Geena Davis on growing opportunities for women in film industry: ‘Change hasn’t really happened yet’
‘Thelma & Louise’ star has long been advocate for gender equality in Hollywood
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Geena Davis has claimed she’s “still waiting” for the film industry to provide women with as much opportunity as it does men.
During a conversation with CBS News’ Tracy Smith, the 65-year-old actor said that “change hasn’t really happened yet,” while sharing a story of how she realised in 2004 that there were more men than women in the shows her daughter watched on TV.
The Thelma and Louise actor then commissioned a study looking at the phenomenon, which she shared with a number of Hollywood studios. Now, the situation is “50-50”, the actor said.
However, Davis said the situation had not improved for women actors over the age of 50.
“It hasn’t,” Davis said. “It’s much different for female actors past 50 than male actors past 50. The majority of female characters, I believe, are in their 20s, and the majority of male actors are in their 30s and 40s.”
Davis has been an advocate for gender equality in Hollywood for years, leading many campaigns and symposiums on the subject.
She also produced a feature-length documentary about film industry equality, called This Changes Everything.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments