McKinnon has described her character as a closet liberal and closet gay woman. Her presence allows Bombshell to point out that Fox News is a more complicated place than its broadcasts might make it seem. Then we'll see what happens.'" "Bombshell" takes down Roger Ailes, but some audiences don - Salon Pospisil is also one of Ailes' victims. Kayla is a young producer whos self-described as an evangelical millennial. Everything from her golden cross necklace to her immaculate, blonde blowout is supposed to emulate the kind of woman Fox News is known for putting front and center. 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 . It is painful to watch. The objective: to ensure the films balance of levity and gravity in which strong female characters are shown accepting a baseline level of sexual degradation and coarse behavior to get ahead in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of cable news wouldnt turn off viewers. Whos Going to the Met Gala Dressed as Karl Lagerfelds Cat? Perhaps one of the most infamous moments in the film arrives when Megyn Kelly isquestioning then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2015 on Fox News. 1 segundo ago. Left: Megyn Kelly. But "Bombshell" leaves the circumstances around her mystery illness intentionally vague. Slate is published by The Slate ", The film shows a competitive work environment at Fox News for female anchors and producers, many of whom rarely spoke or befriended each other. "What happens inside of Roger's office is based on the stories of three women we had access to," Randolph says. 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. Photos by Hilary Bronwyn Gayle SMPSP/Lionsgate and Andrew Toth/Getty Images. Right: Charlize Theron portraying Kelly in, Left: Gretchen Carlson. "Roger said, 'How dare you have a cup of coffee from a guy you don't know. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Viewers of the film may wonder if the victims felt represented correctly. She also begins a sexual relationship with another woman (Kate McKinnon) on O'Reilly's staff. "Each hair is hand-tied one by one," hairstylist Anne Morgan told the Washington Post, explaining the level of care and labor that went into them. Megyn's story is the story of someone who comes to discover she is complicit by virtue of the institutional norms and her ability to manipulate them in the predation of a younger generation of women. While we represen, Major spoilers ahead. The Obama-Springsteen friendship continues on. What are you, crazy?' .css-gk9meg{display:block;font-family:Lausanne,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;padding-top:0.25rem;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-gk9meg:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.15;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.625rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 73.75rem){.css-gk9meg{font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.2;}}The Best, Craziest, Weirdest Moments From Cannes, Celebrities Who've Shaved Their Heads for Roles, 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Is Finally Streaming, 'Guardians of the Galaxy 3' Sticks the Landing, Damon Lindelof Was 'Asked to Leave' Star Wars, Christopher Nolan Is Hyping Up 'Oppenheimer', Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke Are a Great Cowboy Match, Seeing Hugh Grant's Oompa Loompa Will Break Me, 'The Flash' Just Debuted Another Massive Trailer, 13 Great Movies That Were Booed at Cannes. Camerota, in between inappropriate advances from Ailes, was promoted and began anchoring shortly after joining Fox News. Sure. 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. The initial allegation of misconduct came from a Ailes biography in 2014, "The Loudest Voice in the Room" by Gabriel Sherman. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. It is through Kayla that the horrors and humiliations of sexual harassment are brought to the films screen. March 20, 2023 did kayla pospisil sleep with roger did kayla pospisil sleep with roger (The sons, it must be said, arent quite as handsome in real life as the movie makes them out to be.). 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." As in the movie, Kelly really was violently ill that day, and she really did have to contend with competing agendas from Ailes and Rupert Murdoch, owner of the companys corporate parent, over how hard to question Trump. Margot Robbie's character Kayla Pospisil is not a real . Murdochs sons, Lachlan and James, are played by real-life brothers, Ben and Josh Lawson, respectively. Both involve Margot Robbie, whose role is small here but pivotal and terrific. This week, Tom and Shiv get it on. Kayla, though, suggests the limitations of the simulacrum. 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. So, progress? leading the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, accused of sexual harassment by more than 20 women, Charlize Theron transforms into Megyn Kelly, blasts the Fox News patriarchy in 'Bombshell', Gretchen Carlson calls for change on big 'Bombshell' day, Megyn Kelly approves of Charlize Theron's 'Bombshell' casting. 'Let's start by killing her in the ratings. Fact Versus Fiction: How 'Bombshell' Tells the Truth About Sexual Assault A timeline of Justin Bieber, Hailey Bieber, and Selena Gomezs love triangle. 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.". She pulls the dress up higher, her hands trembling, until her underwear is exposed. 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. A scene with Kayla and Megyn displays a case of victim shaming from Kayla with her placing the blame on Megyn for her own assault because she did not speak out. All rights reserved. Kayla is no more and no less than what Bombshell tells us she is. Within the first few mom, My expectations for this years Oscar Awards were low. Bombshell portrays him as a complex character: a Machiavellian, tantrum-prone blob with a quiet but pronounced paternal streak that he could weaponize to sexually exploit female employees. I watched the entire season of Showtimes The Loudest Voice, and we have all been living the last four years of Donald Trump, so its hard to imagine that Jay Roachs Bombshell has any lessons worth imparting that we dont already know. Bombshell Kayla Pospisil Is Based On Many Real People - Refinery29 As the movie illustrates, Trumps presidential candidacy proved to be a point of contention for Rupert Murdoch and Ailes. Terms of Service apply. Photo illustration by Slate. Played by Connie Britton in the movie, Ailes wife, Beth, was by his side throughout the scandal, reportedly taking it just as personally as he did. This fabricated moment was addressed in the Kelly panel by former "Fox News Live" associate producer Julie Zann: "This is shameful because it is unfactual it is victim shaming this is sending the wrong message.". He listens for a moment. But in terms of the sexual assault case that drives Pospisil's arc forward, the character was created after filmmakers interviewed a number of Fox News staffers who were bound by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Spencer Garrett (Air Force One) portrays conservative talk show host and commentator Sean Hannity. Read on for a full account of whats fair, whats balanced, and whats potentially neither in the movie. The long answer is that Kayla Pospisil is a composite based on a few different accounts from actual people with connections to Fox News. This biography was a point of contention for Ailes, and he had tried to suppress it from being released. 'In the ratings, right?' 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. This incident is shown accurately in the film, down to the specific words used by Wilson. The infamous leg cam mentioned in the movie is reportedly real, and accounts by former employees who tried to speak up about harassment, like Rudi Bakhtiars and Andrea Mackris, were reportedly company lore during Ailes reign. Wed heard how fatherly he could be, jokey, and a good coach. 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. We hear his breathing grow increasingly, discomfitingly labored. And then he gives her an order: Stand up and twirl for me.. 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.". But the main way the film wrestles with the complications of its own story is by eliding them. ", She mentions how the casting of Theron, Kidman and Robbie was clever; viewers will see faces they know and love, and not dig into the potentially problematic nature of the real-life views of Kelly or Carlson. Bombshell is rendered in the style of Vice and The Big Short (its screenwriter, Charles Randolph, also wrote the screenplay for the latter). The black room and the employing of detectives to dig up dirt was real, too. While not allowed to speak on the record about their experience, women instead .css-umdwtv{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:.0625rem;text-decoration-color:#FF3A30;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:background 0.4s;transition:background 0.4s;background:linear-gradient(#ffffff, #ffffff 50%, #d5dbe3 50%, #d5dbe3);-webkit-background-size:100% 200%;background-size:100% 200%;}.css-umdwtv:hover{color:#000000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;-webkit-background-position:100% 100%;background-position:100% 100%;}shared information anonymously, allowing filmmakers the ability to create a character out of their shared experiences. Jay did bring something to it thats specifically male, the writer says. Fiction affords a kind of freedom. (Kelly and Carlson, for instance, only share the screen once in passing in an elevator true to real life, where they worked different shifts and "almost never interacted," Randolph says.). Everything Bombshell Doesn't Tell You About The True Story. This is telling, from an ABC News piece in November 2016: I now know the number of women who were targeted, and its disturbing, she said. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. The "Saturday Night Live" favorite is a scene-stealer as Kayla's savvy co-worker Jess Carr, a closeted lesbian and liberal who has complicated feelings about working at a network that preaches against her values and lifestyle. While we cannot be sure what is true, it appears that the women were not given much freedom in regards to their appearance. Right: Bree Condon in, Left: Jeanine Pirro. 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. Here, too, are wide-ranging tragedies expressed through an aesthetic that verges on cartoonish. The number of women directors in Hollywood is so small, its such an embarrassing statistic, he recalls. "I wanted to show the bystander narrative. In short, Kayla Pospisil isn't based on a singular woman, but rather the accounts of several sexual assault victims. There were good arguments about how disturbing Rogers breathing [should] be. There was no Kayla Pospisil, but Margot Robbie's character represents many others. Connie Britton is Roger's wife Beth Ailes. Its understandable, in some ways, that the character doing that work in the film would be fictional. Left: Sean Hannity. Left: Rupert Murdoch. It was just so clear this was going to be a team effort. Most of these Halloween costumes double as stylish additions to your closet. Rupert Murdoch, the media magnate at the helm of a global empire, is played by veteran actor Malcolm McDowell. Yes and no. Obviously, the blonde hair and characterization lends the character to an obvious comparison to internet-star-turned-conservative pundit, Tomi Lahren. Was Fox News circa 2016 as misogynistic a place as the movie suggest? Roy Wood Jr.s Best Jokes at the 2023 White House Correspondents Dinner. 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." The inclusion of Kayla in the film as a composite allowed these other ex-Fox News workers to have their stories heard. While there have been examples of secret liberals within the walls of Fox News over the years, no one of her specific profilea lesbian who supports Hillary Clinton and works for OReillywas part of any of the reporting surrounding the Ailes scandal. My colleague Conor Friedersdorf, writing after the publication of the Babe.net report about an unnamed womans sexual experience with Aziz Ansari and the New Yorker story Cat Person, argued that fiction can be functional. Right: John Lithgow in, Left: Douglas Brunt. Finally, she complies, as the interaction she had thought was a job interview congeals into something else. It is primary-colored and stylized and dizzying. John Lithgow as Roger Ailes is in the bunch, sporting a heavy dose of prosthetics. About two-thirds of the way through the ripped-from-the-headlines drama, Bombshells cringiest scene unfolds: a sequence of events that begins with the words Stand up and give me a twirl and culminates in humiliation. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This woman's career was controlled by Ailes and she had no way of stopping it. Much of what the movie tells us about him is backed up by accounts of the scandal. All rights reserved. Left: Greta Van Susteren. *Sorry, there was a problem signing you up. The long sweep of America has been defined by forward motion, President Obama said in his farewell speech three years ago. Happy twelfth wedding anniversary to the Prince and Princess of Wales. The film was directed by Jay Roach ("Trumbo") and written by Charles Randolph ("The Big Short"), who breaks down what's fact, fiction and somewhere in between. If you wanted to be a Republican public intellectual, all avenues went through Roger Ailes' office, and that mattered in terms of his ability to prey on young people who hadaspirations. Bombshell nods to that tension. ADVERTISEMENT Theron plays Megyn Kelly, Kidman plays Gretchen Carlson and Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil. Margot Robbie plays a fictitious news producer named Kayla Pospisil. Idon't have anything.". We learn that this is a rule enforced by Ailes and it was a bigger issue than explored in the film. She is the one who is capable of breaking the movies fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience. 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. 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. Margot Robbie's character, a young and ambitious associate producer named Kayla Pospisil, is a composite character based on the stories of dozens of real women. Shes beautiful, devout (to God. Megyn Kelly says she did 'twirl' before Roger Ailes, too - AP NEWS Why is Fox News being sued again over alleged sexual harassment? Bollywoods silver-screen darling is both at the top of her game and just getting started. The scene mostly works because who is not going to love pillow talk between a closeted lesbian played by Margot Robbie and a closeted Democrat played by Kate McKinnon (also, its impossible not to think of Bari Weiss at this moment). Kayla is devastated that Ailes pressured her, that she gave in to the pressure, and that people know about it, and when Kelly asks Kayla to come forward, Megyn uses that empathy tool that journalists often use to elicit cooperation. -Smart Writers & Smart Content & Smart Readers-mclennan county indictments 2020 Geral mclennan county indictments 2020.
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