Alia Shawkat called out major Hollywood actresses over their choices involving female directors. The Arrested Development star questioned why some actresses rarely work with women filmmakers. Shawkat suggested that avoiding female directors could be a deliberate decision. Her comments came while promoting The Wrong Girls.
Alia Shawkat claimed top Hollywood actresses are actively and deliberately refusing to work with female directors.
Shawkat discussed the lack of opportunities for female filmmakers during a Hollywood Reporter interview. She noted that many “big actresses” do not work with female directors and questioned whether the pattern was accidental. Shawkat said she struggled to believe the pattern was accidental, suggesting that some actresses may be deliberately avoiding female filmmakers.
Shawkat said, “There’s a lot of big actresses who don’t work with female directors.” She added that she had difficulty believing the pattern happened by accident.
“It’s like, you have to actively avoid it. They’re trying to not work with female filmmakers. I genuinely believe we need to start building up female directors, there are so many who have made so many movies and they still have a hard time getting money,” Shawkat added.
Shawkat also discussed the difficulties female directors faced in securing financing. She said first-time female directors often struggled to get money for features. The actress wanted to help those filmmakers get their projects made. She also praised established female directors who continued to face similar obstacles.
Shawkat argued that Reichardt should not struggle to get her movies made. She compared Reichardt’s reputation with that of filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson and suggested that Reichardt might receive greater recognition if she were a man.
Shawkat also criticised how Hollywood approached awards season. She argued that successful films often had major teams behind their campaigns. According to the actress, those efforts helped secure award nominations. She believed the industry needed to reconsider how award success was viewed.
Meanwhile, Shawkat was promoting “The Wrong Girls,” a female-led stoner comedy. The film was directed by Dylan Meyer and also starred Kristen Stewart. Shawkat said the movie offered a rare example of women leading this genre. She also highlighted the broader challenges of getting women-directed movies made.
TELL US – DO YOU AGREE WITH ALIA SHAWKAT’S COMMENTS ABOUT FEMALE DIRECTORS?
Originally reported by Saumya Srivastava on Reality Tea
