I enjoy reading the annual “Oscar roundtable” features that so many magazines do now, but they are a bitch to cover because there’s so much back-and-forth and the interesting parts are usually how various actors are interacting with one another, rather than some catchy soundbyte. So, just know that I enjoyed this year’s Oscar roundtable for dramatic actresses at The Hollywood Reporter, and you can read the whole thing here. This year’s feature included Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Mary J. Blige, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney and Saoirse Ronan. It felt like Saoirse said the least and Jessica Chastain said the most. But, as always, J-Law is the most quotable. Here are some J-Law-specific highlights:
J-Law on sexual harassment in Hollywood: “The big misconception, though, is that this is just in the entertainment industry. Once again, the entertainment industry is kind of the stage on which you can see the inner workings of problems that are all over the world. If a flight attendant comes forward about a pilot, it doesn’t end up in the news because nobody knows about it. That doesn’t mean that there’s less sexual abuse going on anywhere else in the world, in any other place of work. But fortunately, we’re starting the conversation now.
Can the abusive nature of Hollywood change? “I hope eventually. I think it’s going to be a while. It’s deeply ingrained, unfortunately. It’s kind of this social proof in some way of your masculinity.
Standing up for herself: “Sometimes — I’ve had this happen: I finally made the decision to stand up for myself, and then I went to go to the bathroom at work and one of the producers stopped me and was like, “You know, we can hear you on the microphone, you’ve been really unruly.” Which was not true, but basically my job was threatened because the director said something f–ked up to me and I said, “That’s sick, you can’t talk to me like that,” and then I was punished, and I got afraid that I wasn’t going to be hired again.
The “difficult” reputation: “Yeah, I was called difficult and a nightmare. I think a lot of people aren’t coming forward because they’re afraid they’re not going to work again. You need to be able to say, “This is wrong” and have somebody do something about it instead of saying, “Oh, it’s wrong? Well, you’re fired.”
Whether she knew ‘mother!’ would be polarizing: “Yeah. We’d start shooting something, and we’d be like, “Well, this is going to go over really well in the center of America.” We would laugh about it, but nobody had any doubts about what we were doing. We spent three months meeting in a warehouse in Brooklyn talking over the themes of the movie. By the time we got [to the shoot], we were rock solid to the point that even when the movie came out and we have an F CinemaScore or something, like 63 percent [on Rotten Tomatoes], nobody is really surprised. We’re just like, “Well, yeah, we knew that when we were on set.” Every time you make a movie, you’re like, “I hope everyone likes it.” This is the first time I’ve made a movie where we knew not everybody is going to like it. I mean, people haaate it.
“I think a lot of people aren’t coming forward because they’re afraid they’re not going to work again.” I think about that too, the women and men who have already come forward with accusations against Harvey Weinstein and other people, and whether it will have immediate or long-term career repercussions. I want to believe that there has been a genuine shift in the culture and conversation, and I was recently thinking this: now is exactly the moment to be a woman in Hollywood at any level, because all of the studios and production houses are going to be looking to make prominent moves to “look” female friendly. This is a good moment, if you’re a woman, to get your script produced or your film financed or cast an actress over the age of 40 in a lead role. This is the moment.
As for J-Law specifically… I wonder if we’re getting a window into just how much bullsh-t she’s had to deal with during her career. I’ve said before that she doesn’t even seem to realize or understand when a director is being abusive to her, but maybe it’s something else – maybe it’s that she’s been conditioned very quickly within the industry to just shrug off the abuse she gets from her favorite directors.
Photos courtesy of THR and WENN.
I think she doesn’t realize it BECAUSE she’s been conditioned and because she wants to be “cool”. And that might come from the fact that when she stood up to someone they called her difficult. So she went the other extreme. Doesn’t make it any less problematic in any sense because she basically suppressed herself to work. Like many other actresses and thats incredibly sad.
EDIT: Also this headline would mean more…if the cover wasn’t so white. Someone posted an article about how Hollywood is rallying around the Weinstein victims because they are white and how many actresses of color are probably still in the shadows. They are not wrong. Just look at the general nonresponse to Lupita coming forward.
Yes, she’s thick skinned because she’s gone through a lot, probably and knows how to deal with it (has brothers, is kinda crazy etc). I think she may be having a sort of introspective moment about it now because what she says sounds heartfelt. Maybe what happened in the set of Mother! was also the fact that she gives a lot and doesn’t complain much. Being the same way, I know people then expect you to always be ok with everything, even when you have a broken rib.
I don’t know. But that cover does seem like a white snoozefest in the sense that most of these white ladies have a massive media coverage.
Yea I mean she sill clearly does not stand up for herself. The fact that they recounted her injury on mother as a “haha so funny i was injured yet still had to film” story tells me that. Obviously it takes a lot to undo that type of conditioning but introspection is nothing without work to CHANGE what that realization brings. Hopefully she does that because theirs nothing funny or cute about being pushed to injury or being yelled at…or worse being assaulted, asked to be nude for a lineup, etc. All shades of horrific behavior.
Yea I found the interview in general boring…these roundtables are generally a snooze to me unless theres some variety. Also less impact when the women being “trailblazers” have the most privilege
@Nicole, recently I saw an interview where she spoke about the photo leak and she seemed really bothered and hurt. She’s known abuse and, being a strong girl, went to the default setting of being cool and thick skinned most likely.
And none of it is funny – ITA with you. This needs to change.
I mean having private photos hacked and leaked is awful. Having that happen and have millions share and redistribute them is another level of awful. I couldn’t go on social media for days after the hack because i didn’t want to see anything accidentally. I cant imagine probably feeling like you can’t leave your HOUSE because people are shaming you.
I would say that her “wanting to be cool” is a direct consequence of her being conditioned.
I agree sorta…I have no idea what part of that is really her or just her “dialed up” to counteract the abuse. Again either way its sad because she’s clearly “adjusted” to take abuse
I think her make up artist hates her.
I think that makeup artist hated everyone that day. The whole cover is beautiful ladies and they all look… well… not their best.
I agree with her when she says that mysoginy is a social way to prove your masculinity.
My son has been with his first and only girlfriend forever and tells me that he is pressured into cheating and calling it quits by his so called friends.
That’s horrible!
Toxic masculinity affects men too. A lot of people forget that. Your story is a perfect example.
Yes, I read a report in the UK where even men who are in favour of equality don’t want to admit it to other men in case it makes them seem ‘weak’. Changing those kinds of attitudes will continue to be an uphill battle. We are nowhere near pay equality either, due to the wage gap women are now working for free between now and Christmas in the UK, which is bloody disgusting when you think about it.
So that harveys gone everyone wants to pretend like they weren’t buddy buddy with him? Know they grow a spine
I wonder if jennifer will ever get those guts going against david o russell or will she only carry getting brave to people she knows are smaller than her.
#OscarsSoWhite again? Bullsh*t.
Jennifer Lawrence has been speaking up about a lot of this stuff for ages. She regularly spoke about the audition process and how demeaning and shaming it could be for young actresses when she was just starting out. When her photos were leaked, she didn’t brush it off, she went out there and did what no one had done, unequivocally called it a sex crime. When the issue of equal pay came up, she immediately stood up and fought that fight, while older, more established actresses hedged and demurred. She’s been open about her feminism, and not in a ‘one quote and done’ way, she’s been happy to talk about it and bring it into all sorts of conversations.
Yes, she’s worked with some unpleasant directors. So have most actors. Controlling, angry, overly intense directors aren’t exactly a rare breed. She was perfectly open about DOR being unpleasant to work with much of the time and them having fights (most of which she won). As were Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper, but no one was worried they were blind to the fact their director was a dick. When she read Aronofsky’s script, she told him he had a sick mind and left it at that for a day before accepting the role. When he asked her to film that scene injured, she told him to F off and only filmed it when she decided she was comfortable. She’s really not some naive little girl who needs her eyes opened. She’s a woman who knows her worth and power and isn’t afraid to use it.
She’s also not a ‘cool girl’ who accepts bad behaviour. If she was she never would have talked about how disgusting and violating the photo leak was, or about equal pay, or about having screaming arguments with male directors. A ‘cool girl’ would act like all that was no problem at all. Instead she spoke up, and MRA types absolutely loathe her for it btw.
thank you
Well-said.
I don’t see her as a ‘cool girl’ either.
She’s seriously not campaigning for the awful movie is she?
Once again, this year’s edition is lacking WOC. I do love all these ladies, though, and agree with pretty much everything they’re saying.
I live on the west coast and I thought Mother sucked.
#Oscars Sooooooo white. Like, even Mary J,, obligatory black person, has blond hair. And why Mary J Blige anyway? Isn’t she a musician? They look like they photoshopped her into the pic as an after thought lol. Really, I guess their usual token black actress, Lupita, had other engagements.
I’m sorry but this magazine cover piss me off. I’ve seen these ladies a million fucking times on everything and I’m am over it. No Asian, Hispanic, or Indian women allowed either? Fuck off HR.
Mary J Blige is included because she’s getting outstanding reviews for Mudbound. She’s strongly favored to be nominated. You realize that framing your anger about the lack of inclusion with anti-black racism isn’t a good look?
Ah, I did not know about Mudbound, that makes sense. Looks really good too, I hope to see it. Thanks.
“You realize that framing your anger about the lack of inclusion with anti-black racism isn’t a good look?” How am I being anti-black though? Genuine question. Because I pointed out that they put a black person in the magazine to fend off any “soo white comments”? Because I pointed out that Mary J has her hair blonde like ALL the other women (except to RED heads)? Or because I asked why there are no other ethnicity represented?
I was just saying it looks like it looks like they barely remembered to put Mary J in the picture. I’m surprised they didn’t crop her out entirely.
Anyway, Bob, how about you educated me instead of calling me essentially a racists without any support to your statement.
I feel like it’s always the same people at these rountables. Jennifer Lawrence, albeit talented, does not belong there this year. The movie she is campaigning for legitimately sucked.I don’t know about the rest of the performances. But Emma Stone again? Really? I am not trying to take away from any of their talent, but surely there are other worthy actresses in Hollywood? Why do they push the same actresses on us every year??
Seriously, I am so sick of them (Emma Stone and J Law).
I’ve dealt with quite a few men who don’t find it acceptable for a woman to stand up for herself. It hurt my career on multiple occasions and pretty badly because when it’s a small firm the boss is not accountable to anyone, but I just couldn’t mould myself into the expectations so I know what she means. Excellent point about the flight attendant and a pilot – wonder if she saw anything specific.
That cover is crap.
Weird cover. These women all have the same eyebrows and look like clones of each other.
A friend of mine that works in the industry told me that the photos of JLaw that leaked were ones she herself had sent to Weinstein after being pressured to do so. I’m not sure how I feel about that, or if I believe it. Maybe it’s another rumor to invalidate a woman and make her look opportunistic. Maybe there are women who were clear about what it took to be a success in Hollywood’s disgusting power structure. But I’m sure there are strong women who, of their own free will, took advantage of sexual shortcuts to fame…we shouldn’t be so conditioned to assume victimhood that we won’t acknowledge there are some women who use their sexuality just like men use their power or money. To get stuff they wouldn’t get otherwise. The pressure to send pics shouldn’t be there, of course, but I’m conflicted about the women who happily send them in order to take a shortcut to “success.” I don’t assume all successful actresses capitulated, or that those who did felt good about it. Maybe it’s shame, maybe it’s that they don’t want their careers invalidated or their images tarnished, but, sadly, I’m sure many women took Weinstein up on his offer. The whole mess is sordid and uncomfortable to think about.