Carey Mulligan had much to say about the sorry state of the film industry, especially as it pertains to gender, in a recent interview with Time Out. The Academy Award-nominated actress echoed sentiments shared by many of us, noting “There’s a lack of material for women. A lack of great stories for women.”
Mulligan didn’t just discuss a dearth of complex roles for women in Hollywood — she boldly identified its root, arguing, “In terms of the amount of interesting roles there are for women, it’s obviously massively sexist.” Kudos to Mulligan for taking things one step further in acknowledging that gender inequality onscreen is a reflection of sexism behind the scenes.
Of course, sexism behind the scenes extends to press tours and red-carpet coverage of events, and Mulligan voiced her support of the “Ask her more” campaign, an effort to have journalists ask actresses about more than their outfits.
Speaking about her upcoming movie “Suffragette,” Mulligan shared, “The mere fact that it’s taken 100 years for this story to be told is hugely revealing.” She continued, “This is the story of equal rights in Britain, and it took years of struggle and women being tortured, abused and persecuted, and it’s never been put on-screen. It’s such a reflection of our film industry that that story hasn’t been told yet.” We couldn’t agree more. We listed “Suffragette” as one of our most anticipated films of 2015, writing that the film “seems like something Women and Hollywood dreamt up. [It’s] written and directed by women, focuses on female characters, and narrativizes historical events that led to UK women securing the right to vote.”
Mulligan celebrated her “Suffragette” costar Meryl Streep for “using her power in the industry in a really positive way. She’s wanted to make a film about women’s rights for a long time.”
This isn’t the first time Mulligan has spoken out against sexism in the industry. In fact, in a recent interview with Women and Hollywood, Mulligan stated, “When will [the film industry] catch up with the fact that [women-centric] films do well? It’s just like what Cate Blanchett said at the Oscars. The hunger for female-driven stories is there. You just have to make the films. This shock over how these films do so well is a bit tired now. Jennifer Lawrence can open movies like any male star.”
Mulligan can next be seen in the romantic drama “Far from the Madding Crowd,” an adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel of the same name. It opens in theatres May 1.
[via The Guardian]
