Initial Doubts and a Chance Meeting
Michael Harte nearly convinced himself not to direct a documentary about Kylie Minogue. When producer John Battsek informed him that the Australian pop icon would be in Los Angeles and suggested they meet, Harte, a filmmaker from Donegal, was hesitant.
"I don't think that's a good idea, I'm not experienced enough as a director,"
Harte recalled thinking. However, he decided to attend the meeting regardless, reasoning that he would not turn down a drink at the Chateau Marmont with Kylie Minogue.
The meeting took place at the renowned hotel on Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, an encounter Harte says changed his perspective almost immediately.
Describing the restaurant as dark and atmospheric he recalled Minogue entering the room "like a beam of light".
"It sounds cheesy to say, but she really was. There was an energy there that was intoxicating,"
he told BBC NI's Evening Extra radio programme.
"And then I thought, I do want to make this film. I am the right person to do it.
"I could tell there was an energy from her that I wanted to take and transfer onto film and if we can do that successfully, I think the film could be really special."
The three-part Netflix documentary, KYLIE, chronicles Minogue's evolution from a teenage soap star on Neighbours to one of pop music's most enduring performers.
Battsek and Harte had previously collaborated on the David Beckham documentary. Harte had also edited the acclaimed Michael J. Fox documentary Still before stepping into the director's role for KYLIE, having directed only once before during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Personal Approach to Storytelling
Rather than relying on traditional sit-down interviews, Harte explained that the team quickly opted for a more intimate approach.
"We decided pretty early on that we'd call them chats,"
he said.
"Kylie had been interviewed for years, and we wanted this to feel different."
Much of the documentary was constructed around personal archive material, with conversations unfolding around boxes of photographs, footage, and memories at Minogue's home.
Harte noted that one of the biggest challenges was managing the vast amount of material.
"She's not just an amazing pop artist, she's an actor,"
he said.
They had access to everything from Neighbours footage to fashion shoots, media coverage, and home recordings captured over the years.
Witnessing Growth and Resilience
Harte described the experience of making the documentary as akin to watching someone grow up in real time.
"I say to Kylie, it almost felt like the Truman Show. You watch somebody grow up on camera,"
he said.
"Because of that we're not just invested in Kylie's music or you know her as an artist you're actually invested in her as a person."
What impressed Harte most was Minogue's resilience, especially in the face of criticism she endured while growing up in the public eye.
"Kylie was 19 when that happened to her. I'm 43, if I got criticism like that, I'm retiring in the morning,"
he said.
"There's a strength in her. Jason Donovan [ex-boyfriend] said it and I don't think it's in the film but I always remember - it kind of informed a lot of the emotion in the film."
