‘Babygirl’ Filmmaker Halina Reijn Teases Next Film for A24: ‘Themes of Violence, Masculinity’

Halina Reijn is clearly in the A24 business. The Dutch actress-turned-director made her English-language feature debut for the studio with 2022’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies” starring Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, and Myha’la and also re-teamed with them for the recently released erotic thriller “Babygirl.” As per Variety, Reijn is working on the script for her next project and, while on the red carpet at the Palms Spring International Film Awards, suggested A24 may be involved once again.

“I’m obsessed with them. I feel they’re like a cult. You can’t just get out of it,” Reijn told IndieWire’s Vincent Perella while on the Golden Globes red carpet. In teasing details for the project, she added, “I think it’s going to be really different. I like to go into themes of violence, masculinity.”

Reijn was in attendance at the Globes to support “Babygirl” nominee Nicole Kidman, who last year received the Volpi Cup for Best Actress following the film’s premiere at Venice Film Festival. Kidman’s co-star Harris Dickinson has also been earning a lot of attention for his performance, particularly online, where videos of him dancing to George Michael’s “Father Figure” for Kidman’s character have been going viral.

“I already knew I wanted that in the movie before I started writing,” said Reijn to IndieWire. “And then I sent it to Harris once I wrote the script and we cast him and he loved the song. He had never heard it and he really loved it and then I just said, ‘Nicole’s gonna sit in a chair and you are going to be dancing and just do it in a way where it can be sensual, but it should also be vulnerable. Like show that you’re a little nervous, that it’s a little awkward,’ and I think that is what makes it so hot if I may say.”

Similarly, for a scene that involved Kidman drinking milk and getting on all fours, Reijn tried to tap into unexpected inspirations to bring her actress to the right place.

“I just said, ‘I want you to be like a cat, like exactly how a cat would do it,'” she said. “‘Don’t think about being sexy, don’t think about any of that, just be an animal.’”

Even if she wasn’t thinking about making it sexy, Kidman still found a way to, making her risqué Christmas affair an unexpected holiday hit. It has already earned over $16 million against its $20 million budget and is only in its second weekend in theaters.

Dick Clark Productions, which owns and produces the Golden Globes, is a Penske Media company. PMC is also IndieWire’s parent company.

“Babygirl” is currently in theaters from A24.