David O. Russell and Christian Bale both had a hand in creating Amsterdam (2022 movie) — but how did it all come about?
Amsterdam is a star-studded film about three friends who find themselves at the center of a murder mystery. This all takes place during a pivotal moment of history. But how did David O. Russell and Christian Bale come up with the idea? They revealed all in a recent interview.
How David O. Russell & Christian Bale Created Amsterdam
David O. Russell and Christian Bale came up with the idea for Amsterdam and met weekly in a diner for years to put it all together. Director / Writer / Producer David O. Russell admits that he and Christian Bale had a lot of fun coming up with the idea for the film. David explains “We met in a diner over the course of five years. Margot [Robbie] joined in maybe three or four of those years — and other people joined in over those years as part of the conversation.”
“Part of the reason why we loved getting together at a diner every week for five years, is because we liked focusing obsessively on a story. As many artists I’ve met has liked to say, isn’t it fun to live in a story that you’re either reading to your child or reading with your friends or your mates and sharing it? And so we were creating a story we were sharing obsessively. That is my Amsterdam as a storyteller. I’m so happy when I’m living in a story that I’m creating or work of art I’m making.”
He adds that he and Christian were very interested in creating original characters that they would want to hang out with in real life. Characters that Christian would love to play, and that David would love to be around. The whole plan was to make them original, and unlike anything ever seen before. David says he will cherish those moments in the diner forever.
When it comes to the actual story of Amsterdam, the pair wanted to make something epic. Something that would be fun and inspiring to follow along with, and also shine a light on some history that many people simply do not know.
David O. Russell goes on to explain that as a writer, he is used to working alone. After being alone for 30 years of writing, it was a nice change of pace to be able to bring in a friend, colleague, and collaborator for Amsterdam. Christian and David great this story together.
Christian gives David a lot of the props for it, however. “I was involved with it for five, six years. But I feel like this is your entire life, you’ve been working up to doing this. The wisdom of how to deal with adversity. The absolute love of people who deal with pain and suffering in their lives with optimism and hope. Not becoming broken by life, etcetera. I was just delighted and have so much gratitude to David for inviting me along for this epic journey.”
Margot Robbie says that this is the longest she has ever had to prepare for a character — and even jokes that perhaps it was too long. David O. Russell was very collaborative in speaking with her about her character, which she appreciates. Margot laughs that her husband told her that maybe she was going too deep into her character, Valerie. The story itself took a long time to come together, but add in the pandemic and she had years to prep her role.
Check out the amazing cast and the final product of Amsterdam with it hits theaters October 7th.
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About Amsterdam
Three close friends find themselves at the center of one of the most secret plots in American history.
Amsterdam hits theaters on October 7th.
Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. On Camera personality and TV / Film Critic with 10+ years of experience in video editing, writing, editing, moderating, and hosting.