Even though they sleep together, Kayla insists shes not gay, but the real scandal is that Jess Carr is a closeted Democrat working at Fox News. The other women expressed anger at a scene they said was fictional, where the aspiring anchor Kayla Pospisil, portrayed by Robbie, scolds Kelly's character, played by Charlize Theron. Rupert Murdoch, and Malcolm McDowell as Rupert Murdoch. 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. The end! Director Jay Roachtold IndieWire (opens in new tab)that Pospisil is based on a number of women who spoke to filmmakers about Ailes' harassment. Bombshell 's miniskirt-harassment scene between John Lithgow's Roger Ailes and Margot Robbie's Kayla Pospisil was the most "excruciating" sequence director Jay Roach has ever filmed . Gretchen Carlson, former Fox News anchor. This incident is shown accurately in the film, down to the specific words used by Wilson. The dried-out husk of Kendalls soul is up, Roman is spiraling down, and the game of. ", The film shows a competitive work environment at Fox News for female anchors and producers, many of whom rarely spoke or befriended each other. Megyn Kelly's Most Controversial Moments Ever (opens in new tab), Margot Robbie Wore Sharon Tate's Jewelry in 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' (opens in new tab). By the end of the movie, it appears that the resignation of Roger Ailes completely fixes all of the sexual misconduct problems on Fox News. The case against Ailes snowballed shortly after . Jay and I had a couple of times where we were like, Maybe we can tone this down. The initial allegation of misconduct came from a Ailes biography in 2014, "The Loudest Voice in the Room" by Gabriel Sherman. Right: Nazanin Boniadi. So to capture these situations, it takes both genders to think through how these things work. Why is Fox News being sued again over alleged sexual harassment? When Pospisil moves on to a new job on Bill OReillys show, she befriends Jess Carr, a producer played by Kate McKinnon. Following her confrontation with Wilson, she rejoined Fox News on "Fox and Friends." Margot Robbie is getting Oscar buzz already for her role as Kayla Pospisil. Margot Robbie Says Her 'Bombshell' Character Will End Up - Variety Post-twirl, Ailes tells Robbies character to hike up her minidress higher and higher. It was just so clear this was going to be a team effort. Self-described as a "evangelical millennial," she explains that she comes from a family that is fully entrenched in the world of Fox News to the point that they "watch it every Thanksgiving." Does she come forward with the truth? Beth Ailes, and Connie Britton as Beth Ailes. Left: Elizabeth Ailes. Right: Ben Lawson portraying him in. Now that Fleishman is out of trouble, Caplan can go back to catering. Do we need to see another actor (John Lithgow in this case) creep on another actress (Margot Robbie here)? Probably. If Kayla, a self-described "evangelical millennial," feels familiar, it's because the inspiration for her comes from actual accounts. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. Margot Robbie talks about filming 'Bombshell's' disturbing sexual How the Bombshell Cast Compares to Their Real-Life Counterparts, T&C Culture Watch: On the Agenda for May 2023, latest additions to Meghan Markles staff, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. He indeed occupied a second-floor suite at the News Corp. headquarters in New York City with a camera outside his door. Was Fox News circa 2016 as misogynistic a place as the movie suggest? Margot Robbie's Fictional Bombshell Character Is Based on 20 Real Fox News Staffers, The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. I just wanted to make sure the emotional levels were there and that the empathy you would feel for this is just devastating. Right: Charlize Theron portraying Kelly in, Left: Gretchen Carlson. It is invasive. Connie Britton is Roger's wife Beth Ailes. She resists. Female Fox personalities like Jeanine Pirro and Greta Van Susteren also spoke up for Ailes eagerly. Kayla isnt based on a single persons experience, but is actually based on, Basically, Kayla may not be a real person, but her story calcifies one of the main themes in, Bombshell Kayla Pospisil Is Based On Many Real People, I distinctly remember that Lizzie McGuire episode. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. The other terrific scene, which illustrates whats really the thesis of the film, is a conversation between Kayla and Therons Megyn Kelly. The Slate Group LLC. The U2 singer called his Zelenskyy portrait a few squiggles and I just got out of the way.. Fact Versus Fiction: How 'Bombshell' Tells the Truth About Sexual Assault Left: Martha MacCallum. That freedom, however, also allows a story about sexual harassment to wander, at times, into the realm of the fanciful. 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. Watch the full trailer above. Kayla, though, suggests the limitations of the simulacrum. Theron's resemblance to Kelly is especially shocking. Fox News spokesperson Caley Cronin declined to comment on the film to USA TODAY beyond confirming that "Bombshell"producers "never reached out to Fox News during any part of the production.. "When you're in the room and you appreciate the intonations and context of it, you can see how it could be utterly life-changing and maddening and complicated for a young woman,' " Randolph says. Alongside Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron, as Fox and Friends co-host Gretchen Carlson and The Kelly Files host Megyn Kelly, respectively, Robbie plays a composite character intended to represent the various women who came forward with horrific sexual-misconduct charges during Ailess tenure overseeing the top-rated news network. Idon't have anything.". All contents (In the movie, this is a dramatic third-act reveal.) By joseph / June 19, 2022 Kayla Pospisil is a fictitious news network staffer who is played by Margot Robbie with Fox's distinctive bleached-blonde hairstyle. The rest is pulled from Randolph's evangelical upbringing. Read: Cat Person and the impulse to undermine womens fiction. When Robbie's Kayla begins a new on-air role, she arrives at her desk with pageant queen hair, garish stage makeup, and a black-and-white bodycon dress. 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. Ailes did have friends and allies, too, including Rudy Giuliani (played by Richard Kind in the movie) and his lawyer, Susan Estrich (played by Allison Janney), despite her background as a staunch feminist. Those women, as real and historical figures, have contributed to the rise of a network that has often made a mockery of the very things Bombshell celebrates: collaboration, courage, justice. A number of other recognizable stars appear in the film that we didn't get to see in the trailer. Kellys decision to reveal that to the private law firm investigating sexual harassment at Fox News was the straw that broke the rapists back, but it didnt prevent dozens of episodes from happening in the years before Gretchen Carlson sued Roger Ailes. In 2016, Carlson sued Ailes for sexual harassment, which led more women, including Kelly, to come forward with allegations against the Fox News CEO. Kayla Pospisil, the ambitious young evangelical millennial producer (played by Margot Robbie) who works for Carlsons show when she is introduced, is a composite character invented for the movie. Robbies performance is masterful, and Kaylas lack of specificity makes her an apt stand-in for the many people at Fox News who are not part of the story Bombshell is telling. It is through Kayla that the horrors and humiliations of sexual harassment are brought to the films screen. This attention to detail has ensured that even while the movie itself endured mixed reviews, Baker, Hiro, and Morgan have earned consistent praise. Charles and I didnt do anything without checking with her and our women producers and studio execs., Based on Brandts (and later, Roachs) extensive script research which involved reading Ailess accusers court affidavits about the sexual misconduct that they were subjected to at Fox and interviewing female former Fox News employees the filmmakers strenuously avoided making Ailes into a one-note, mustache-twirling villain. James and Lachlan really were at Sun Valley, the Idaho resort town and conference, when they found out about Carlsons lawsuit. ", 'You could do worse, right?' In a Vanity Fair article by ex-staff member Alisyn Camerota, she describes a conversation she had with Ailes wherein he had allegedly threatened the safety of Carlson. Only the bravest celebs will go full catboy at 2023s Met Gala. In April 2017, The New York Times reported that Wendy Walsh claimed she was not given a job at the network as a result of turning down sexual advances from then-host Bill O'Reilly. I often have a good sense of what transpired during those two hours, give or take, and dont re, Latines love entertainment. She is almost indifferent to the other women and appears to prioritize herself and her career. This is something weve tried to communicate and its a little delicate for us to do so. The writer Jill Filipovic explained the scenes power like this: Reading about sexual harassment dulls it. The upcoming drama, which revolves around the Roger Ailes sexual harassment controversy and fallout at Fox, stars Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlsonand they're dead-ringers for their real-life counterparts. It sure seems like it! While critics could argue that Robbie didn't have to worry about portraying real-life people like Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman did (read: Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, respectively), Robbie still gives a standout performance in the movieshe plays a young conservative woman who belongs to a large Fox News-watching Republican family. Both involve Margot Robbie, whose role is small here but pivotal and terrific. To transform herself into a shockingly accurate likeness of Megyn Kelly, Theron wore an impressive array of custom prostheticsa nose plug, nose tip, and pieces for her eyelids, jaw, and chinall painstakingly crafted by prosthetics master Kazu Hiro. But Bombshell is primarily Kellys story. Rudi Bakhitar agreed, stating,"It really puts people in our shoes." We would hear these stories about the spin, the director says. "No one wants to cross Roger," the agent told her. She tells Ailes about her career. Still, the decision to let Ailes off relatively easily in the end was what Rupert wanted in both real life and the film. 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 . But there is some truth to the way the character becomes one of Ailes victims in the film: Kayla first meets with Ailes alone in his office because she sees it as a chance to advance her career, whereas he uses it as a chance to harass her.