Cailee Spaeny names her favourite movies of all time
Just a few short years after making her feature film debut battling giant monsters inside giant robots alongside John Boyega in Pacific Rim: Uprising, Cailee Spaeny has done nothing but solidify her position as one of the fastest-rising and talented young stars in Hollywood.
In addition to lending support in a variety of acclaimed movies in various genres, including Bad Times at the El Royale, On the Basis of Sex, and Vice, her upward trajectory will continue with major roles in Alex Garland’s hotly-anticipated Civil War and the lead role in Fede Álvarez’s newest addition to the Alien franchise.
Even on the small screen, Spaeny was a key part of Garland’s existential episodic sci-fi Devs and won strong notices as teenage single mother, Erin McMenamin in Mare of Easttown. All that, and she’s secured a Golden Globe nomination for ‘Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama’ for her incredible performance in Priscilla and may yet go on to find similar success at the upcoming Academy Awards.
There’s a wise head on those young shoulders, then, but when pressed by Letterboxd to name her four favourite movies of all time, Spaeny’s first port of call was a childhood stalwart: “The Wizard of Oz. It’s just a childhood film,” she said. “My grandparents are from Kansas, we go to the Kansas State Fair, I thought I was Dorothy. I dressed up as Dorothy like three time in a row for Halloween.”
She alternated in the role of Dorothy when The Wizard of Oz was brought to the stage during her early days, too, so her personal love ultimately became a professional one. No stranger to sci-fi already, Spaeny would then offer up 2001: A Space Odyssey as another top choice, simply “because I’ve got to get Kubrick on there, he’s one of the best directors of all time.”
Husband and wife pairing John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands made ten movies together during an on and off-screen partnership that spanned from their marriage in 1954 to his death in 1989, with Spaeny settling on 1974’s A Woman Under the Influence to highlight her praise for what she called an “incredible collaborative duo.”
It may have gone home empty-handed from the Academy Awards despite seven nominations, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’, but Broadcast News still makes the cut for Spaeny due to her love of 1980s cinema. Markedly different genres without a doubt, but each was the recipient of massive adulation and awards season recognition, with every single one firmly entrenched as a classic of cinema.
Cailee Spaeny’s favourite movies:
- The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
- A Woman Under the Influence (John Cassavetes, 1974)
- Broadcast News (James L. Brooks, 1987)
