A timely tale of inclusivity and women trying to make it in a male-dominated field, “Late Night” is among our most anticipated films screening at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Nisha Ganatra, the comedy tells the story of a veteran late-night host (Emma Thompson) who hires her first female writer (Kaling) to silence concerns over the lack of diversity in her writers’ room. Kaling drew inspiration from her own life for the pic, according to Variety’s profile of “The Mindy Project” creator and star.
“Late Night” features scenes where Kaling’s character’s ideas are dismissed by her male co-writers on account of her gender, and she’s also mocked for her race. “Obviously I’m making a comedy movie, so things are exaggerated for comic effect, but similar things have happened to me in my career,” the “Office” alumna explains. Much of the feature centers on Kaling’s and Ganatra’s desire to ensure that other women of color don’t face these workplace conditions — and that they get jobs period.
“I knew all about the power of holding the door open behind you instead of slamming it shut and saying, ‘Thank God I got in,’” Ganatra admits. But study after study shows that women aren’t getting opportunities and desperately need for those doors to remain open. Ganatra has a theory about why so many women are shut out of Hollywood. After a screening of “Jurassic World,” the “Better Things” director watched the film’s helmer, Colin Trevorrow, participate in a Q&A. He recounted how Steven Spielberg saw an indie he’d make, “Safety Not Guaranteed,” and was such a big fan that he got Trevorrow on board for the big-budget dinosaur pic. “Steven Spielberg saw himself in that director and hired him,” Ganatra observes. “That didn’t happen for me. There was no Indian female Spielberg saying, ‘Here, plucky young one: Take care of my billion-dollar franchise.’”
Kaling emphasizes that a can-do attitude and talent isn’t sufficient to make it in the entertainment industry. “For many years, I thought that hard work was the only way you could succeed, but it’s simply not true,” she says. “Particularly if you’re a woman of color, you need people to give you opportunities, because otherwise it won’t happen. Talent is an important part of success, but you also need mentors to find promise in people that don’t necessarily seem like they will fit in,” she emphasizes.
The “Ocean’s 8” actress was the only female of color in the writers’ room for “The Office,” and she doesn’t want other WOC to be singled out in the same way — or to be perceived as tokens. “There used to be a sense of obligation — of being shamed into having a token person of color to prove that you weren’t racist,” she recalls “Now people are realizing it’s actually valuable to have different perspectives. It’s actually a better way to make money and to reach more people,” she adds, pointing to the success of films such as “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians.”
That perspective is what helps differentiate “Late Night.” “So much of this movie is about being a fan and being on the outside of the entertainment business,” says Kaling. “That story has been told many, many, many times by 52-year-old white men, and I love all those movies. And as a comedy nerd I’ve always identified with them because it was the closest thing that I could identify with. There was no one like me making those kind of films.”
“Late Night” makes its world premiere at Sundance January 25. A theatrical release date has yet to be announced.
