Baz Luhrmann – the maximalist director behind films such as Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge! – has partnered with Catherine Martin (CM); his wife and creative partner, to design a new carriage for Belmond's British Pullman train. Imagine a world where A Midsummer Night’s Dream meets The Great Gatsby: a secret hideaway where magical whimsy and Jazz Age glamour collide, and you'll find yourself somewhere close.
The carriage, titled ‘Celia’, transports guests into a dreamlike world – a space for free-spirited minds to come together and travel in style.
From working on his latest film, Jehanne d’Arc, to the release of EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2025), and a quick visit to Monsieur’s – his little bar in New York – Luhrmann is a busy man. From his contemporary Parisian apartment, the director takes a rare free moment to speak with Wallpaper* (he is in town, accompanying Anna Wintour to Fashion Week) about his latest addition to the Belmond British Pullman and the inspiration behind Celia.
All aboard The British Pullman, with Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann
It is rare to find a life partner who also doubles as a creative partner in crime. Yet for Luhrmann, his artistic vision is shared with his wife, CM, with whom he is fluent in a shared creative dialogue: an invisible language that enables a profound level of collaboration. This formed the foundation for designing the British Pullman’s new carriage.
‘We work in a very traditional way with my crappy sketches, scribbles, and ideas. CM turns it into brilliance. She just has such a touch for making rooms magical, warm and loving,’ Luhrmann explains, gazing up through his rose-tinted glasses.
Catherine Martin
With his optimistic and (quite literally) rosy outlook, it is no wonder the director is always up for creative adventures. Yet it is a more languid approach to travel that Luhrmann particularly enjoys. ‘I love slow travel, especially when I complete a big project. When I finished Moulin Rouge! I went on the Trans-Siberian Railway. At first, it was horrifying because back then, it was basically a tin box and a babushka. I said, “Look, where’s the shower?” as we were pulling out of Beijing on our way to Lake Baikal in Siberia. She handed me a rubber hose and said, “Rubber hose. You wash.”’
‘I will tell you that, as disturbing as that was, once I fixed the air conditioning, stopped crying like a baby, uncorked my large bottle of red Aussie wine and put on this new machine called the iPod… I played a recording of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. I started drinking the wine, watching Siberia go by in the night, getting nice, warm and toasty. It had an amazing transformative effect… I have to go with slow travel to get my soul back.’
For Luhrmann, these journeys hold a special place in his heart: ‘Trains in particular have a way of putting you in a dream-like state where you forget about the realities around you in the world.’
From his own experiences, he began conceptualising the new carriage. A deep-dive into Laurence Olivier’s storied 1970s Pullman car, which he used to go between London and Brighton, provided further inspiration. And from here, the character of Celia was born.
‘Trains have a way of putting you in a dream-like state where you forget about the realities around you in the world.’
Baz Luhrmann
In Luhrmann's mind, Celia is a fictional actress starring in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She has an American lover who isn't shy about showering her with lavish gifts.
‘As a surprise, he creates the most inconceivably beautiful dining car and bar, with hidden, fun nooks,’ Luhrmann enthuses.
Set within an original 1932 Pullman carriage, Celia's Shakespearean theatre is brought to life. The interior is adorned with intricate marquetry inspired by the flora and fauna found in A Midsummer Night's Dream. It also features its own cocktail bar, lounge, dining and entertainment area, accommodating up to 12 guests.
But why the name Celia? This is a private, sweet yet sensitive story that Luhrmann is unable to share – except to say that it is an ode to someone he and CM hold dear, and wish to remember in a beautiful way.
The carriage will feel like journeying through a portal. Although there is no expectation to role-play, you'd imagine it impossible not to feel part of Celia’s world – overflowing with the glitz, glamour and decadent charm of the era.
The bar area itself is self-contained, with those serving in character and part of the experience. When you move into the main dining carriage, an electronic panel lifts up, and the chef can be seen preparing the meals. Luhrmann makes it clear that he wants the carriage to transform into whatever you want it to be: ‘You could have a performance, a DJ, someone singing an unplugged song, or a speech, if it was a wedding. The ceiling changes colour, so you can be in day or night, or whatever you want it to be.’
However, it's the bathroom that Luhrmann believes is truly magical. ‘It has Art Deco touches, with influences from Shakespeare’s iconic play. Imagine you’re inside Titania’s foliage-made little throne room. It looks like a little jewel box.’
Luhrmann considers hosting a party to be an art form. ‘I take it very seriously. You can have the most wonderful room, you can spend a fortune on caviar, but what makes the party is an invisible hand casting the right people to be in the right space at the right time. And then, of course, the music is very important.’
‘I have to go with slow travel to get my soul back.’
Baz Luhrmann
So what would the producer of the 1998 hit ‘Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)’ have playing in the Celia carriage? Naturally, a jazz rendition of Charli XCX’s Wuthering Heights album.
‘What I would do is probably something like what I did with Bryan Ferry on Gatsby, where I got Bryan, with his wonderful jazz orchestra, to cover 'Crazy in Love' and do some modern cuts. So I’d take the soundtrack to Wuthering Heights and do a Jazz Age version of it. You’d have to ask Charli if that was OK, but I think it’d be cool.’
With a beautiful origin story and interior, set within one of Britain’s most renowned luxury trains, Luhrmann wants guests to take away one thing: ‘In a world that is so bereft of civility, kindness, warmth, magic, love and beauty, I hope they leave feeling like they have got a little bit of that – alongside amazing food, a lot of laughs and a few cups of whatever it is that they drink.
I really want them to stumble back out in London, shimmy off into the night and feel like they haven’t been away for a day, but that they’ve been away for a month.’
Launching in early summer 2026, Celia is housed within an original 1932 Pullman carriage and features a cocktail bar, lounge, dining, and entertainment area, bookable for groups of up to 12 guests.