Women deserve better from Hollywood: Reese

Actor ventured into production after she saw female actors ‘fighting over a really crappy role’

Reese Witherspoon has set herself the task of shifting Hollywood attitudes towards women by not only changing the way women are portrayed in films but also by altering the way female actors are treated in the industry, reported Huffington Post.

Two years ago, she started her own production house after seeing six of her favourite female actors “fighting over a really crappy role in a movie,” she revealed at the recent Oscar Nominee Luncheon in Los Angeles. “We deserve better. It’s great to speak up, but what I really think is you’ve got to do something,” she said.

Last year, Reese produced the adaptation of the book Gone Girl, and starred in and produced an adaptation of the best-seller Wild. In her role as producer, she has strived to make films that place strong female characters in lead roles.

Both her films feature intricate narratives, driven by female characters that are strong, independent, and fundamental to the plot beyond any relationship to a male character. “I set out with the idea that I wanted to develop material that has strong female leads. I wanted to make movies about what I want to put out into the world – put some good into the world,” she commented.

Wild is the true story of Cheryl Strayed, who set off alone to hike 1,100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in reaction to her mother’s death. Reese named Wild the greatest gift of her professional life. “I feel like I really fought for this movie to get made. And it was hard. But it’s so rewarding,” Reese stated.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 6^th, 2015.

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