Female directors in Hollywood are few and far between – but why? It seems that the male dominated world of directing is hard to crack for women trying to make it. These 5 stars all wish female directors were given more opportunities behind the camera to show off their skills and think it’s unfair that women struggle to get equal opportunities. Commenting on what they’ve noticed about the lack of female directors in Hollywood, these stars have spoke on the need for equality in the director’s chair.
Courteney Cox
Courteney thinks women just don’t get the right amount of opportunities in Hollywood: “There’s a lack of a lot of things that women have not had the opportunity to do, but times are really changing. I think in the way we raise our children now, they’re raised with such confidence and drive and so different, so hopefully that will change. I hope there are more women directors. If women want to direct, they should be out doing it because it sure is fulfilling.”
Jodie Foster
Jodie always wanted to direct but thought she would never be able to because the career is so dominated by males: “There I was a young girl wanting to be a director and never seeing a female director’s face. I thought it was something…I would never be allowed to do. I came to realize that I could be a woman director if I wanted to because there was one out there, and that was a life-changing moment for me.”
Keira Knightley
Keira thinks female directors give viewers an alternative view and she wishes it happened more frequently: “It’s nice working with women, because you don’t have to do this loveable, soft version of what the female sex has to be. It also allows men to understand women, as opposed to them being something pink and fluffy. There’s a weird view of femininity we put into our culture that has nothing to do with the experience of being a woman.”
Michelle Rodriguez
Michelle is shocked that women aren’t given the chance to show what they can do behind the camera: “51 per cent of the American population are women. You’d be surprised what that symbolism does Hollywood folk and their investment in the fabric of our culture. Now, finding the talented female directors with enough experience to direct a tentpole, it’s not as hard as one may think.”
Natalie Portman
Natalie thinks women struggle to get the directing jobs they deserve: “I love male stories, they help me see the world in different ways. But we need more opportunities for women. I don’t think it’s that fewer women want to direct, because in film school there are equal numbers of men and women. I think there are institutional biases against women that don’t allow them to have as many opportunities, or as comfortable with them being in leadership roles.”
