I’ve been looking forward to Freeheld for a while. It’s a powerful important story and it’s being carried by Ellen Page and Julianne Moore, how can I not be excited? Check out this first clip from the film, where Page as Stacie Andree asks out Moore’s Laurel Hester for the first time. You root for them so hard.
NY Times interview recently ran an article titled “Actresses on the Stubborn Sexism of Hollywood” by Julie Bloom, where the some cast members, directors, and screenwriters from Freeheld, Carol, Suffragette, and The Interview discussed sexism in Hollywood.Page has previously spoken about the challenges of making the film and Hollywood’s bias toward actresses, and she and Moore continue to say some great things here.
When asked whether women are unfairly denied opportunities, Moore responded:
I’ve had a lot of luck in my career and I’ve worked with a lot of really wonderful directors, so I can’t complain. When people start putting this on the entertainment business, I’m like, “Wait a minute, this is endemic to our culture at large.” [However,] sometimes I read a script and there’s only one female in it. That’s not what my world looks like. I have days where the only men I see are my husband and my teenage son, but the rest of the day, I go to my yoga class, I see a female friend for lunch, I talk to my female manager on the phone. So how is that even possible?
Page concurred, and brought up that the representation problem in Hollywood is not exclusive to women (a great point, especially since the voices in this article are frustratingly all white and cis):
Absolutely, women and all minorities [are denied opportunities], African-American men, African-American women, trans men, trans women, the list goes on.
Michael Shannon, who plays a policeman in the film, commented that “it’s a hard life for anybody,” which is just a little bit awkward. He doesn’t appear in any more excerpts.
When asked whether women can be unlikable Moore answers with some lovely snark.
I think there is a time in a person’s life, probably age 6, when they want to see stuff that is romanticized, but after that we’re ready for more complication
Audiences want to see real people. I know I do. [Laurel Hester’s domestic partner] would tell me these stories when I would go to visit her: Laurel was very bossy. And if you were to talk to anybody’s partner, you’d hear about the things they love about them and the things that drive them crazy.
Moore also makes some great points about Hollywood as an industry. When asked if things were changing, she points out the success of films like Spy and Trainwreck and comments “it’s really about money.” She leaves us with this advice.
Vote with your money. If there’s something you don’t like, don’t go, don’t pay for it. And if there’s a female-driven movie out there that you want to see, buy a ticket. That’s really what makes a difference. My husband laughs at me, but I just won’t go see movies with only men in them. I just can’t bear it.
What do you think about their comments? Are you ready for Freeheld to break your heart?
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