Kirsten Dunst Wasn’t Wrong: There Are Female Directors In Hollywood
I was scrolling through Tiktok recently and a few creators pointed out a clip from a The Hollywood Reporter Actors Roundtable from 2016. The roundtable included the likes of Julianna Margulies, Jennifer Lopez, Kerry Washington, Sarah Paulson, Kirsten Dunst, Regina King, and Constance Zimmer. The Hollywood Reporter releases these hour-long episodes around award season and actors share experiences of being actors.
In the Tiktok I am referencing, most of the actresses agree that there are no female directors in the industry. As everyone shook their heads in agreement, Kirsten Dunst however stood out and said that there are female directors. When Dunst mentioned that she has worked with several women throughout her career most of the women at the round table were in shock.
She continues on to say, “I really love women. I have really strong female relationships. Little Women was a female director. Sophia Coppola. I’m going to work with her again this year. And, like, my girlfriends who did their first movie. I’ve done Leslye Hedlund. I’ve worked with so many female directors.” Kirsten Dunst is famously known to work on many of Sofia Coppola’s projects as well as recently Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog.
When making the statement, she says that it is their responsibility as actresses to seek out projects directed by females, especially first-time female directors. Most of the directors Dunst mentions working with were first-time directors when she worked with them.
She’s right.
There are female directors however they are not given opportunities like their male counterparts. It is known there is a disproportionate amount of female directors to male directors. In 2021, 12% of the top 100 highest-grossing films were directed by women. It decreased by 16% from what it was in 2020. Of course, there is more that factors into these statistics such as if they were theatrical releases versus straight to streaming. That aside, the year 2021 was a year of regression for female directors.
In essence, Kirsten is saying that as women who have some power and privilege, they should lend a hand to other women. I think this is an extremely valuable message to be sent to her peers.
But essentially that is the toxic culture of Hollywood or any institution for that matter. As women in the film industry have been historically sidelined from making decisions, it’s not enough to just wish there were more opportunities for them. Successful women have to take a stance and give opportunities to young, unproven talents. I think Dunst has proven to be a person who talks the talk and also walks the walk.
This could be said about any marginalized group in any industry. We can’t just wish for opportunities for women, people of color, and LGBTQIA+ — we need to continue to help each other have seats at those tables so our voices are heard. Strides have been made when it comes to representation but we still have a long way to go.
Most of the women at that roundtable in 2016 are well-known names in Hollywood so what is actually stopping them from opening the door for other women to break out into the industry?
