Roger Ailes, the longtime Fox News leader who was ousted in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal, is played by John Lithgow. Ultimately, 10 women publicly accused Ailes of sexual harassment, and he would go on to die the following year at 77. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the sites day-to-day editorial operations. Though Margot couldn't copy the mannerisms, speech patterns, and looks for her character like Charlize and Nicole could, she's still getting a lot of attention for her part in Bombshell. Right: Mark Duplass in, Left: Kimberly Guilfoyle. AI Singers Are Unnervingly Good and Already Ubiquitous, Concertgoer Allegedly Orgasms While L.A. Philharmonic Plays Tchaikovskys 5th, Melanie Lynskey, Seth Meyers, and More Support WGA Amid Negotiations. Was Fox News circa 2016 as misogynistic a place as the movie suggest? It sure seems like it! "Bombshell" exploded into the awards race last week, leading the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations with four nods, including best ensemble, actress (Charlize Theron) and supporting actress (Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman). 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Kelly and Carlson, however, complicate it considerably. Malcolm McDowell plays mogul and longtime Ailes enabler Rupert Murdoch in the movie, and his sons, James and Lachlan, are portrayed by real-life Aussie brothers Josh and Ben Lawson, respectively. Left: Abby Huntsman. However, as with any film rooted in reality, directors and writers are able to take creative liberties for the benefit of the story and take them they do. (Carlsonwho was the first to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Ailesis something of the side character in the trio.) Her other panelists labeled her as a support system during the tumultuous time in real life. Sam and Joel reach a new level of intimacy. Based on the true story of the 2016 sexual assault suit against Roger Ailes, the CEO and chairman of Fox News, "Bombshell" was directed by Jay Roach and stars Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie. There are certainly things that we, as men, probably missed that a female director or a female writer would have gotten. "What happens inside of Roger's office is based on the stories of three women we had access to," Randolph says. However, Dargis does go on to comment that the film "does a good job of presenting the ordinary assaults that women, even those with great privilege, can endure simply to get through a day.". ", Review: Charlize Theron transforms into Megyn Kelly, blasts the Fox News patriarchy in 'Bombshell', 'I want my voice back': Gretchen Carlson calls for change on big 'Bombshell' day. Good for them (and us!). Gretchen Carlson, former Fox News anchor. In "The Loudest Voice In The Room," Ailes is documented to have said (via Media Matters), "Move that damn laptop, I can't see her legs," while watching weekend anchor Kiran Chetry's show. Nicole Kidman takes on the role of Gretchen Carlson, the Fox News anchor whose diminishing position at the network stands in contrast with Kellys. She pulls up the hem of her dress. She makes few demands, of her screenwriters or of her audience. Bombshell shows Carlson planning her lawsuit against Roger Ailes diligently, as Carlson apparently did in real life too. Alanna Ubach (Coco, Legally Blonde) also makes a cameo as Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, who also defended Ailes. A lifelong Fox News fanatic and young evangelical ("I see myself as an influencer in the Jesus space," she says), Kayla soon catches the eye of Ailes, who promises to promote herto on-air talent in exchange for sexual favors. Right: Charlize Theron portraying Kelly in, Left: Gretchen Carlson. With Barry on the loose, all Gene, Fuches, Hank, and Sally can do is crumble as they wait to see who hes coming for first. It is to have a tale told by a narrator who is, if not fully unreliable, then deeply fraught. So it is notable, in that regard, that the woman in the scene is one of the characters in Bombshell who is not based on a specific person. The drama (in theaters now)goes behind the scenes at Fox News in 2016. Kayla isn't based on a single person's experience, but is actually based on many people's experience working at Fox News under Ailes, though, Kayla's image is maybe-possibly based on Tomi. Why Does Kim Kardashian Do This to Christmas? Sure. Bombshell nods to that tension. This password will be used to sign into all, a Vulture senior reporter who covers Hollywood. It's unclear why Jay Roach and Charles Randolph decided to change this in "Bombshell," but Kelly was quick to debunk it. Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil, a fictional composite. Bombshell is a fine enough film it's competently made, the performances are terrific, and it is sufficiently crazymaking but there are two phenomenal scenes in the film that make it well worth seeing. So, how do you make heroines out of characters that some in the audience will see as deeply compromised if not outright villainous? Randolph, for his part, chooses to frame discussion of the way his and Roachs gender privilege informed the film in terms of their firsthand understanding of toxic masculinity. NY 10036. Though the film did capture some of the situations of assault as well as the tense working environment, Zann emphasized that it was considerably worse when she was living through it. When Creed first premiered in 2015, the world had no idea how big it would become; after all, it was just, Rocky Balboas iconic ascent up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art out of breath and in gray joggers as Eye of the Tiger blares in the, Spoilers ahead. Right: Nicole Kidman as Carlson in. It's Anchor Barbie," quips Jess. Left: Rudy Giuliani. The short answer is no one person. Seeing it is a crucial reminder of how repulsive and destructive Ailes, and sexual harassers like he was alleged to be, can be.. Most of these Halloween costumes double as stylish additions to your closet. Right: Connie Britton. Right: Richard Kind. InBombshell, the buzzy, upcoming movie based on the downfall of Fox CEO Roger Ailes at the hands of the women he'd harassed, Margot Robbie plays a character named Kayla Pospisil. We hear his breathing grow increasingly, discomfitingly labored. Upon moving to the crew of Bill O'Reilly's team, she sets her sights on currying favor with Fox News CEO, Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) in hopes of getting a spot on-air. And then he gives her an order: Stand up and twirl for me.. Bad Moments From Recent History, Recreated in Uncanny Detail, secret liberals within the walls of Fox News. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?". But in reality, there is no singular person that the Pospisil character is based on. The Roys continue their downward spiral into total desperation as Matsson and their dead father loom over every decision they make. Let's break down exactly what was missed from this important story. Left: Nancy Erika Smith. There was an overwhelming consensus during asit-down discussion between Megyn Kelly, former Fox News host Juliet Huddy, former Fox News reporter Rudi Bakhtiar, and former "FoxNews Live" associate producer Julie Zann that the atmosphere that Roger Ailes created in the workplace was much more extreme than portrayed in "Bombshell." There is a quiet rage simmering throughout A Thousand And One, threatening to spill out onto the changing streets of Harlem, from the, If you were expecting to escape the Oscars with dry eyes, were sorry to say that you definitely didnt make it out unscathed. She is basically an attractive, conservative, Jesus-loving Instagram influencer turned research assistant for Gretchen Carlson and later Bill OReilly. Megyn Kelly, with her glib comments about Santa and blackface and thug mentalitywith all the work she did to build up the network that has helped bring America so lowis a notably difficult vehicle for discussions of justice. After losing her job in unfair circumstances, Carlson files a lawsuit against Fox News boss Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) for sexual harassment(via Variety). At the center of Bombshell (opening Dec. 20) are Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), and Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), all news anchors or producers at Fox News . Kayla Pospisil is a fictional person created solely for the film but does reflect . Former Fox contributor Tamara Holder told The Hollywood Reporter that she signed an agreement that comes with a penalty of $500,000 if she breaks her NDA, though it's unclear if Fox would follow through on that consequence. Throughout the film, Kayla must grapple with the fact that a man with a lot of power, a person whos the driving force behind a corporation she idolizes, sexually assaulted her. Portrayed in "Bombshell" by Nazanin Boniadi, Rudi Bakhtiar was a Fox News journalist who came out with allegations against Brian Wilson (via New York), the former Fox News Washington bureau chief. Left: Martha MacCallum. Right: Robin Weigert portraying Smith in. The embattled Ailes asks thepolitician/attorney how to handle the fallout of his sexual harassment allegations. I wanted the breathing to be unmistakably monstrous. The dried-out husk of Kendalls soul is up, Roman is spiraling down, and the game of. She just said, Listen, I trust you and I trust the way youre coming at this. Charlizes collaboration and power in the overall hierarchy was imperative. Related: Why is Fox News being sued again over alleged sexual harassment? Her character is also informed by interviews Bombshells filmmakers conducted with many of the women who made those claims. Heres how to watch them host the events red carpet, together with Derek Blasberg and Emma Chamberlain. This attention to detail has ensured that even while the movie itself endured mixed reviews, Baker, Hiro, and Morgan have earned consistent praise. And while the film notes that there are a lot of similarities between Bombshell and real life, certain parts of the film were fabricated, including one of its lead characters. There were good arguments about how disturbing Rogers breathing [should] be. After one such audition, she received a message: "How did your audition go?" So, progress? Such scenes were drawn from Kelly's book, as well as Gabriel Sherman's 2014 Ailes biography "The Loudest Voice in the Room" and Sarah Ellison's 2016 expose for Vanity Fair, Randolph says. The end! In real life, Ailes had at least one employee, Laurie Luhnwho eventually publicly accused him of harassment herselfwhose job included luring young female Fox employees into one-on-one meetings with Ailes that Luhn knew would likely result in harassment, as New York magazine reported. The film's most chillingscene is a private meeting between Ailes and Kayla when he pressuresher to lift her skirt. It certainly was for me in the room. Left: Susan Estrich. For Bombshell, a trio of A-listersNicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbiewere Fox-ified. So to capture these situations, it takes both genders to think through how these things work. Is Kayla Pospisil real? In an article atThe Ringer,Sherman wrote:"Although he may not have intended it, Ailes' confrontational response to the reporting of this book was as revealing as any comment he would have made in the course of an extended interview.". Additionally, in a Time magazine article about "Bombshell," it's said that Ailes' personality was overwhelming and intimidating, helping to create a climate in which his employess worked in a constant state of fear. It is, like the cable-news network that is its subject and its setting, shiny and hectic. Kayla Pospisil is a fictional person created solely for the film but does reflect the specific experiences of victims. He asks again. Left: Sean Hannity. Read: Cat Person and the impulse to undermine womens fiction. In short, Kayla Pospisil isn't based on a singular woman, but rather the accounts of several sexual assault victims. In the growing list of Academy Award contenders, Bombshell is one film that has been buzzing for a long time. Ailes himself tried to weaponize the Fox News apparatus to attack and discredit Carlson and eventually Kelly. Landing in theaters just as awards season nears its frenzied, Christmas release apogee, Bombshell has been steadily racking up the pre-Oscars accolades: a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, Golden Globe nods for Theron and Robbie in the Best Actress and Supporting Actress movie categories, and a Critics Choice Movie Award for Best Acting Ensemble among them. Spencer Garrett (Air Force One) portrays conservative talk show host and commentator Sean Hannity. Margot Robbie also stars as a fictional Fox News producer named Kayla Pospisil, who appears in the trailer with Kelly and Carlson as they head to the network's executive suite on the second floor. questioning then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, former "Fox News Live" associate producer Julie Zann. Jess was "all made up," Randolph says. Knowing that he has the power to make her career in journalismless aware, at the time, that he also has the power to break itKayla sits on Ailess couch, thrilled.