed,” she says, when she learned she hadn’t gotten the part. “All over New York.” She walks around a lot when she’s sad.
At one point she moved to Los Angeles on the advice of a studio executive. “He told me that you can be an actor in New York, but you can only make a living as an actor in L.A. I got scared, so I moved,” she says. “Turns out that’s not true. It was not for me. I’m glad I did it; I’m glad I tried it.”
Arguably her first big break was on House of Cards, the adaptation of a British series directed by David Fincher that gave Netflix its first original TV hit. Her sex worker character Rachel Posner didn’t even have a name initially, just a few lines. “Everyone was like, ‘Whoa.’ Rachel just blew everybody away,” says Michael Kelly, who played creepy henchman Doug Stamper on the show. Their chemistry together prompted the screenwriter Beau Willimon to expand her role into a longer character arc for the second season, and Brosnahan came away with an Emmy nomination. Kelly thinks she could do anything next. “She’s done drama and comedy and a western, so what’s left, an action movie or play a superhero? She has achieved that status in the industry where I truly believe there’s nothing she can’t do with a work ethic and a talent like that.”
If you ask Brosnahan what she wants her career to look like, she mentions Frances McDormand and Emma Thompson. “I admire how versatile they are and how they continue to push themselves and take risks,” she says. “It feels like they never do the same thing twice. I would be thrilled if my career gave me the same opportunity.” Brosnahan is a planner, though; she’s not content to sit back and hope that Maisel was enough to launch her on such a trajectory. And so, like Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington and Jessica Chastain and other actresses who have noticed that producing allows one to circumvent Hollywood’s often stale notions of womanhood, she has started her own company, Scrap Paper Pictures. (“I asked Rachel, ‘If I don’t get a job for a while after Maisel, can I work at your production company?’ ” Hinkle joked.) Through it she has already produced two podcasts, The Miranda Obsession and Listening In, the feature film I’m Your Woman, and two editions of the Amazon original special Yearly Departed”.
A renaissance woman who has given to communities and is an inspiring human, Olivia Wilde is also a successful and stunning director. Again, she is instantly in my mind for projects I think of. She did appear in the music based T.V. series, Vinyl, a while back. That was short-lived. In addition to directing a couple of music videos (one for Red Hot Chili Peppers no less!), and the brilliant short, Wake Up, Wilde has also directed two exceptional films. The most recent is this year’s Don’t Worry Darling, starring the aforementioned Florence Pugh. I am not sure whether Wilde has her own production company but, like Rachel Brosnahan and Margot Robbie, she would definitely help mould and support brilliant talent coming through. Among the many reasons I love and respect her – aside from appearing in shows like House and Vinyl and great her brilliant acting in films like Drinking Buddies – is how she speaks up against sexism and injustices. Someone who has said things are slowly changing now s women are not seen as competitors in Hollywood, they are more like partners. There is still a long way to go, but I am glad very successful and acclaimed directors like Olivia Wilde are creating awareness and hopefully opening eyes to the fact there are some amazing female directors who deserve a say and to be treated fairly. I am going to round things up in a bit.
Before I do, as one of the most influential and important women in Hollywood, Olivia Wilde was interviewed by ELLE recently. One of my favourite films of the past decade, Booksmart, was Wilde’s feature directorial debut. Released in 2019, it was rightfully hugely acclaimed. It was a big spur for me to write and conceive a film influenced by Booksmart. In Wilde’s comedy-dramas, on the eve of their high-school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more. Determined not to fall short of their peers, the girls try to cram four years of fun into one night. Wilde’s direction throughout is outstanding! She is instantly oner of the finest and most impressive directors in Hollywood. I know she has more projects coming up and, whilst it will never happen, she is someone I would love to work with – as she is so focused and compelling to be around by the sounds of it:
“But putting a project into the world, she has found, inevitably means relinquishing control. Wilde’s directorial debut, Booksmart, transformed the way Hollywood saw her, after nearly two decades in the business. But it has nothing, in terms of column inches, on Don’t Worry Darling, which has become the most talked-about movie of the year. (It came in at #1 its opening weekend, an impressive outing for a second-time director.)
That’s due in part to its intriguing premise, 18-studio bidding war origin story, and stacked cast, including Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Pine, and Wilde herself. (Wilde has a turn as Bunny, “the all-knowing salty friend” who crackles with “an almost pickled cynicism.”) Outshining all the stars, though, is a media meta-narrative around the film that—with its themes of sexism and public scrutiny—oddly echoes that of the movie. Instagram gossip hub DeuxMoi doesn’t chronicle the day-to-day doings of Martin Scorsese, but Wilde is another story. In case you’re reading this from your home under a rock: She has been in the news for her reported relationship with Styles, a rumored feud with Pugh, and a disagreement with Shia LaBeouf about the backstory behind his departure from the movie (a conflict that was not yet aired when we spoke). Then there’s her contretemps with ex Jason Sudeikis, who served her custody papers when she was onstage promoting the film at CinemaCon.
Over tea, Wilde confides her disappointment with the way the story has been “minimized into bite-size TikTok points.” When I offer that it could be good publicity, she says her intention was not, as she jokes, to “throw myself into the flames for the movie.” She wants people to pay attention to what’s onscreen, and is frustrated that the press hasn’t. “This film is trying to ask big questions, but [it’s] ‘Let’s just focus on this sideshow over here,’” she says. “Having been a known figure for a while...makes me well-equipped to have a Teflon exterior. But it also means that you’re under a different kind of microscope. It’s brought my attention to the media and how it pits women against one another.” (For what it’s worth, she has nothing but praise for her leading lady. “She’s so generous in her acting in every scene. She makes everyone around her better.”)
Meanwhile, Wilde is developing, and set to direct, a Kerri Strug biopic with the working title Perfect, and reportedly has a deal with Sony to direct a hush-hush, female-centric Marvel feature. “A few of the things I have in development are about the raw determination of women,” she says. “Clearly, I idolize women who survive a system that they feel challenged by.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Cass Bird
Perhaps it’s something she can relate to as she navigates this latest chapter. “It is shocking to see so many untruths about yourself traded as fact,” she says. “Florence had a really wise comment that we didn’t sign up for a reality show. And I love that she put it that way, because it’s as though the general public feels that if you are making something that you’re selling to the public, you somehow have accepted that your life will be torn to shreds by a pack of wolves. No, that’s actually not part of the job description. Never was.”
“I’m very curious about our collective complicity in [upholding] the patriarchy. I found myself seeing a lot of content that was struggling to address feminist issues and instead becoming either really simplified or overly didactic. I had no interest in making a feminist parable that was judgy or that defined men as bad and women as good. I was much more interested in that tense space where we recognize our own participation in the system that objectifies us”.
In addition to writing about four amazing women who are either established directors or have the promise to be, I wanted to talk about women as directors. Things aren’t as bad as they used to be regarding sexism and a lack of respect from the industry, but I still feel like there is a degree of alienation, ignorance and misogyny still at play. Every time a woman wins an award or sets a record in directing, rather than it being seen as normal (as, with greater respect and chances, this would have happened decades back), it is seen as odd or alien! Alongside the likes of Greta Gerwig, Olivia Wilde and Laura Jean Marsh, there are so many phenomenal women making the small and large screen so much richer and more memorable because of their voices! I hope that in the next few years, there is a greater balance and appreciation of female directors.
PHOTO CREDIT: YellowBellyPhoto
Also, I wanted to talk about music films in general. There have been biopics and music films this year, and there are some wonderful ones planned for next year. I think it is a section and genre that is underrated and under-represented to an extent. I also feel it is a corner of the film industry where the films mostly directed by men. I have talked about four of my favourite female directors, writers and producers. Each, in varying degrees, have an attachment to music and would expertly and exceptionally direct a great biopic or film where music plays a big and enduring role. I would kill to work with either or all of the four – Rachel Brosnahan, Olivia Wilde, Laura Jean Marsh and Margot Robbie -, though I know chances are slim to none. I wanted to salute their work and, for Brosnahan and Robbie (who have not directed features yet) to nudge them in the direction of possible musical projects – a Blondie biopic or Australian-set feature for Robbie; a New York-set film for Brosnahan. For them and incredible women like them, we need their immense talent and crucial voices now…
PHOTO CREDIT: Pamela Hanson for Town & Country
MORE now than ever!