HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY, BRIT ABROAD, MOVIE-MAKING POWERHOUSE
Hannah Minghella on equality and her family life
Let me set the scene: I’m at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles watching actor Frances Mcdormand, resplendent after her recent Oscar win, brilliantly compere a video about Women In Film (an association that advocates for gender parity in the film industry). Her rapt audience? Some of the most powerful, high-profile women in Hollywood (plus me, in a borrowed frock); all at the Crystal + Lucy Awards to celebrate Women In Film’s work and honour female talent. Hollywood has had dark moments but there are pockets of positivity, and I’ve come to Los Angeles with fashion brand Max Mara (a supporting partner of Women In Film for 16 years) to witness one. The vibe is electric as women, including actor Brie Larson and the production team behind Black Panther, take to the stage to accept awards. Everyone cheers (and some cry) when the beautiful and bright X-men actor Alexandra Shipp receives her Face of the Future award from Max Mara’s global brand ambassador Maria Giulia Maramotti.
Clapping with her peers is Hannah Minghella, 39-year-old daughter of the late Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella and a film powerhouse in her own right, who I’m here to interview. She’s a wearer of many different hats: head of Tristar Pictures, a role she’s held since
2015, before which she was president of production at Columbia; responsible for making films such as Baby Driver, T2 Trainspotting and The Alchemist at Tristar, as well as The Talented Mr. Ripley and Casino Royale elsewhere; a Brit abroad with a director and screenwriter (uncle Dominic Minghella) and actor (brother Max Minghella, star of The Handmaid’s Tale) in the family; a mum-of-two who is, at the time of our interview, pregnant with her third child; and board member of Women In Film, working towards a seismic culture change in a notoriously misogynistic industry (the badge on her jacket reads ‘Feminist with a To-do List’). If we hadn’t met earlier, I’d feel seriously intimidated.
Cut to a few hours before, and Minghella and I are in her office on the Sony lot in Culver City. She’s apologising for coming in with a drink in each hand (tea in one and an icy Starbucks in the other), which means she can’t immediately shake mine. ‘It’s so hot today, and I’m just so pregnant!’ she says, putting me at ease with her warmth and smile. But alongside the warmth, there’s directness and poise, and we waste no time in getting the show on the road…
First things first, let’s talk about Women In Film. At a time when women’s roles in Hollywood are being examined more than ever, what’s most important to you about its work?
I joined WIF almost a decade ago because I wanted to be part of a community of women supporting other women, which it’s been doing for 45 years. We’ve noticed that we’re great at promoting people breaking into the film industry, but we need to focus on women who’ve had a bit of success then stall out mid-career. A lot of the work we’re doing is focused on accelerating the careers of these women. We’ve got to look at the whole pipeline of how a movie gets made and see where it breaks down for women, such as helping directors and executives access adequate funding, for example. For me, it’s about coming into Tristar every day and trying to walk the walk here. We’re about to go into production on a film that Marielle Heller is directing called You Are My Friend. It stars Tom Hanks and Marielle’s made a point of hiring heads of departments who are all women – everyone from production designers to casting directors and set decorators. When you hire great women, they give opportunities to others. There’s a wonderful ripple effect.
Have you felt positive ripples for women in the industry since the Time’s Up movement was founded?
It doesn’t feel like we’re shouting into an echo chamber any more. We’re part of a bigger conversation that’s happening across the industry and it finally feels like people are ready to listen. I feel that momentum and the sincerity of the intent, and hope to see change. Films have a long production cycle, so to really see the impact it’ll take a year or two, and that means sustaining that energy.
What advice did your father give you to prepare you for navigating this industry?
My father did everything with real grace. He treated everyone he met, from the guy that drove him to set to his financiers, with curiosity, respect and kindness. He never compromised on that in order to have success and that, to me, was his best lesson. Hollywood gets a bad rep, but some of the kindest, most brilliant and generous people I know work here, so I know it’s possible. I’ve got strong points of view and I stand by them, but you can be strong and kind, too.
‘I’VE GOT STRONG POINTS OF VIEW AND I STAND BY THEM’
What was it like growing up in such a famous family?
As a teenager, I was aware that what Dad did for a living wasn’t the same as what my friends’ parents did, but he was so low-key that I was able to have a pretty normal childhood in England. He won his Oscar for The English Patient on my 18th birthday, so I was an adult by the time the attention hit. My grandparents [Edward and Gloria Minghella] made ice cream, so we all thought of ourselves as part of an ice cream dynasty. To a child, it was the dream! My parents didn’t push me in any one direction, they just encouraged me to go for the things I was passionate about. Both my daughters have wild imaginations, so if that leads them into film, I’ll white-knuckle it. If not, that’s fine, too.
What do you miss most about the UK? I’ve noticed the tea here isn’t great…
Happily, I can get Earl Grey in LA. There’s a wonderful shop in Santa Monica called Ye Olde King’s Head where I go to stock up on my British food. I miss my family and friends more than anything else. I find ways to feel connected. I watched the royal wedding with my friend Bruna Papandrea [who co-produced Gone Girl with Reese Witherspoon] and try to go home a few times a year. I’m heading back with the kids soon. We’ll stay at my mum’s and go to the theatre. They’ve seen Matilda a lot because I’m working on an adaptation at the moment, but I haven’t decided what we’ll see next. Then we’ll head to the Isle of Wight to see my grandfather for his 98th birthday. One of the best things about my career is that it’s allowed me to travel back and forth a lot and work with some of the greatest British talent, such as Edgar Wright, Danny Boyle, Aardman Animations and Working Title Films.
Tell me about LA life. Is it all glamorous film parties and schmoozing?
You’re talking to someone who is seven months pregnant, has two young children and a full-time job, so I mostly hang out at work, school or home! Today, I was up at the crack of dawn so that I could do script notes before everyone woke up. When they did, we went to my daughter’s kindergarten graduation and now I’m here with you. It’s a constant juggling act, but I love it and I’m lucky to have an incredible husband [writer Mitch Larson] and a job that allows me to have support at home. What I really love about LA is being in California – discovering wine country, living in a canyon, having a beautiful hike at the
Hannah and Max Mara’s global brand ambassador Maria Giulia Maramotti
top of my road and having my kids grow up at the beach. I grew up in London so, for me, going to the beach was everything.
Aside from the beach trips, how do you relax after a hard day on the lot?
I play with my kids. We have dance parties. My girls are obsessed with Katy Perry, so we listen to a lot of her songs. There’s nothing like a toddler to bring you into the moment. What’s happened in my day is totally irrelevant to them. It’s actually a great way of disconnecting.
Have you ever thought about a Plan B career?
My mother [Yvonne Millar] is a clinical psychologist who got an MBE for her work on child mental health and development. If I wasn’t working in film, I could see myself having gone in that direction. Growing up, I had two parents who both studied human behaviour.
Are there any films that have stuck with you?
So many! I remember my father showing me Watership Down and Pete’s Dragon for the first time and being slightly traumatised by both, but also loving them. I loved Cinema Paradiso, too. I always think about the little boy in the production booth, watching movies and having his first taste of love through that experience. I always say I wish I’d made Wonder Woman. She’s a superhero who’s allowed to love, be multiple things at once and be authentic, and it doesn’t make her weaker. Last year, I’d have loved to have been part of Get Out. I thought it was brilliant and groundbreaking and managed to say something without preaching. Those are the kind of films I live for.
So, what will we all be queueing up to see next?
My table is covered in books that are pitches that we’re working on. They’re an eclectic mix, but all elevated within their own genre. We’re developing two works by Kristin Hannah, The Nightingale and The Great Alone, and
from the bestselling novel by Aimee Molloy. Then there’s a project called The Toymaker’s Secret, which I’m working on with Alex Garland and
[his wife, the producer] Paloma Baeza. I’m so excited.
And with that, our time is up. The busiest, most low-key woman in Hollywood has to get ready for the gala. As she says goodbye, I ask what she’s looking forward to about the party. ‘Being surrounded by so many women from our business. It’s rare to get everyone together to celebrate our work, with the help of Max Mara, of course,’ she says.
Ever the pro is Hannah Minghella. I’d take my hat off to her if she weren’t already wearing so many.
‘I ALWAYS SAY I WISH I’D MADE WONDER WOMAN’