Change on way for women in Hollywood
Despite higher profiles, greater strides are expected
Women had a big LOS ANGELES night in Hollywood on Sunday, with victorious moments for such female-driven shows as Big Little Lies and The Handmaid’s Tale, and record-making wins for talents such as Master of None’s Lena Waithe, the first black woman to win an Emmy for writing in a comedy series.
But prizes are outward-facing totems of progress. Are actresses feeling a shift in conversation, and inclusion behind the scenes? “Change is occurring,” Big Little Lies star Shailene Woodley tells USA TODAY.
Examples? On Amazon’s first season of I Love Dick, “we had an all either women or gender nonconforming writers’ room, which we were told was the first time that has happened,” says star Kathryn Hahn.
Westworld’s Tessa Thompson, who will soon hit the screen in Thor: Ragnarok, applauded an influx of diverse voices in Hollywood.
But, “the thing that I want to see continuously is that those voices get to also hold the mike,” she says. “And that means we need more female directors, producers, executives. That’s something I think is paramount for us. Because it means you have richer stories.”
It’s imperative to pass the baton, stressed Homeland director Lesli Linka Glatter.
“You have to grab the hand of the next generation and open the door,” says Glatter, who recently partnered with NBC on a new initiative to support female direc-
tors. “If you’re lucky enough to be working all the time ... that’s what you have to do. I do think it’s changing, but statistically, it’s not where it should be.”
Glatter continues: “If you would have asked me 20 years ago when I started directing, would we be discussing this in 2017? I would have said absolutely not, this would be a non-issue. I don’t think it should be easier for women and minorities, it should be an equal playing field.”
Jaimie Alexander noted an uptick in female directors on the set of her NBC series, Blindspot.
“This year on our show we have over 10 female directors coming on board, which is really amazing,” she says. “A lot more women are taking positions of power and they’re being respected.”
Alexander added that progress means actresses no longer having to feel overly sexualized.
“Case in point, I’m completely covered,” says Alexander, who wore a long-sleeve Naeem Khan gown to the Emmys ceremony. “This is what’s sexy to me.
“If somebody wants to wear spaghetti straps, or whatever, that’s sexy to them, but they’re doing it for them, not for everybody else. So I think there’s a greater opportunity for individuality without fear.”
Kiernan Shipka says she recently witnessed a heartening shift on the set of Ryan Murphy’s Feud, a show that takes part in the TV creator’s Half, a foundation dedicated to filling 50% of director slots on his shows with women, people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.
“It really made for this balanced set that just felt normal, to be quite honest,” says Shipka. “But, like, in the best way, because you don’t get that vibe all the time.
“And yeah, I think things are looking up. Look at the shows this year. Look at the badass women in these shows! It’s pretty cool.”