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Kaiser sent me this great in-depth interview from the L.A. Times with Emma Thompson; if you’re a fan, it’s worth a read in its entirety. She talks about some of the issues that she discussed with The New York Times around being a woman in the industry, walking away from Luck because of John Lasseter’s job at Skydance, and some of what she’s going to be doing to try to help younger women have a safer, more positive experience on and off movie sets.
Men have a huge motorway to power vs. women’s rutted track
“Women, on the other hand, have a kind of rutted track, on which there are many boulders. You can’t even get a bicycle down it; you have to get off the bike and lift it over things.”On being criticized for being an activist
“I get in trouble all the time… If you don’t want to get in trouble you’re never going to get anything done or changed.”“I know people will say, it’s OK for me — I’m established, I’m successful and I’m old. But I’ve been getting in trouble since I was young. So you can get to where you want to go and be in trouble the whole way through. If nothing else, I am proof of that.”
On “the gauntlet she threw down over [John] Lasseter”:
“I can’t speak up about women’s rights and then not do it. The same way you can’t say ‘skinniness doesn’t matter, we shouldn’t do that’ and then kill yourself to be tiny for movies. It doesn’t work.”On “the complaint that increased attention to sexual harassment has left men unsure of how to behave”:
“Get a grip guys, it’s not rocket science. You just behave with respect and courtesy. Now shut up and get on with it. And please don’t make this your… problem. I’m so fed up with that I just want to smack them.”On pay equity:
“I’ve had people say, ‘Well, it’s more complicated than that.’ No it’s not. It’s work that has to be done, and you pay someone to do it and you don’t pay them less because she’s a woman.”She asked female workers on Last Christmas to talk about their experiences:
“They identified all sorts of things . . . . Such as it’s quite difficult to say that someone is being inappropriate or difficult if that person costs much more to replace than you. If you’re a runner, a little lass on the set, you can be replaced in two minutes. So if you’re being bullied or got at by a member of the higher-status community it’s very hard to say anything.”On wanting “to help make women feel safer” on set
“Bullies and predators are very clever about when they try to intimidate and abuse. They don’t do it when there’s someone right next to them who’s going to say, ‘What … do you think you’re doing?’”
I love and appreciate that Emma wants to take more concrete steps to help women on her films have positive, safe, enriching experiences. I hope that other people in positions of power have read this and decide to hold similar meetings. I also am jealous of the reporter, Mary McNamara, who mentioned that Emma’s husband, Greg Wise, and comedian Hannah Gadsby also happened to be home when she and Emma sat down for their interview. Nanette is still one of the most powerful performances I’ve ever seen. I also wonder what it’s like for the people whose home Emma and Greg were renting via Airbnb. I assume that they probably don’t get starstruck, but still, can you imagine getting that notification (or a notification for someone whose work you admire) and realizing that they are going to be staying in your house?
photos credit: WENN and Getty
THANK YOU.
I love her so, so much.
Queen. Of. All. I hang on her every word; I can’t help it.
Bless her. She’s fabulous.
I really like her. I don’t know how I feel about her upcoming film, but I am liking her more with each interview.
It really is that simple, but I find that we are not all on the same page when it comes to what those words actually mean and how to execute the proper behavior. That is why we are here.
I agree it’s not that f@cking hard. Some men don’t want to change or think about how they act. I heard a male coworker (who’s wife left him btw) complain about Brie Larson being a fem-nazi. Really? Because she asks for more diversity during the Captain Marvel press tour and she’s not here for the f@ck boy bullsh@t???
It’s simple.. women want respect. Women want to be able to work in an environment where job advancement is not dependent on whether they are willing to do things that are morally wrong. Women want the same opportunities as men, without feeling like they have to work at an impossibly high standard that’s not placed on their male counterparts.
I have observed working in TX when straight men interpret their encounters w/ gay male colleagues as even remotely dodgy, suddenly the concept of boundaries and appropriate behavior becomes VERY clear.
Then a woman walks into the room and it’s business as usual
Ha! That’s very interesting. I should bring that up when a guy says he’s “confused” on what is appropriate behavior.
And how is pay equity complicated? I never heard that argument before.
I adore her! And men like henry cavill should read her answer to the metoo fake outrage. Get a grip is gonna be my response to anyone who’ll say “yOU cAn’T FlIrT WiTh WOmeN ANyMoRe”
I’ve loved Emma ever since she first came on the scene, and on this issue, she’s spot on. I do take umbrage (love that word 😊) when she spouts off about the evils of having a large carbon footprint, and then travels back and forth (UK to US-in first class of course!) twice in two weeks. And if you can blame it on “work”, then either choose closer jobs, or get off the soapbox. JMO of course. This is totally Google-able.
I’d take umbrage if she was flying private back and forth (see DiCaprio and Laurie David) but if she’s flying commercial her carbon footprint is shared with hundreds. And being in first class may even be smaller since they are not using single serve disposable meal packaging.
@SamC: Very good point.
When she tells people to stop flying, then she does this, it smacks of hypocrisy.
Thank you. I’m so tired of men saying they can’t even talk to women anymore cause of me too.
Man I love her.
She’s so right too, obviously. I hate when men are like “I don’t know how to act now!!!” Just….be respectful and courteous? If you wouldn’t do something to a man, don’t do it to a woman? It’s not that hard.
Exact! But that’s the root of the problem, their idea of “flirting” or just talking to women is a result of their ingrained idea that they are in the position to be able to say anything they want or make women feel uncomfortable and not even give a second thought to it. So it’s hard for them to wrap their minds around doing it any different. Not all men are like this for sure but the ones that complain are and I’m afraid they are the ones that will never get it. They don’t want to let go of their perceived superiority. It’s always work to change your mindset but it has to be done so shut up and get started. We also need to start raising our sons differently but their fathers also need to learn at the same time. I married a man who gets it and doesn’t see why it’s so hard but that’s also why I married him. He does not want his boys to grow up to be like his father who treats his mom, and all women, like second class citizens.
It drives me batty, this whole “his mother should have…” It once again puts all the work on women- implying that we alone raise children. Where is the pressure on fathers for not carrying their load, and teaching their sons to respect women?
I don’t mean to slag your husband at all- he sounds like a wonderful partner- it’s just a frustration at how this narrative is usually framed.
That phrase is like a billboard shouting “I don’t think women are fully people and I treat them like objects!,” isn’t it?
Acerbic common sense. My life’s motto. 😆
I love her. Every time I hear a man complain about how now they have to walk on eggshells and watch every word to make sure they don’t somehow come across as being remotely sexually interested in the woman they’re talking to, my reaction is “Oh, so it’s kind of like being a woman in every professional interaction she has with a man?”
Burn! If that’s ok I’ll steal that line.
Love Emma even more after this, she was always a Dame to me
Completely superficial note-im so happy someone I love like Emma gets to be with a man who’s aging so well like her husband. When I think about getting older and who I’d want to see across the table sharing my life with, someone whos smart funny and looks like him please
Emma is always great. People like Meryl should listen to what she says.