Mindy Kaling delivered a powerful call to action at Elle’s 2019 Women in Hollywood event, held Monday in LA. While accepting an award, the “Late Night” screenwriter and star urged women — and especially women of color — in the biz to realize their worth and emphasized that its “our time to take [power].”
“The past few years have gifted us with shows that are redefining the TV landscape, shows like ‘Insecure,’ ‘Fleabag.’ Shows like ‘Queen Sugar,’ ‘Killing Eve,’ ‘Pen15,’ ‘One Day at a Time,’ ‘Chewing Gum,’ and so many others,” the “Mindy Project” and “Office” alumna observed. “It is a testament to our resilience that women, especially women of color, can knock it out of the park if we are just given the shot. But, as women of color, we need to acknowledge that we face a disproportionate amount of screening.”
Kaling suggested that “women are being given chances to prove themselves in our industry,” but added that “it’s not happening quite as fast as we want it to be. Despite our efforts, it is still mostly men who are handed large franchises to direct. It is men who are allowed to fail, safe in knowing that they will bounce back with, at the very least, a lucrative podcast,” she joked.
The multi-hyphenate also pointed to the unfair pressure placed on people of color to ensure that Hollywood is inclusive while their white peers remain unaccountable. “Why is it the sole responsibility of people of color to hire people of color?” she asked. “No one wants to start telling white male directors in Hollywood how they diversify their cast and crew. They are free to churn out movie after lily-white movie until the end of time, simply because Ava DuVernay exists. She gets tired, guys!”
Kaling attributed the success of women in the industry to the fact that “we take our sense of injustice and we take our sense of not belonging and we use it as fuel. In the immortal words of the prophet Rihanna, ‘You work. Work, work, work,'” she said. “We make our own opportunities, and when we are able, we make opportunities for others. We don’t wait for others to decide that we are good enough,” she emphasized.
The six-time Emmy nominee continued, “If I was still waiting for other people to decide that I was good enough, I would be teaching an improv class in North Hollywood. We are good enough right now. There may be gatekeepers, but guess what? We are gate crashers, okay? Power belongs to those who reach out and take it, and it’s our time to take it. And if you can bring other people along the way and other women, even better. Because we’re not just women in Hollywood. We are Hollywood. We make Hollywood work. Work, work, work, work.”
Kaling signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV earlier this year. The “Ocean’s 8” star and “Four Weddings and a Funeral” co-creator has a semi-autobiographical comedy series in the works at Netflix.
