Acinematic blend of heightened sophistication and dreamy surrealism, Maria chronicles the final days of the legendary soprano Maria Callas, portrayed by Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie, in 1970s Paris. The new Netflix film reunites director Pablo Larraín (Jackie) with visionary production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas (Inception, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) following their reimagining of another iconic 20th century figure, Princess Diana, in the 2021 film Spencer. Together, they have crafted an intimate portrait of an extraordinary life set against the ethereal backdrop of Callas’s last chapter.

The film centers on the last days of Calas, living in a grand apartment in her adopted city of Paris. While exterior shots were filmed in Paris, her apartment was recreated and filmed in Budapest.
Courtesy of Netflix ©2024For Dyas, a two-time Oscar-nominated designer and BAFTA winner, the process began with a deep dive into Callas’s life, researching images captured by renowned photographers like Richard Avedon and Cecil Beaton and clippings from magazines including Life, Time, and Paris Match. His extensive research populated mood boards filled with design references, influences, accessories, and furnishings—and ultimately, became his design bible, known as the “script book.” Tracing the diva’s footsteps, Dyas and Larraín took to the road on a location and fact-finding mission, visiting Milan, Greece, Paris, and Budapest, the latter of which became the primary filming location.
While in Paris, one of their key stops included a visit to the opera singer’s original apartment on Avenue Georges Mandel in the 16th arrondissement. Because filming and photography in the historic residence were prohibited, Dyas sketched out a map of the apartment, envisioning what it would look like on film once it was recreated on a Budapest soundstage. “So much work went into creating 1977 Paris in Budapest,” says Dyas. “Maria’s apartment, particularly the public areas where she would receive whoever was coming to photograph or interview her, was extremely well-appointed and opulent.”

The singer’s most prized possession was her Steinway grand piano, which she moved from room to room as a distraction in her agitated state. Seen here is her devoted butler Ferruccio, played by actor Pierfrancesco Favino.
Courtesy of Netflix ©2024The interiors, designed and sourced by Dyas and his set decorator, Sandro Piccarozzi, are an elegant blend of classic French and 1970s style. High ceilings and 19th-century French architectural detailing frame Aubusson carpets, marble fireplaces, gilt furnishings, and a Steinway piano. (A smaller model had to be built to fit through the doors of the sets.) The piano, a recurring plot point in the film, symbolizes Callas’s restlessness, as she moved it from room to room—a distraction from the emotional distress of losing her voice.
For the color palette, Dyas turned to French fashion icons for inspiration. “Most of the color cues in the film I actually borrowed from the designers of the time—Sonia Rykiel, Pierre Cardin, and Christian Dior,” says Dyas. “I liked all those deep colors, rich browns and greens with pops of bright orange and blue that were very ’70s.”

Callas’s personal relationship with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis was well-known. While many scenes were filmed in color, the camera would occasionally switch to black and white to evoke emotions from the past. Here, Dyas used masses of peach roses instead of the typical red, which would have become too black when shot in monotone.
Courtesy of Netflix ©2024One of the photographs uncovered during Dyas’s research showed Callas sitting on her bed sporting her trademark oversized bifocal glasses, captured by her beloved housekeeper Bruna. The team meticulously copied the eight-foot carved and upholstered headboard, complete with lavish moldings framing an oval painting, and ornate Italian linens draping the bed. “I was desperate to make it oversized,” Dyas says. “It needed to feel like The Princess and the Pea.”
Classical artifacts such as busts and statues were another storytelling device. “I started seeing these busts as broken personalities that became beautiful visual cues for who Maria was, a wonderful human being who over the years has been broken,” says Dyas. Callas’s dressing room features a massive collection of statues, many chipped or with missing noses, reflecting her emotional state. “We were able to shoot Maria at her mirror with all the statues in the reflection looking back at her, so it became a thematic idea to show how broken she was by the time she had reached 1977.”
The dressing room set is one of Dyas’s favorites: Because the filmmakers didn’t want to use a traditional Hollywood vanity mirror surrounded by exposed bulbs, Dyas came up with his own chic interpretation, drawing inspiration from a vintage photograph of Callas backstage at the Lyric Opera House in Chicago to create a a brass-framed round mirror accented by aqua-colored shell lights.
The world of opera naturally provides a pivotal backdrop, with filming taking place at Milan’s renowned La Scala opera house and the Apollo Theater in Pyrgos, Greece. Operating on a small budget, Dyas had to get creative in order to produce the enormous stage backdrops for 10 different operas. “We dedicated a solid weekend to each one,” he explains. “We started with tiny thumbnail sketches, and I would paint those in watercolor, and then we would photograph them and blow them up.” (The backdrop for Anna Bolena measured a massive 30 by 27 feet.) “My favorite was Medea because I was able to make some pretty bold statements and also sneak in another one of those busts!”

Since shooting in many of the world’s fabled opera halls was prohibitively expensive, the film’s production team was limited to La Scala in Milan and the Apollo Theater in Pyrgos, Greece, changing backdrops for each “performance.” Seen here is Callas’s in Medea, which took place just moments after Callas was fired by the Metropolitan Opera and is considered one of her finest outings.
Courtesy of Netflix ©2024To ensure that the film sounded as authentic as it looked, Jolie underwent seven months of intense vocal training; the final versions of Maria’s opera performances feature a mixture of Jolie’s voice with archival recordings of the real Callas. With Oscars buzz already building around the actress (she nabbed a Golden Globe nomination earlier this month), the movie is sure to be at the top of our Netflix queues.
Watch Maria on Netflix.