'Babylon' director addresses Emma Stone dropping out of the role that went to Margot Robbie: 'It's hard to imagine anyone else doing the role'

• Damien Chazelle spoke to Insider about casting his 1920s epic, "Babylon."
• The director explained that he originally wanted Emma Stone to play Nellie LaRoy.

Damien Chazelle's wild 1920s epic "Babylon" looks at how Hollywood shifted from silent movies to traditional sound pictures, while also showing off the debauchery and chaos that went on behind the scenes.

One of the key figures is Margot Robbie's Nellie LaRoy, a dreamer who just wants to make it big.

And while the bulk of the film revolves around Nellie's relationship with Manny (Diego Calva), it almost looked very different because Chazelle initially cast Emma Stone to play the up-and-coming star.

Chazelle recently spoke to Insider ahead of the UK release of "Babylon" Friday, and explained that he originally cast Stone in the film, which would've reunited them for the first time since "La La Land," but she had to drop out because of a scheduling conflict.

The director said: "I mean with Margot [Robbie], initially it was Emma Stone, and then scheduling changed. But outside of Emma or Margot, it's hard to imagine anyone else doing the role."

"And certainly now that I see Margot and the role, it's hard to imagine anyone other than her doing it. So I think things happen for a reason," Chazelle added.

Chazelle also praised Brad Pitt for sticking with "Babylon" even when the film had to halt production.

"With Brad, he was the first one attached to the project [and] stuck with it even when we had to shut down and wait for a while to shoot. It's hard to imagine many other people other than him doing his role," the director said.

The "Whiplash," "La La Land," and "First Man" director pointed out that there's a lot of luck involved with getting actors on board, adding: "So, it's a lot of luck that comes in. That's the sort of under-reported aspect of moviemaking where sometimes the stars — forgive the pun — have to align."

Chazelle also spoke to Insider about the underwhelming critical reaction to the movie, noting that he "knew the movie was gonna ruffle some feathers and get some people mad, and I think that's good. More movies should do that."

—Insider Entertainment (@insiderent) January 16, 2023

"But it's good to have something that stimulates conversation and debate and a lot of fierce opinions on either side," Chazelle said.

"Babylon" is in theaters now in the US and UK.