20 Facts About Damien Chazelle

Damien Sayre Chazelle is a French-American filmmaker.

Damien Chazelle directed the psychological drama Whiplash, the musical romance La La Land, the biographical drama First Man, and the period black comedy Babylon.

Damien Chazelle has directed two episodes of the Netflix limited series The Eddy.

Damien Chazelle was raised in Princeton, New Jersey, where, although a Catholic, he attended a Hebrew school for four years due to his parents' dissatisfaction with his religious education at a church Sunday school.

Damien Chazelle has a sister, Anna Damien Chazelle, who is an actress.

Damien Chazelle has said that he had an intense music teacher in the Princeton High School Studio Band, who was the inspiration for the character of Terence Fletcher in Chazelle's breakout film Whiplash.

Unlike the film's protagonist Andrew Neiman, Damien Chazelle stated that he knew instinctively that he never had the talent to be a great drummer and after high school, pursued filmmaking again.

Damien Chazelle studied filmmaking in the Visual and Environmental Studies department at Harvard University and graduated in 2007.

Damien Chazelle wrote and directed his debut feature, Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, as part of his senior thesis project with classmate Justin Hurwitz at Harvard.

Damien Chazelle worked as a freelance writer in Hollywood; among his writing credits are The Last Exorcism Part II and Grand Piano.

Damien Chazelle was brought in by JJ Abrams' Bad Robot to re-write a draft of 10 Cloverfield Lane with the intention of directing, but Chazelle ultimately chose to direct Whiplash instead.

The project was eventually picked up by Right of Way Films and Blumhouse Productions, who suggested that Damien Chazelle turn a portion of his script into a short film as proof-of-concept.

Thanks to the success of Whiplash, Damien Chazelle was able to attract financiers for his musical romantic drama La La Land.

Damien Chazelle received praise for his work on the film and received several top honors, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Director, making Damien Chazelle the youngest director to win each award, at age 32.

Marc Platt, another collaborator of Damien Chazelle who produced this film and Babylon, will return to produce the stage adaptation.

Damien Chazelle next directed the biographical drama First Man for Universal Pictures.

The film received positive reviews, with Owen Gleiberman of Variety writing that "Damien Chazelle orchestrates a dashingly original mood of adventure drenched in anxiety".

Damien Chazelle directed the first two episodes of the May 2020-released Netflix musical drama television miniseries The Eddy.

Damien Chazelle was eyeing Emma Stone to star; In December 2020, it was reported that Margot Robbie was in talks to replace Stone.

Damien Chazelle married producer Jasmine McGlade in 2010; they divorced in 2014.