2008 Woodie Awards
Media Darling: Bros. shoot down leading ladies
by Liz Seasholtz
Issue date: 10/12/07 Section: Mosaic
While feminists may disagree with me, it seems as though discrimination against women in the workplace has been ironed out for the most part. Equality issues have faded into the background, bra burnings are a thing of the past and women have generally been allowed to excel in whatever area they choose - or so we thought.
Apparently, when it comes to the film industry, more specifically Warner Bros., women are not pulling their weight. This may sound ludicrous considering the abundance of actresses traipsing through Hollywood, but according to LA Weekly, Warner Brothers president of production Jeff Robinov has recently decreed, "We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead."
This neanderthal statement, which has been confirmed by three Hollywood producers, follows the less-than-stellar summer box-office performances of both Jodie Foster's "The Brave One" and Nicole Kidman's "The Invasion."
I guess we are supposed to disregard the fact that Foster's previous films "Flightplan" and "Panic Room" were big hits, and Kidman's "The Invasion" had three different directors throughout filming. We should also conveniently forget both women have been nominated and awarded multiple Oscars. Apparently, past performances have no resonance with Robinov, who has already written off the whole gender's lead-acting abilities.
Robinov has held his title of president of production for five years, and it appears he has not always been a chauvinist. In a 2005 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when questioned how he planned to achieve distinct genres in his filmmaking, he stated, "I want diversity and quality."
Last time I checked, diversity in acting meant switching up the sex, race and age of the leading characters. I guess Robinov has not held true to his 2005 resolutions.
Moreover, he is furthering the existing stereotype that Warner Bros. is a macho, action-oriented studio. In the 2005 interview, Robinov defended this stereotype by saying, "They were looking for big movies. They were more star-driven and concept-driven." Even then, he clearly related the macho, male presence as a key ingredient for "big movies."
Apparently, when it comes to the film industry, more specifically Warner Bros., women are not pulling their weight. This may sound ludicrous considering the abundance of actresses traipsing through Hollywood, but according to LA Weekly, Warner Brothers president of production Jeff Robinov has recently decreed, "We are no longer doing movies with women in the lead."
This neanderthal statement, which has been confirmed by three Hollywood producers, follows the less-than-stellar summer box-office performances of both Jodie Foster's "The Brave One" and Nicole Kidman's "The Invasion."
I guess we are supposed to disregard the fact that Foster's previous films "Flightplan" and "Panic Room" were big hits, and Kidman's "The Invasion" had three different directors throughout filming. We should also conveniently forget both women have been nominated and awarded multiple Oscars. Apparently, past performances have no resonance with Robinov, who has already written off the whole gender's lead-acting abilities.
Robinov has held his title of president of production for five years, and it appears he has not always been a chauvinist. In a 2005 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, when questioned how he planned to achieve distinct genres in his filmmaking, he stated, "I want diversity and quality."
Last time I checked, diversity in acting meant switching up the sex, race and age of the leading characters. I guess Robinov has not held true to his 2005 resolutions.
Moreover, he is furthering the existing stereotype that Warner Bros. is a macho, action-oriented studio. In the 2005 interview, Robinov defended this stereotype by saying, "They were looking for big movies. They were more star-driven and concept-driven." Even then, he clearly related the macho, male presence as a key ingredient for "big movies."
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