Last week, we reported that Michelle Rodriguez, fed up with the writing of female characters, has been doing her own writing. And it looks like Heather Graham is doing the same thing.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Graham mentions that she’s just finished writing a screenplay–the only detail that she gives in reference to the plot is that it’s about sex and religion. She then goes on to discuss women and sexuality in society.
I think it’s confusing being a woman in society with all these different messages about sexuality. You’re being told to be a demure person and a mother, and then every ad is telling you to be supersexy. In media, it feels very black-and-white–you can either be this person who’s slutty, or this very Madonna-whore type. It’s confusing to me, as a woman, and I think it’s confusing to men as well.
Graham also talks about Hollywood–specifically the lack of interesting, complex roles for women.
Hollywood, in general, is run mostly by men, and women’s roles are being told through the perspective of a man. There are some very exciting exceptions, but on the whole, most female parts are from the male point of view. As an audience member, I miss seeing things from the female perspective. But it’s exciting that more women are starting to direct. At Sundance this year, half the movies there were directed by women, so if more women start to write and direct stuff, we can see more roles where women are portrayed as the complicated, complex individuals they are–like in real life.
She also comments on a recent Fox News headline about her that said “Heather Graham Not Looking for Mr. Right, Just Good Sex.”
That’s hilarious. I think the culture programs women so that if you don’t get married and have kids, you’re considered a failure. It’s not the same way with men and I think that’s very sexist. People say that there are all types of men in the world and some want to get married and have kids, and some don’t. The same should apply to women, but women who don’t want to have a traditional, conservative life aren’t treated the same way as men. I would like to see more women out there having unapologetic fun and not conforming to this idea of what a woman is supposed to do.
It’s so refreshing to see Graham be so candid and thoughtful about calling out the sexism within Hollywood. While the details are scarce, it sounds like Graham’s screenplay could be a refreshing and nuanced look about gender, sex and religion.
Heather Graham on ‘The Hangover Part III,’ Roles for Women,
and More (The Daily Beast)
