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. Slate is published by The Slate The following article includes allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. The real-life events upon which "Bombshell" is based werepivotal for the early #MeToo movement (via Variety), and the film does its best to present this authentically. Kidman looks quite similar to Carlson too, in a fuchsia sheath dress and the Miss-America-winner-turned-TV-commentator's signature blonde bob. Left: Roger Ailes. The Obama-Springsteen friendship continues on. The inclusion of Kayla in the film as a composite allowed these other ex-Fox News workers to have their stories heard. Later in the film, it's revealed that she was asked to give sexual favors to Ailes. Yes? Robbieplays an ambitious, wide-eyed staffer named Kayla Pospisil. Privacy Policy and Read on for a full account of whats fair, whats balanced, and whats potentially neither in the movie. In some ways, thats a productive thing. Kayla helps Bombshell elide 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. As for Ailes hard-to-miss derogatory comment about James in the film (Tell me that mouth hasnt sucked a cock), it supposedly really happened, though a Fox spokesman denied it. For Kayla, the episode ends in tears. While we represen, Major spoilers ahead. The rest is pulled from Randolph's evangelical upbringing. 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. Left to right, Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie as Kayla Pospisil in "Bombshell." (Courtesy Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/SMPSP) This article is more than . Kelly may be the star of the show; Kayla, however, is its moral center. Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie star in the drama "Bombshell," about the women who took down Fox News' Roger Ailes. "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). Do we need to see problematic white women, Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), hailed as heroes for taking down Ailes? 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. Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. Kayla, without realizing it, has walked into a battle for her dignity. The software that cloned Drake and the Weeknds voices is easy to useand impossible to shut down. For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for theMarie Clairenewsletter. Kayla is no more and no less than what Bombshell tells us she is. ADVERTISEMENT Theron plays Megyn Kelly, Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson and Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil. The most damning of the recordings was probably the one in which Ailes was caught saying to her, I think you and I should have had a sexual relationship a long time ago. Carlson received $20 million in the eventual settlement. On her first day on The O'Reilly Factor, Kayla Pospisil meets fellow female staffer Jess Carr, and the two sleep together. Left: Abby Huntsman. But it is also because the assault Bombshells camera depicts is not physically violent. As mentioned earlier, Alisyn Camerota's Vanity Fair article was extremely informative. A timeline of Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, and Selena Gomezs love triangle. But realistically, that would have been a suicide mission for me and my career.. Maybe? We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 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.. It is primary-colored and stylized and dizzying. Huddy toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat although her discussions with Randolphviolated her nondisclosure agreement with Fox, she felt like she had nothing left to lose: "I lost my house. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Heres how it works. Ailes resented reporting to Murdochs sons, and the sons had less tolerance for Ailes exploits than their father. Nonfiction brings complications. Kayla ends up having a one-on-one with Ailes (John Lithgow) to discuss her career path at Fox. An article in Vogue explored this rule: "The Fox dress code for women? You can see this in another composite character in the film: Kaylas best friend at the network, Jess Carr, played by Kate McKinnon. Photos by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP/Lionsgate and Wesley Mann/FOX News via Getty Images. In the movie, hoping to get her big on-air break at Fox News, Pospisil takes a meeting with Ailes and ends up leaving her job on Carlson's team for Bill OReillys. Bombshellpremieres in theaters everywhere December 20, 2019. In an interview with Roach, Randolph, and producer Michelle Graham, Graham highlighted that Ailes would isolate the women from one another and pit them against each other. It was two years later that Carlson made her first statement against Ailes and the scandal spilled out into the public eye, leading to much more extensive coverage. ", 'You could do worse, right?' While the three leading stars appeared in the initial teaser released in August, the full-length preview gave a deeper look at the whole ensemble. A character named Kayla Pospisil (played by Oscar nominee Margot Robbie) is called before Fox News chief executive Roger Ailes (John Lithgow beneath layers of prosthetic jowl and wattle), who has ostensibly agreed to meet with the young segment producer to discuss her promotion from off-camera apparatchik to on-air talent Anchor Barbie as a co-worker (SNLs Kate McKinnon) calls it. His deep dislike for Carlson is right in the center of "Bombshell," and this chilling exchange emphasizes just how far this goes. (Carlsonwho was the first to come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Ailesis something of the side character in the trio.) Mark Duplass stars as Kelly's husband, Douglas Brunt, an author and former CEO of the Internet security company Authentium, Inc. Bree Condon (Ironclad, Vampire Diaries) also makes an appearance in the form of Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and Donald Trump Jr.'s current girlfriend. She may not be based on a single person, but Robbie's character endures some painful scenes throughout the filmI won't drop too many spoilers herethat were inspired by real-life events, and unfortunately make Kayla Pospisil all too relatable for millions of women. She is basically an attractive, conservative, Jesus-loving Instagram influencer turned research assistant for Gretchen Carlson and later Bill OReilly. Toward the beginning of "Bombshell," Kayla has a drunken hookup with Jess ( Kate McKinnon ), a fellow Bill O'Reilly producer who is a closeted lesbian and, more damningly at Fox News, a secret. It sure seems like it! Now that Fleishman is out of trouble, Caplan can go back to catering. Photo illustration by Slate. The U2 singer called his Zelenskyy portrait a few squiggles and I just got out of the way.. Kelly has heard rumors (correctly) about Ailes pressuring Kayla to perform sexual acts in exchange for favorable treatment at the network. Similarly, Is Kayla supposed to be Tomi Lahren? last updated October 14, 2021 In Bombshell, 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. Right: John Lithgow in, Left: Douglas Brunt. Let's break down exactly what was missed from this important story. The film stars Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, and Margot Robbie as fictional news producer Kayla Pospisil. Ex-Fox News reporter Juliet Huddy commented on this: "I was told 'no pants'," says Huddy. The movie leaves out the fun detail that when it became clear that Ailes was on his way out at Fox, Estrich, meaning to send a statement to the Drudge Report, accidentally sent a draft of his $40 million separation agreement, which Drudge then published, and unpublishedthough some questioned whether this was a mistake or negotiating tactic. For the purposes of "Bombshell," the narrative begins with Carlson's allegation, perhaps to portray the events from the point of the view of the main female characters. Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil, a fictional composite. Photo illustration by Slate. There is an inherent challenge in that arrangement: To tell the story of workplace sexual harassment through the experience of Megyn Kelly is to tell the story of workplace sexual harassment through the experience of Megyn Kelly. Then we'll see what happens.'" There were good arguments about how disturbing Rogers breathing [should] be, says Roach. Roach, the Emmy-winning writer-director behind Recount (2008) and Game Change (2012), and screenwriter Charles Randolph acknowledge the optics of taking on a project like Bombshell, particularly in an era when female filmmakers are still underrepresented in Hollywood. Fox News has made its reputation and its money by delighting in divisionby insisting that some women are more deserving than others. 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. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. One of those women who could participate in the suit is Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie, who also snagged a Golden Globe nomination), a Christian woman whose ambitions get her a meeting with. Knowing that he. This character is another composite. Many of them embody familiar Fox News talents. The scene between Kayla and Ailes is what roots the film as it explores the legal battle that led to Ailess ouster from the network. 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. A small handful of women who do have their names attached to the project may have violated their NDAs, but as of now, there has been no retaliation taken against them, according to THR. Jay did bring something to it thats specifically male, the writer says. 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. 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." Shes beautiful, devout (to God. Was the scene between these two composite characters making a point about the secret lives of women? Is the Federal Government Trying to Kill Off Crypto? Megyn Kelly (Theron) acts as the primary narrator of the film that kicks off with Gretchen Carlson's (Kidman) initial allegations against Ailes. Forward motion! 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. Ive never filmed anything as excruciating.. Right: Alanna Ubach in. 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. Gretchen Carlson, former Fox News anchor.

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