In the early 80s, Geena Davis mostly attracted flashlights for her modeling gigs and bit-part roles in movies like Tootsie. However, after a brilliant performance as Veronica Quaife opposite Jeff Goldblum in sci-fi The Fly (1986), she started to enjoy regular opportunities in high-profile movies.
Her portrayal of a quirky dog trainer Muriel in 1988 hit The Accidental Tourist earned plenty of plaudits, including an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The 90s saw her dominate the box office from front and center through female-lead movies like Thelma and Louise and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
However, following the turn of the century, Davis started to shift her focus toward championing feminist ideas and driving change toward gender biases in media. This development must’ve been partly inspired by her own unfortunate experiences.
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How Filmmaker Made Geena Davis Uncomfortable During Audition
In 1991, Geena Davis alongside Susan Sarandon led Thelma and Louise, a groundbreaking feminist awakening feature film. A few years later, she starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson in The Long Kiss Goodnight which shed light on a feminist action hero. However, behind the scenes, Davis, especially during the early stages of her career, wasn’t able to exert the same authority and power as her on-screen characters.
Speaking to USA Today in 2019, the 67-year-old shared one undignified experience she endured during an audition. She said:
“One was very early on: I was auditioning for a part where in one scene, my character was going to be sitting on the lap of the male character. The director said, “Just act the scene out with me” and made me sit on his lap. It was kind of a s*xy scene. I didn’t want to do it, and I was very uncomfortable, but I didn’t know you could say no.”
Davis was too inexperienced to fight back at the time but as her career progressed, she started raising gender bias issues, first on screen and then away from camera flashes as well. The two-time Oscar nominee founded The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media in 2004 to advocate for equal representation of women.
In 2018, she also appeared in This Changes Everything, a documentary that talks about the state of representation of women in entertainment.
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How Geena Davis Made Brad Pitt Feel Comfortable During an Intimate Scene
In Thelma and Louise, the titular characters become fugitives of the law after waitress Louise killed a man who attempts to rape meek housewife Thelma. During their run from the law, Thelma falls for a good-looking young thief J.D.
Brad Pitt played the part which involved filming an intimate scene – which Pitt describes as his entry into the big leagues – with Davis. While talking about his experience in an interview with W Magazine, he made sure to underline how supportive the senior actress was.
“Geena [Davis] was so sweet and kind and delicate. That love scene, I think, went on for two days of shooting. She took care of me,” he said.
When the interviewer added that the film, which earned six Oscar nominations, holds up really well, the True Romance actor was quick to graciously credit his two female co-stars.
Source: USA Today, W Magazine
