Hollywood Power Couples: Baz Luhrmann & Catherine Martin

Sometimes, two creative minds put together are better than one, and perhaps the best example of that in the film industry today is Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin! 

The Australian couple met at the National Institute of Dramatic Arts when Baz was looking for a team of people to assist with an opera he was working on, and a friend passed Catherine’s name along to him. That simple introduction by a friend changed both of their lives, the two clicking quickly and marrying on Australia Day in 1997.

The couple’s first feature film collaboration was for 1992's Strictly Ballroom, a lively Australian rom-com. Baz directed and co-wrote the film, while Catherine (or just "CM", as Luhrmann affectionately calls her) worked as a costume and production designer. The pair’s creative collaboration won over movie-goers, and the flick went on to win numerous Australian Film Institute and British Academy Film Awards. The pair’s next collaboration, a modern retelling of Romeo + Juliet released in 1996, earned Catherine her first Oscar Nomination for Art Direction, and Baz would go on to get his first Academy Award nod when Moulin Rouge was nominated for Best Picture in 2002.

Perhaps one of the couple’s most iconic film collaborations was their 2013 adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel The Great Gatsby. This found Luhrmann co-writing the screenplay and directing actor Leonardo DiCaprio for the second time, whilst Catherine created over 40 sets and over 400 costumes for the production, in collaboration with high-end brands like Brooks Brothers, Prada, and MiuMiu. The film was Luhrmann’s highest-grossing film to date, making over $353 million worldwide, and won Catherine two of her four Academy Awards.

Most recently, Baz and Catherine put their creative minds to work to create the world of Elvis, the 2022 biopic of the history-making rock & roll musician. The film faced a road block unlike any the pair had had to navigate before when production was halted for 7 months due to the Pandemic. But when production returned, it hit the ground running. While Baz directed star Austin Butler, who would go on to receive an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Elvis Presley, Catherine created hundreds of costumes, including historically-accurate recreations of everything from Priscilla Presley’s wedding dress to Elvis’s iconic jumpsuits. The film would go on to receive numerous award nominations and wins throughout the industry, and be praised by members of the Presley family, including the late Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis’s daughter spoke highly of the picture, thanking Luhrmann for “setting the record straight in such a deeply profound and artistic way.”

Most recently for the pair, they teamed up to produce the series "Faraway Downs", which premieres today on Hulu, which is a reimagining of Baz's 2008 film Australia starring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman using unused footage of the film to essentially create a "director's cut" of the story.

We can't wait to see what's next for this power couple!