Hitmaker Christina Aguilera has had a number of notable career accomplishments and it doesn't seem like she's anywhere close to being finished achieving more. While she had notable influence during the 1990s, a number of her most recent accomplishments seem to be forgotten, but 2010's Burlesque definitely hasn't been. But not necessarily because Christina's fans think the showgirl spectacle was a great movie. Instead, the on-set clashes and behind-the-scenes drama seem to be what makes this specific part of Christina's career memorable.
However, the Christina and Cher-led movie musical has built a major cult audience over the years and remains an inspiration for drag queen events and even viral internet moments, according to a revealing article by Entertainment Weekly. The movie, which also starred Stanley Tucci and Kristen Bell, was the brainchild of writer/director Steven Antin who told Entertainment Weekly the true origin of this unique moment in Christina Aguilera's epic career...
Hollywood's Iconic Viper Room Was The Setting For What Ultimately Inspired Burlesque
It's not uncommon for art to be directly inspired by real-life. In the case of Burlquese, this seems to be fact. At least, according to the movie's writer and director.
"My sister, Robin Antin, had a show that she created at the Viper Room [for] the Pussycat Dolls," Burlesque's writer and director Steven Antin said to Entertainment Weekly. "They were becoming a popular thing, so she decided to do a bigger show at the Roxy. It was still the early days of the Pussycat Dolls, before they were a pop group. I wrote a story for her show that loosely weaved together their musical numbers. The show exploded. My sister was getting all these celebs to appear as guest performers. I got some cameras and shot the show over a few nights and edited together a little movie. That was the genesis."
Steven's collaboration with his sister caught the attention of Screen Gems studio president, Clint Culpepper. But Clint didn't really know what to do with Steven and the topic he was interested in exploring in a feature film format... That is until Christina Aguleria's agent rang up...
"One day I was on the set of a movie [and] Christina’s agent called, saying they’d had a big meeting with her and that she wanted to do a movie," Clint Culpepper told Entertainment Weekly. "They thought I might have something, and I smiled and told them I might. I called Steven [and told him] it was a sign he should make this movie. Steven started to write it and it snowballed from there. We started on the script right away!"
Prior to this phone call, Steven Antin, and his producing partner Joe Voci, had been shopping the idea around to a number of different movie studios and even television networks.
"We had a detailed outline, but it was really broad, and more of a comedy, like the old Beatles movies," Clint described. "Clint always loved the idea of doing a more grounded Burlesque musical in a nightclub, not a broad comedy, and he pushed me to write the script. He believed in the project, but I just couldn’t get my head wrapped around a story that I thought worked. So, Clint and I wrote an outline together, then started writing the script. The simple idea was to set it in a small burlesque club: A girl escaping her life shows up with a big voice."
Clint and Steven ended up creating a script that was influenced by the musicals of the 1940s. Ultimately, this feeling really came through upon the execution of the film.
"I wanted a modern take on burlesque with a retro feel and a nod to its history and origins," Burlesaque's costume designer Michael Kaplan said. "Naughtiness without being crass! There’s a bit of the Crazy Horse Saloon in Paris, the musical Cabaret, as well as the '60s TV show Hullabaloo as well as the Follies Bergère."
Christina Changed The Script
It's not uncommon for a major star to demand script changes or alterations when coming onto a project. In fact, the script for Burlesque went through multiple iterations with the help of a series of major writers such as Susannah Grant, Diablo Cody, and John Patrick Shanley. However, Steven and Clint were most interested in making sure Christina was happy with the script. After all, they really wanted her to bring the project to life.
"I actually shot the show that Christina Aguilera did with the Pussycat Dolls [years prior], but I didn’t get to know her then," Steven explained. "A few years after, we sent her the script for Burlesque. I saw her at a party and approached her. She was sweet and said she knew about the script, but hadn’t read it yet. She finally read it and agreed to a meeting."
It was at this meeting that Christina made it clear that she wanted her character to be more active and therefore wanted a few changes to the script.
"I wanted to make sure Burlesque felt right before confirming, so it was important to meet Steven in person," Christina Aguilera told Entertainment Weekly. "His warm and genuine nature encouraged me to confirm, along with him interweaving so many pieces of my love for Etta James [into the script], knowing my personal passion for Burlesque [on] my Back to Basics album, and also [with me having] performed in the original Pussycat Dolls stage show at the Roxy."
As soon as Christina saw that she and Steven were on the same page, she knew that this was the next step in her varied and impressive career. The rest is history.