Kristen Stewart, famously known for her Twilight films has navigated her career from appearing in films to making them. Currently, she’s gearing up for the release of her directorial debut The Chronology of Water, which forced her to face plenty of financial struggles and witness the ugly side of Hollywood’s women empowerment.
The actor turned filmmaker, Kristen Stewart, therefore sat for an interview with Porter Magazine, to discuss the limited representation of women in Hollywood. Calling out the industry for nit-picking Margot Robbie and Maggie Gyllenhaal to be the face of empowerment, Stewart slammed Hollywood for not doing as much for women as it claims.
Kristen Stewart Highlighted Limited Opportunities for Female Directors
Venturing on the journey of filmmaking, Kristen Stewart came across certain drawbacks in Hollywood that made her realize the harsh reality of the industry. Therefore, sitting for an interview with Porter Magazine, Stewart highlighted the issue of limited opportunities in the entertainment industry.
Stating that Hollywood isn’t as pro-female as it claims, Kristen Stewart noted how the industry has chosen a few renowned women to be the face of empowerment. Giving a harsh reality check, the actress called out Margot Robbie and Maggie Gyllenhaal, who are often brought to the forefront to make people believe in Hollywood’s equality.
“[There’s a] thinking that we can check these little boxes, and then do away with the patriarchy, and how we’re all made of it. It’s easy for them to be like, ‘Look what we’re doing. We’re making Maggie Gyllenhaal’s movie! We’re making Margot Robbie’s movie!’ And you’re like, ‘OK, cool. You’ve chosen four.”
Criticizing the industry for championing only a select few women, Kristen Stewart gave a reality check to Margot Robbie and her fans, despite her gigantic $1.4B success (via The Numbers) with Barbie. Even for fellow actor-filmmaker Maggie Gyllenhaal, who is working on her upcoming sci-fi horror flick The Bride, Stewart mentioned that Hollywood’s selected empowerment is sort of “phony”.
Despite Harsh Comments, Kristen Stewart Admires Her Fellow Colleagues
After openly criticizing Hollywood for using a selected few women to represent the whole industry and only celebrating their achievements, Kristen Stewart quickly mentioned that she holds no grudge against Margot Robbie or Maggie Gyllenhaal. Instead, the actress admitted looking up to Robbie and Gyllenhaal.
“And I’m in awe of those women, I love those women [but] it feels phony. If we’re congratulating each other for broadening perspective, when we haven’t really done enough, then we stop broadening.”
Clarifying that she holds nothing against Robbie or Gyllenhaal, who have worked their way to the summit, Kristen Stewart mentioned that she simply wanted to highlight Hollywood’s performative feminism. The actress then spoke about her plans to make her directorial debut, adapting the memoir The Chronology of Water by Lidia Yuknavitch.
“As an actor, I’m called upon to serve other people’s visions. You get greedy; it feels good to be called upon… even if you don’t love the thing. I think it’s nice that, as I’ve gotten older, I would much prefer to tailor my experiences to result-oriented goals, versus, just, ‘This is gonna feel good for me right now.’”
Branching out to greater opportunities, the actress reflected on her career shift. While her directorial debut made her realize the harsh reality of opportunities for women in Hollywood, it also offered her the chance to do what she pleases. Instead of catering to other people’s visions as an actor, Stewart noted how she can now tailor her own experiences.
