Sarah Paulson and Sandra Oh joined forces to talk about how far Hollywood has come — and how far it has to go — for a feature in Variety. Both are up for an Emmy Award this year — Paulson for Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for “American Horror Story: Cult” and Oh for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for “Killing Eve.” Oh is making history as the first Asian woman ever nominated in the category. The “Grey’s Anatomy” alumna spoke about the significance of her nod with Paulson.
“I’m really grateful that there are these types of recognition because they can have meaning not only for the individuals that are involved but a larger recognition for a community or a project that we find ourselves a part of, a family member of, a symbol of,” she emphasized. “A recognition, an award shines light on projects on people and issues that are bigger than the individual.” Seemingly pointing to the underrepresentation of Asian actors on-screen, Oh added, ” For me it’s not only about celebration and wonderful joy. I always think of the larger context of how it can illuminate potentially larger issues.”
Asked how roles have changed over the course of their decades-long careers and if they’ve improved, Paulson and Oh celebrated strides forward but remained realistic about the current state of the business. “I certainly feel because of where we are right now, we are in the moment in the world and the attention and focus is appropriately being placed on this topic,” said Paulson. “I think there has been forward motion. But I fear that we are going to get mired in the conversation about it and more action won’t be taken. I want the conversation to spur the doing. I certainly feel in television, particularly, there has been an enormous movement forward toward female stories and I happen to work in an environment that has for the last eight or nine years been with a person for whom that is of paramount importance. I think I’ve been very, very lucky that way. And perhaps so lucky that I haven’t even experienced directly the paucity of roles for women. There has been forward motion, but I think we have a long way to go.”
Paulson is referring to long-time collaborator Ryan Murphy. She’s worked on a number of projects with the writer-director-producer, including various incarnations of “American Horror Story” and “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.” As she explains elsewhere in the feature, Murphy created the Half Foundation, which endeavors to have 50 percent of all director slots on his shows filled by women, people of color, and members of the LGBT community.
Oh agreed with Paulson, and suggested that the question itself is “too narrow.” She explained, “Has the opportunity, has the people who are filling that opportunity, has that expanded? If that is the question, who are the primary storytellers at this moment and is that diversifying or deepening, then yes, I do feel that. There’s a lot further we need to get. It’s the depths of it. Yes, there are plenty of roles, but we have to think about where we are. Just the medium of television has changed so incredibly that the need for content provides opportunity. Where we are right now, there is a shift and an interest. What we need to do build is the voices to step into that opportunity. That is something I’ve been thinking about a lot. And that development takes time. That’s where we need to focus on.” She continued, “With ‘Killing Eve,’ frankly speaking last year we had three male directors and it was really terrific and also disappointing. Because of a lot of things like union rules and money and stuff like that, the pool is smaller so I want that pool to grow. I want to be a part of growing that pool so that when the opportunities come, we are ready to meet it.”
Oh continued, “The willingness at least — I’m not saying the results are the same as the willingness — but the willingness to search for diversity is the highest I have ever experienced in my career for sure. And then coming to set, seeing new faces, and seeing the effort there, I find it very heartening.”
“That’s the thing. It’s about making the well of talent so full and ready that when the gates are opened in the proper way, the flood will happen and there will be no stopping it,” Paulson said. “The environments in which I’ve been working so much have been with Ryan … half of our directors are women. It’s incredibly important. It’s extraordinary and powerful and it’s not the norm. I feel lucky to be working with someone who makes that a priority.”
Head over to Variety to check out the rest of the pair’s conversation, which includes a discussion of how “Killing Eve” has added three women directors to its roster for its upcoming second season.
