Women need a leg-up in the film business, says Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart thinks women need a "leg up" in the movie business.
The 35-year-old movie star has made her directorial debut with 'The Chronology of Water', the new biographical drama film - but Kristen has admitted that she really struggled to get the project off the ground.
The Hollywood star - who recently premiered 'The Chronology of Water' at the Cannes Film Festival - told IndieWire: "This was not without help. I needed to have a couple of public temper tantrums in order to get the right people to listen.
"I have this stunning collaborator in Charles Gillibert, who [produced] 'On the Road', 'Personal Shopper', and 'Clouds of Sils Maria'. He understands that [women] need help and we need a f****** leg up.
"It took a long time to get this made. Yeah. It took forever."
Kristen eventually became convinced she could make the movie after auditioning Imogen Poots for the role of Lidia Yuknavitch.
The actress-turned-director has heaped praise on Imogen, 35.
Kristen said: "She's a walking motif. Look at her eyes.
"Visually, I was taken aback when her face filled my Zoom screen in which we did a pseudo audition, aah, I started getting this feeling: 'Oh, my God, the movie might exist.'"
Kristen hopes 'The Chronology of Water' can actually trigger a change within the movie business.
The first-time director hopes that her project will encourage more movie studios to explore female narratives.
Kristen - who is best known for playing Bella Swan in the 'Twilight' film franchise - said during a panel at Deadline's Cannes Film Festival studio: "We broke the seal. Hopefully we can start flooding, gushing into view."
The actress believes cinemagoers have been presented with "prescribed stories" for too long.
She said: "We get prescribed stories just shoved into our faces, down our throats."
What's more, Kristen is frustrated with how women are often portrayed on the big screen.
The movie star - whose acting credits include 'Cafe Society' and 'Crimes of the Future' - explained: "The imagery that we consume, the conversations that are not allowed, the fact that we can't tell people when we're bleeding, like it's gross or something."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
Sean Baker demands 'full control' over film projects
Sean Baker wants "full autonomy" over all of his films. The 54-year-old filmmaker enjoyed huge success as the director of 'Anora', the romantic-comedy drama movie, in 2024, and Sean has now confirmed that his next project will be "in the same wheelhouse". During an appearance on the 'It Happened in Hollywood' podcast, Sean shared: "Don't expect a Marvel film. It's not going to happen. "I'm intentionally going to stay in the same wheelhouse and with the approximate same budget. I think that I enjoy working in this space of 100 percent independent." 'Anora' won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, while it also earned five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Mikey Madison), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. And Sean doesn't have any intention of changing his approach to film-making. He said: "I'm not working for even a mini studio. I'm making my film independently and then going the old school route of hopefully a bidding war or somebody licensing the movie. "I think that's the only way to have full autonomy and control over your vision. So it'll be that. Expect more of the same." Sean is currently "exploring some ideas" for his next film project. Asked about his next movie, Sean replied: "I'm not sure yet. I'm still exploring some ideas." Earlier this year, Sean warned that a film's production shouldn't be "too controlled". The acclaimed filmmaker explained that his creative process has hardly changed over the years. Sean - whose previous directing credits include 'Four Letter Words', 'Tangerine' and 'Red Rocket' - told The Talks: "I try to keep it small, I try to keep us always in a sort of guerilla, indie, shoot from the hip sort of mentality, keeping open to serendipity and happy accidents. The only way to do that is to be controlled — you have a job to do, and you're spending people's money, and you have a limited amount of time — but you can't be too controlled. "So what I always like to say is: you control 90 percent but then you leave 10 percent up to the film gods, because those happy accidents are what make these movies. You have to be open to real life! You try for minimal lighting, you try for real location, you take the actors and you throw them into real life and see what happens. I try my best to retain that." Sean believes that his past success has actually complicated his work. He explained: "It does get harder because I'm a higher profile now. It's a little bit harder. But I also work with an incredible crew that really understands that sort of DIY film-making and wanting to stay on the fringe and stay out of the Hollywood machine."
Perth Now
a day ago
- Perth Now
Andrew Scott joins A Place in Hell opposite Michelle Williams and Daisy Edgar Jones
Andrew Scott has joined the cast of legal thriller 'A Place in Hell'. The 48-year-old star is set to star opposite Michelle Williams and Daisy Edgar Jones in the Chloe Domont movie, according to Deadline. Domont is to direct the motion picture, and she has penned the screenplay for the film. It will tell the story of two women who work at a high-profile criminal law firm. Scott is best known for starring in 2023 romantic drama movie 'All of Us Strangers', alongside Jones' 'Normal People' co-star Paul Mescal. Like Mescal, Scott also appeared in a hit BBC TV series, 'Fleabag', and he has led the cast of Netflix thriller series 'Ripley'. Scott recently told how he credits acting for helping him overcome a speech impediment. He explained to The Times magazine: "I had a speech impediment as a child and acting helped me be less self-conscious and shy. "I had a strong lisp and in elocution lessons I practised improvisation and verbalising phrases like, 'She sells seashells on the seashore.' "I still find acting helpful." Away from appearing in front of the camera, the actor, who is due to star in 'Wake Up Dead Man', the next Knives Out mystery, takes pleasure in painting. He said: "I love painting people, and my mother [who was an art teacher] was very influential. She made sure that I drew from observation. "She always said, 'Draw something that you see, not something that is in your mind', and that's always stuck with me. "I don't have a life you'd describe as unusual. I live in the city, and I go home to Ireland and see my loved ones. "I go to the gym and, honestly, I just love going to the movies. And galleries. All of that artsy stuff gets my heart beating. "Nature is increasingly important to me. I love the coast particularly. And mountains. And spectacular canyons. All of it is pretty amazing."
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Perth Now
Directing is really rewarding, says Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson found directing to be a "really rewarding" experience. The 40-year-old star made her directorial debut with 'Eleanor the Great', the new drama movie starring June Squibb in the title role, and Scarlett has revealed that she loved the challenge of working behind the camera. The Hollywood star told 'Extra': "I have a different perspective on just the process of, you know, pre-production and then what goes on after we all leave. I think, as an actor, you're hoping that the director sees kind of what you were doing and follows, you know, pulls the right thread and all of that stuff, but you don't know. "You have no, kind of, control over it and now, you know, having experienced the other side of it, it just gives you, I think, an interesting insight into how people, other directors make their choices and the process that they go through to, you know, make it all happen. "It's a lot of work, but it can be really rewarding." Scarlett recently premiered the movie at the Cannes Film Festival, and she relished walking the red carpet with Erin Kellyman and June Squibb. The actress said: "Just being able to stand alongside Erin Kellyman and June Squibb after the film premiered and feel the warmth of the audience and the love from the audience for the film and for the incredible performances in it, it was such a moving moment. "And just to see June also so celebrated everywhere we went in Cannes, people were so excited to see her. It was just, it was amazing. "I'll never forget that moment of just being with those women after the screening and celebrating, you know, with the audience. It was really touching.' Despite this, Scarlett recently revealed that she's "not sure" whether to focus her attention on directing or acting. The film star doesn't yet know whether her long-term future is in front, or behind, the camera. Asked if the film marks a new beginning for her, Scarlett told Collider: "I don't know. I'm not sure. I guess we'll see. "My intention is to work on projects I would go and see, whether they're like 'Jurassic World' or this film. The commerciality of things is also important to me, too. Would audiences want to see this, too? Is this generally interesting? Those are things I look for and focus on and care about. So, we'll see, I guess." Scarlett - who is one of the best-paid actresses in Hollywood - insisted that she has no intention of retiring from acting. She clarified: "I'm certainly still an actor for hire — I want that to be widely printed."
