Tag: eric-roberts

  • ‘Clika’ Interview: Jimmy Humilde and Jay Dee

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    Opening in theaters on January 23rd is the new music drama ‘Clika’, which was produced and co-written by Jimmy Humilde and directed by Michael Greene (‘Live’).

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    The film stars musician turned actor Jay Dee (‘Fatal Frenemies’), Master P (‘Hollywood Homicide’), Peter Greene (‘Pulp Fiction’), and Eric Roberts (‘The Dark Knight’).

    (L to R) Producer and screenwriter Jimmy Humilde and Jay Dee talk 'Clika'.
    (L to R) Producer and screenwriter Jimmy Humilde and Jay Dee talk ‘Clika’.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jimmy Humilde and Jay Dee about their work on ‘Clika’, developing the screenplay, casting, Dee’s approach to his role, the music, working with director Michael Greene, and what they hope audiences learn from the movie.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Related Article: 20 Best Movies With Musicians Playing Versions of Themselves

    Chito (Jay Dee) in 'Clika'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Chito (Jay Dee) in ‘Clika’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Jimmy, can you talk about the process of developing this screenplay and the themes that you wanted to explore with this movie?

    Jimmy Humilde: It was one of them cool talks that I was having with my business partners in our office. We don’t have a desk; our desk is a poker table. We were just hanging out, just shooting it back and forth. We said, “Why don’t we do a movie? All the music we’re doing, it kind of feels like this culture and this movement that we’re building and creating needs a face to it. So why not get together and try to see what we put out?” We got going and wrote a couple of scripts and then finally got to one where we were like, “We need to get somebody involved.” We reached out to Jay Dee, called in a meeting, and brought it to the table and he was like, “I’m in.” I said, “All right, cool. Let me get it done and I’ll bring it to you. See what you think about it.” Sure enough, we did that with Michael (Greene) and Sean (McBride), sat down and put together a big piece of movie and ‘Clika’ came out of it. It’s been a long ride. It’s been five long years getting it ready to release since the first time we talked about it. I’m going to say it was right before COVID started, right about January and then went along from there. A couple of years later, we got done with the scripts, and a year later we get a talk with Jay Dee, and two years later we’re done with the movie and it’s ready to come out.

    MF: Jay, can you talk about your approach to playing this character and were there elements of Chito’s life that you could relate to personally?

    Jay Dee: Yeah, definitely. A lot of the lingo and some of the dialogue. There were some parts that I didn’t really have dialogue and my character was just going to be quiet. It was a perfect moment for me to just put in my dialogue, how I talk, my lingo, because it’s a different vibe to where I live compared to just any other city or any other place. The way we talk, the way we communicate, the Spanglish, all the extra stuff is just different.

    MF: Jimmy, could you have made this movie with anyone else? Can you talk about the importance of casting Jay and working with him on this project?

    JH: Jay Dee was the man for this and fit in perfect. It was the character we were looking for. It was the character that matched the script. It was hard finding the people to surround him, to play the other parts. That was the hard part. Other than him doing it, we were confident. Once we seen him do the first act and we went along with it, we said, “Dude, we got to find the correct cast around him.” We did it that way.

    (L to R) Jimmy Humilde and Jay Dee in 'Clika'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    (L to R) Jimmy Humilde and Jay Dee in ‘Clika’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: To follow up, Jimmy, what were the challenges of putting together the rest of the cast?

    JH: It was more attitude. It was more, do I believe you or not. We went through so much cast. Our casting was long. It was cool because I got to meet other personalities. I got to meet other people. Honestly, it’s like, “You won’t fit in this film, but I got you on the next one.” While we were casting, I was already thinking about the next film.

    MF: Jay, can you talk about performing the music in the movie and did you have a role in choosing the songs?

    JD: Well, with the whole music, everything is teamwork does the dream work. I can’t do this without my team. I got my opinions, everybody else got their opinions, so it’s a matter of getting together with everybody and making sure we make the perfect piece. We recorded a lot of music videos inside the scenes when we were filming the movie. So, I had a lot of say in that. I was very hands-on with the operation.

    MF: In the film, Chito carries with him a notebook for his lyrics, and I understand that is something you do in real life as well. Was Chito’s notebook inspired by your own, and what is the importance of that lyric book to you?

    JD: Yeah, that’s real-life. That’s me all day. If I don’t have a notebook in my pocket, I’m writing on my phone, I’m writing on a napkin. Whatever I could write on, I’m there. If not, I’ll just wait until we get to the booth and it’s already in my head. I already got it thought out. It was something Sean and the whole group decided because it was something that I would always do. I’d always carry a little notebook. I started making music a little bit different nowadays. I just get in the booth, and I don’t really write any more. It’s just more like a freestyle. So that fit the vibe of me 10 years ago when I was getting started with my music.

    Chito (Jay Dee) performing on stage in 'Clika'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Chito (Jay Dee) performing on stage in ‘Clika’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Jimmy, can you talk about the important role music plays in this film?

    JH: Definitely. I had a lot to do with it, but at the same time, brought in a lot of different executives from our company, Rancho Humilde, and I gave them the opportunity to look at certain scenes and have them help us with whatever they thought of because they’re the experts here too. They’re the ones that are day-to-day with our fan base, with everybody that’s socializing and participating in this music. So, I wanted them to have an ear for it too. That was the whole point.

    MF: Jay, what was it like for you to be acting in this film with veteran actors like Eric Roberts and the late Peter Greene?

    JD: Man, it was a rollercoaster really, because I was putting in emotions in the movie that I had never thought I would ever experience in filming. I don’t cry in front of nobody, I don’t feel sad, but there were moments where I had to get into that persona for the film to come out perfectly. It was like a job, basically. I’d had to just be on set, I’m there at 5:00 in the morning, and I’m clocking out at 5:00 in the afternoon. But other than that, it’s really a blessing. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and for it to be presented to me this way, it’s nothing but a blessing.

    MF: Jimmy, why was Michael Greene the right person to direct this movie?

    JH: I met Michael and Sean together. I got introduced to them by another friend. We wanted to do, I think it was a reality show or a documentary on something, and I said, “You know what? Why don’t we do a movie?” Then they were like, “All right, cool.” They have some experience, which is great. Michael’s a director. I’ve seen him do other stuff, and I think he was a perfect fit. He kind of studied us. He knew what I was doing, and he knew what I was talking about. They knew what my whole goal with this was, which was important. Our goal was to give a face to the culture that we’re creating.

    Chito (Jay Dee) performing on stage in 'Clika'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Chito (Jay Dee) performing on stage in ‘Clika’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    MF: Jay, what was your experience like working with director Michael Greene and was it comparable to when you’re working with a producer and recording an album?

    JD: Correct. Except when I first came into this, I thought the director was going to be yelling at me. I thought they were going to be telling me, “You’re messing up.” So, I just had a whole different vision of how things were going to be ran. But as soon as I started meeting the cast and everybody, I started getting comfortable, for sure.

    MF: Finally, Jimmy, what do you hope audiences learn from watching this movie?

    JH: Just hope, that there’s hope. There’s hope to everything and never give up. That’s the main thing that we’re shooting for.

    Chito (Jay Dee) performing on stage in 'Clika'. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    Chito (Jay Dee) performing on stage in ‘Clika’. Photo: Sony Pictures. © 2025 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    What is the plot of ‘Clika’?

    Aspiring small-town musician Chito (Jay Dee) is determined to make it big. When a clip of him performing one of his songs goes viral, he seizes the opportunity and pushes to carve out a place for himself in the new wave of Mexican American music and ultimately gets caught in a game more dangerous than anticipated.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Clika’?

    • Jay Dee as Chito
    • Cristian E. Gutierrez as Alfredo
    • Daniel ‘DoKnows’ Lopez as Blunt
    • Laura Lopez as Candy
    • Nana Ponceleon as Mari
    • Josh Benitez as Chuy
    • Master P as Bullet
    • Peter Greene as Lieutenant Jones
    • Eric Roberts as Angelo
    'Clika' opens in theaters on January 23rd.
    ‘Clika’ opens in theaters on January 23rd.

    List of Movies Similar to ‘Clika’:

    Buy Tickets: ‘Clika’ Movie Showtimes

    Buy Eric Roberts Movies On Amazon

     

  • ‘My Last Best Friend’ Interview: Eric Roberts

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    Opening in theaters in Brooklyn, New York on September 15th and in Los Angeles, California on September 22nd is the new crime-thriller ‘My Last Best Friend,’ which was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Filippo M. Prandi.

    What is the plot of ‘’My Last Best Friend’?

    Set in New York City in March and April of 2020, at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, two men (Eric Roberts), both named Walter Stoyanov, watch their lives getting turned upside down, as one of them falls ill and the other one is being investigated by FBI Special Agent John McCallany (Rico Simonini).

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    Who stars in ‘My Last Best Friend’?

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with acclaimed veteran actor Eric Roberts about his new film ‘My Last Best Friend,’ his first reaction to the screenplay, the challenge of playing two characters, his acting process, Walter’s relationship with his son, and why he enjoyed working with director Filippo M. Prandi.

    Roberts also discussed working on ‘The Dark Knight,’ the best note Christopher Nolan ever gave him, his reaction to Heath Ledger’s performance, being directed by Paul Thomas Anderson on ‘Inherent Vice,’ and the rumor that he was once set to play Anthony Corleone in a version of ‘The Godfather Part III’ that was never made.

    Eric Roberts in a scene from 'My Last Best Friend.'
    Eric Roberts in a scene from ‘My Last Best Friend.’ Photo courtesy Majox Films.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what your first reaction to reading this screenplay, and what were some of the themes of the movie you were excited to explore with these characters?

    Eric Roberts: Well, I’m not that intelligent or heavy-handed to follow a theme. What happened was I got offered the script to play two guys who talked to each other and are different people. That was a challenge I’d never been offered before, so I took it. I had a good little leader, Filippo, and he wrote, he directed it and he was a great leader. It was a very difficult challenge and you have to succeed at this challenge 100% because if you’re off even a little bit, you’re off. It takes all the illusion away, so you have to really hit it. So I said yes to this movie because of that challenge. And I had a good time doing it.

    MF: Can you elaborate on the challenges of playing two separate characters in the same scene, as well as the technical challenges of acting opposite yourself?

    ER: Well, the technical aspect is very difficult because you have to have a different physicality. You have to breathe at a different rate. You have to speak in a different cadence. You have to have a different tone of voice. You have to be very aware that you cannot repeat yourself on the other side of that situation. If I had a month, I know I would’ve been brilliant. I had a week and it was hard. But once again, I had a formidable leader. Filippo was fantastic, and he took care of me.

    MF: With such little time to prepare, how did you approach playing these two distinct characters?

    ER: When I have very little time and a very difficult process, I find when I’m sleep-deprived, I am my most honest self, to my art and to myself. So I find if I don’t sleep for about 40 hours, I will open up a part of my brain that can take all this in at face value and accept it. Accept it as fact, so I can then act it as if it were fact, even though we all know I’m just fooling you.

    Eric Roberts in a scene from 'My Last Best Friend.'
    Eric Roberts in a scene from ‘My Last Best Friend.’ Photo courtesy Majox Films.

    MF: Have you always worked that way or is that an evolution of your acting process that’s come in recent years?

    ER: I think it’s always been something I’ve done, but I did it instinctively without understanding what I was doing in my early days. Now as a grownup, I understand what I’m doing.

    MF: Can you talk about Walter’s estranged relationship with his son?

    ER: Well, the son is a symbol of the self when it tries to reproduce, to live forever. It just doesn’t work that way. That was a symbol of how that happens, and or doesn’t. So that’s just part of our story, which is a little piece of mankind.

    MF: The movie takes place in the early days of the pandemic, was it emotionally difficult revisiting that time?

    ER: It was so hard. COVID, well, it changed the whole world. I mean, so many people lost their fortunes, lost their business, lost their jobs, all because of COVID. So that became part of it in the movie and around the movie. It became almost like, what, are we doing a movie about current events? Because it was so overlapping. It was so hard for us to shoot but we kept shooting. It was weird, and it was hard. But I had a good leader, once again, I want to really emphasize Filippo, he was dynamite.

    Eric Roberts in a scene from 'My Last Best Friend.'
    Eric Roberts in a scene from ‘My Last Best Friend.’ Photo courtesy Majox Films.

    MF: Can you talk about why you enjoyed working with director Filippo M. Prandi so much?

    ER: Well, you have to remember, every script is his author’s baby. It is his infant that he breathes life into, and then you teach it how to walk and talk. But it’s his infant. So you have to understand that. You can’t say your infant is a mess. You can never do that. Only his infant wasn’t a mess and I liked it. So I allowed him to be my total guide, my mother, and my translator. I allowed that and he lived up to it. I would recommend Filippo to any actor as a director. He’s fantastic. When something is somebody’s baby, you have to trust that they understand what the DNA is made of and that they will guide you properly. When it happens, it happens incredibly well. As I believe it happened with this movie.

    MF: Speaking of directors, what was your experience like working with Christopher Nolan on ‘The Dark Knight’?

    ER: Well, let me tell you, my favorite note I’ve ever gotten from a director on set was in that movie from Chris Nolan. I was doing a scene in a restaurant, and I have a very funny line at the end of the scene. I say the line and Chris Nolan calls, “Cut.” Really loud. He goes, “Eric, don’t be funny.” Okay, so I wasn’t funny. But it’s my favorite note. Oh, he’s a lovely man. A sweetie pie. He knows what he wants, when he wants it, and how he wants it. You can make up a question, and he’ll have a real answer. He’s a genius. That’s an overused and abused word that has no meaning anymore. But he is one of those. Also, Our cinematographer was incredible, Wally Pfister. Look at that movie visually. It’s incredible.

    Heath Ledger as the Joker in 'The Dark Knight.'
    Heath Ledger as the Joker in ‘The Dark Knight.’ Photo: Warner Bros.

    MF: You have an unforgettable scene at the beginning of that movie where the Joker confronts your character, Sal Maroni and the other gangsters. What was it like shooting that scene and working with Heath Ledger?

    ER: Heath was a joy. He was really sweet, really kind, really considerate. In fact, when he walked on the set that day, we had a quick run through of lines, and it’s a two-page monologue he’s got. He went through the monologue and he stopped. He turned and he looked at the table and he said, “How am I doing?” I said, “You’re doing great, dude.” He was likable, and he was approachable. He was lovely and it’s a big loss.

    MF: You also got to work with director Paul Thomas Anderson on ‘Inherent Vice.’ What was that experience like for you?

    ER: Paul Thomas Anderson is very specific and he’s very quiet. Be prepared for a long day, even if you have no dialogue, because all his days are long. He’s wonderfully specific, you know exactly what he wants when he turns the camera on, which is a joy to have.

    MF: Is it helpful as an actor to work with a director who is that specific?

    ER: Well, it can be A or it can be Z. It all depends on the project and the character. It all depends on your relationship with the director through that character. So it all depends on a lot of stuff. But for the most part, it’s great to have a boss who knows why he’s the boss. “I want this from you.” You say, “You got it, boss.”

    Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather.'
    Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in ‘The Godfather.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.

    MF: Finally, can you confirm or deny something for us? There has been a long standing rumor that in the late 70’s or early 80’s, Paramount Pictures was considering doing an unmade version of ‘The Godfather Part III’ without Francis Ford Coppola that would have seen you starring as an adult version of Michael Corleone’s son, Anthony? Is that true?

    ER: I heard about it, like you heard about it. “Oh really? Wow. Is that true? Am I being considered for that? How cool is that?” So I don’t know. But supposedly, yes. Who knows?

    Eric Roberts in a scene from 'My Last Best Friend.'
    Eric Roberts in a scene from ‘My Last Best Friend.’ Photo courtesy Majox Films.

    Other Movies Featuring Eric Roberts:

    Buy Eric Roberts Movies On Amazon

  • Movie Review: ‘Babylon’

    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Debuting in theaters on December 23rd, ‘Babylon’ is the latest film from Damien Chazelle, the writer-director of ‘Whiplash’ and ‘La La Land’. Unfortunately, it is also his weakest effort, though not for lack of ambition and scale.

    Starting, perhaps as it means to go on with a desire for shock and even a metaphor for what happens to many of the characters in the movie, ‘Babylon’ features an elephant defecating noisily and filthily across an unfortunate man helping to push the truck it is riding in up a hill, the result also splattering the camera.

    The animal is on its way to be the star attraction a lavish Hollywood bash being held in the hills, and one of the people helping to get it there is Manny Torres (Diego Calva), who fortunately avoids being covered in Proboscidea poop.

    He ends up hired to help out at the party and has his first experience of roaring ‘20s Hollywood––or at least its decadent, wild excessive side––where sweaty, near-naked crowds writhe in time to jazz music. Drugs and booze are in free supply, all thanks to the host, veteran actor Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) who shows up with his latest soon-to-be-ex-wife, played in a brief scene by Olivia Wilde.

    Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Looking to gatecrash is Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an ambitious young woman convinced she has untapped star power, and who ends up scoring a lucky break, setting her star on the rise as Jack starts to see his own begin to fall.

    Manny––who befriends Nellie––is captivated by the idea of working in Hollywood, and sees his own prospects enhanced when one of Jack’s team asks him to make sure the sozzled actor gets home safely. From there, Manny works his way up the ranks, his good ideas for movies helping boost his career in the fictional film studio of the story.

    ‘Babylon’ is primarily the story of Manny, Nellie and Jack, with some attention paid to jazz musician Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), who will carve his own path out in the entertainment industry, performer Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li), and gossip columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart).

    The characters’ arcs weave in and out of each other, as Nellie becomes more and more famous (while her gambling habits and other addictions catch up to her) and Chazelle roams from party to party, interspersed by scenes where movies are made.

    Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    Around them, Hollywood begins to evolve from the silent era to the age of talkies, and from rough-and-ready shooting in the desert to cavernous soundstages.

    Robbie is particularly vibrant in the film, finding different layers to her character as she moves through the business, and is convincing at every step. Whether she’s conniving to get her name in lights, or overhearing people talking her down, this is further proof that she’s one of the best working at the moment. Pitt, meanwhile, commits to the easy charm of Conrad, whose career is on the wane as audiences don’t warm to him once talking pictures come along.

    Calva, who is probably best known to American audiences from ‘Narcos: Mexico’, is something of a revelation, a soulful presence in the movie who worries that his soul is tainted as he climbs the executive ranks and then has to help Nellie out of her money problems.

    Smart, whose gossip hound flits in and out of the story, is particularly strong, though she’s not often on screen for more than a minute or so. But her big scene with Jack, where she explains his downward slide, is a highlight. Li, meanwhile, who is also largely on the sidelines, makes the most of her role.

    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    And there are certainly elements to recommend here: in some scenes, ‘Babylon’ has a pleasing level of comedy, especially when director Ruth Adler (Olivia Hamilton) and Nellie are trying to shoot a scene in the early sound era, where mic positions, concerns over volume and particularly an overheating cameraman, provide memorable laughs.

    A stacked cameo cast largely exists for the audience to play Spot The Actor, with the likes of Eric Roberts, Max Minghella (playing Irving Thalberg, one of the few actual Hollywood legends in the mostly fictionalized movie), Katherine Waterston, Lukas Haas, Flea and Samara Weaving all showing up at different times.

    Chazelle unfortunately loses focuses when it comes to the theme of the film, though. Certainly, there is plenty to be mined from the idea of Hollywood and this time, but ‘Babylon’, for all its length and intertwined stories, merely scrapes the surface. The concept that the entertainment industry is a place for excess and fraught with problems for those who seek stardom is hardly a fresh one, and the movie has little to say that is new or interesting.

    This is much bigger than his previous efforts, but it soon becomes ungainly, and is loaded down with flabby scenes that add little. Even a crazed moment for Calva, where he’s seeking financial help from the distinctly dodgy James McKay, played by Tobey Maguire, which takes in freaks, torture implements and an alligator, feels like it could easily be lost in the service of reducing the movie’s overinflated running time.

    Tobey Maguire plays James McKay in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Tobey Maguire plays James McKay in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    The less said about the final montage that wraps up the movie, the better, to be honest. It’s meant to celebrate the movies but ends up an embarrassingly amateur example, cramming in easy highpoints and coming across as something out of a film school offering.

    Given that he’s been planning and writing the movie in his head for around 15 years, we’re sorry to report that Chazelle has fumbled this one. ‘Babylon’ is not without its charms and some diversion, but beyond the main cast’s appeal, it is a lot of sound and fury, signifying––not nothing––but not much.

    ‘Babylon’ receives 2.5 out of 5 stars.

    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
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  • ‘Babylon’ Interview: Writer and Director Damien Chazelle

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    Opening in theaters on December 23rd is the new film from Academy Award-winning writer and director Damien Chazelle (‘Whiplash,’ ‘La La Land’) entitled ‘Babylon.’

    The new movie follows the rise and fall of a group of characters during Hollywood’s transition from silent film to talkies in the 1920s.

    The incredible all-star cast includes Oscar-winner Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, Tobey Maguire, Lukas Haas, Max Minghella, Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde, Spike Jonze, Flea, Jeff Garlin, Eric Roberts, Chloe Fineman, Ethan Suplee, and Lewis Tan.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with writer and director Damien Chazelle to talk about his work on ‘Babylon,’ what audiences can expect from the new movie, why he was interested in this point in Hollywood’s history, casting Pitt and Robbie, and the importance of music in his films.

    'Babylon' writer and director Damien Chazelle.
    ‘Babylon’ writer and director Damien Chazelle.

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Chazelle, as well as actors Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li.

    Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to moviegoers getting ready to sit down and watch this film to prepare them for the experience they’re about to have?

    Damien Chazelle: That’s a good question. I would say just to prepare yourself for a wild ride. It’s not the kind of movie about older Hollywood that I think anyone is expecting. It’s shocking, it’s wild, it’s crazy, it’s a roller coaster ride, it’s an adventure, and it’s a party. I would say to go in with that in mind.

    But beyond that, I don’t know, I wouldn’t say much. I think ultimately I made this movie for audiences, for them to have an experience. I think whatever mindset you’re in when you sit down in the theater for this movie, it will sweep you up and it’s going to take you for a ride whether you want to or not.

    MF: What was it about this era in Hollywood’s history, the period moving from silent films to talkies, that really fascinated you and what were some of the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?

    DC: Well, a lot of it had to do with just how unhinged the society was at that time. I just hadn’t realized the extent to which people at that time partied, how hard they lived, how hard they worked, and how recklessly and transgressively they operated. It was this circus atmosphere that I think in many ways got lost once Hollywood became a little more sanitized and regulated, and became more of a corporate industry.

    The Hollywood in this movie is right before that. It’s the last gasp of the wild West of early Hollywood when it was still unregulated. It was like people pitching a tent in the desert and making their movies, and doing them the way they wanted to. There was just this manic, hysterical atmosphere where anything went. That was key to try to capture that and take that as far as it went.

    Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    MF: Can you talk about casting and working with Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie?

    DC: It was amazing. As a director, it’s a dream come true. They’re such seasoned actors so, yes, on the one hand, you’re getting these larger-than-life movie stars, and they’re playing larger-than-life movie stars in the movie, so that’s kind of perfect. But they’re also just real thespians.

    They deliver. They know how to craft performances that move you and make you laugh and cry and break your heart. They take you on a ride. I think they help ground this movie and make it human, so that even at its most excessive, larger-than-life, outrageous, shocking moments, you still feel a beating heart underneath. That’s thanks to them, I think, and the rest of the cast.

    MF: Margot has a scene in the movie where her character has to cry on cue. Did she actually do that on set, or did you have to enhance it in post?

    DC: That is Margot! Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to shoot it. You can’t CG that!

    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    MF: Finally, can you talk about Justin Hurwitz’s music for the film and the importance of music in all your movies?

    DC: Music comes early on for me. I work with the same composer, Justin Hurwitz, for all my movies. We’ve worked together since college. We have a shorthand at this point. As soon as I have a script, I hand it to him, and he starts working on the music.

    By the time I’m shooting, I’ve got a lot of the music already in place. We can play it on set and we can set the mood with it. We can have the actors dancing to it and thinking about it, and just letting it seep into their body. You get a sense of what the tone is right away. That’s really important to me, and especially with this movie. I knew I needed a very specific tone and a specific kind of energy and pulse, and that’s what the music provides.

    Director Damien Chazelle on the set of 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Director Damien Chazelle on the set of ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
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  • New Trailer and Photos From Damien Chazelle’s ‘Babylon’

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    Damien Chazelle is no stranger to either star power or turning back the clock to look at historical figures. He’s made Los Angeles, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone sing and dance in ‘La La Land’ and chronicled some of legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong’s life in ‘First Man’.

    But for ‘Babylon’, Chazelle is thinking even bigger. He’s got Hollywood on his mind, and more specifically the 1920s, a pivotal time for both the movie industry and the city most identified with it.

    At this point, Los Angeles is expanding rapidly, an infusion of money and people arriving, the latter on the hunt for wealth and fame.

    Movies, and the performers who star in them, are making the difficult transition from the silent era to talkies, with some careers on the rise and some on the wane. It’s an idea that Chazelle – who won the Best Director Oscar for ‘La La Land’, but saw Best Picture go instead to ‘Moonlight’ during one of the biggest Oscar night surprise moments back in 2017 – has been percolating in his head for at least 15 years, ever since he moved to Los Angeles with his own dreams of success.

    “The basic idea was just to do a big, epic, multi-character movie, set in these early days of Los Angeles and Hollywood, when both of these things were coming into what we now think of them as,” he tells Vanity Fair. “I kept putting it off, because it was just a little too massive.”

    But with the likes of ‘Whiplash’, ‘La La Land’ and ‘First Man’ under his belt, he finally felt ready to tackle the giant movie he’d been making in his brain for years.

    Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.

    And he’s recruited quite the star cast, with Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and relative newcomer Diego Calva, leading a sprawling ensemble that also includes Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, P.J. Byrne, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Tobey Maguire, Max Minghella, Rory Scovel, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Jeff Garlin, Eric Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Samara Weaving and Olivia Wilde.

    For the most part, the cast are playing fictional folk, albeit based on real movie stars of the time. Minghella is one of the exceptions, playing powerhouse producer Irving Thalberg.

    Pitt’s hard-partying Jack Conrad, for example, has echoes of Clark Gable, and Douglas Fairbanks. “He’s reaching a point in his life in his career where he’s starting to look back and starting to wonder what’s ahead,” says Chazelle of the character.

    Robbie, meanwhile, is Nellie LaRoy, burning with ambition and energy, who is the Clara Bow or Joan Crawford of the story. And Chazelle sees her as a good fit for the person playing her: “Margot as a person has this— it’s a very Australian sort of thing—brash, bold, hungry kind of edge to her that she was really able to tap into and do a lot of really fun things with.”

    And then there’s Calva, playing Manny Torres, a Mexican immigrant who is a wide-eyed newcomer to the world and serves as the audience’s POV.

    We’re promised wild, lavish parties, scandals and more when ‘Babylon’ opens in theaters on December 25th.

    Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Diego Calva plays Manny Torres and Jean Smart plays Elinor St. John in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Diego Calva plays Manny Torres and Jean Smart plays Elinor St. John in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Li Jun Li plays Lady Fay Zhu in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Li Jun Li plays Lady Fay Zhu in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Lukas Haas plays George Munn and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    (L to R) Lukas Haas plays George Munn and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Tobey Maguire plays James McKay in 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Tobey Maguire plays James McKay in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
    Director Damien Chazelle on the set of 'Babylon' from Paramount Pictures.
    Director Damien Chazelle on the set of ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
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