‘Carmen’: Director Benjamin Millepied Talks Working With Paul Mescal & Melissa Barrera In His New Romantic Musical Drama [Interview]

Benjamin Millepied is best known for his work as a dancer and choreographer, from joining the New York City Ballet in the mid-90s to director of the Paris Opera Ballet, the choreographer for 2010’s “Black Swan,” and the mind behind the choreographed “sidewalk” in “Dune.” Now, in his directorial debut, he marries dance and theater with film in “Carmen,” a modern-day retelling of the classic opera of the same name.

Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, and Rossy de Palma star with a score from composer Nicholas Britell. The film made its premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival. We spoke with Millepied about what led to shooting the film in Australia, working with Britell, and finding the right performers for the lead roles.

What initially drew you to the project, and how long was the process to get it up and going?
It was a very long process to get it up and going. It’s my first film, and it’s a film that I wanted to make with a certain amount of freedom which is really hard in this business, especially for the first time. “Carmen” interested me for many reasons, like the idea of reinventing a classical story, the freedom of this character she embodies, and her fearlessness, courage, and someone who sincerely knows who they are. And then how it relates to life is magical and magical through her connection to her mother and Masilda (Rossy de Palma).

You mentioned this being your first film. Before looking for stories that appealed to you, did you know you wanted the project to be musical?
Yes, definitely. And I wanted to use the opportunity to have Nicolas Britell write a score that was also freeing for him. To have this sort of sound landscape where the pieces are heard from beginning to end and not cut and paste, to be able to unleash the music.

When did you start working with Nicholas Britell on the project?
About 2010, we started talking about music and movies, and I think he might’ve started writing music for the film in 2017 or 2018. Maybe I’m wrong, and I’m exaggerating, but it was definitely 2018 or 2019 when I heard the first tracks.

With how long the writing process was, were there a lot of different versions of what the film would look like?
The first time I asked someone to work on it, they thought it needed to be set in a place and time when society felt like it was falling apart. Since I was living in the U.S. and living in L.A. I decided to adapt it to the Mexican border because that was a part of my life and a part of what was called the emotional and intellectual environment. I was living in L.A. and seeing immigrants and seeing immigrants without papers and having this paradox of this country that is so corrupt in so many ways and has such dark stories on a daily basis that we don’t want to face. And how immigrants are taken care of and dealt with is really dark.

After locking down the story, what was the casting process like? For a movie that almost requires a triple threat as the lead is part of that casting process, from the singing or dancing you find most important? Because I don’t think Paul Mescal was known for dancing before this.
No, no, and I wasn’t worried about that because I could see that he was a physical actor, and I didn’t want my Aidan to be this guy who could suddenly dance fluidly and flawlessly like a dancer. It needed to be a marine who could dance. And then for Carmen’s character, she really needed to be able to sing and dance and act, and I wanted her to be a Mexican actress. Essentially I looked for her, and Melissa Barrera was on “So You Think You Can Dance” in Mexico and was just cast in “Vida,” so she was starting out.

I know you shot the film in Australia; what led to that decision?
Well, that was the circumstance because I scouted Mexico, and still, with the money we had to make the film, I had such a tight schedule, and it was really scary – it was under 30 days in Mexico. When COVID hit, we had the opportunity to go to Australia since [editor’s note: his wife], Natalie [Portman], was making a film there, and I realized I could potentially make a film there. It was a huge tax credit in Australia. So we ended up shooting in Australia for that reason, but COVID led us there.

“Carmen” is in theaters now via Sony Pictures Classics.