Actress Minnie Driver revealed a “devastating” experience she had with a Good Will Hunting producer, who she said she was “not sexy” enough for the role she played in the movie.
“When a producer — a man or woman or nonbinary person — distills an actor down to what they perceive as their sexiness, it’s so dismissive of that person,” Driver told The Cut. “It was devastating. To be told at 26 that you’re not sexy when you maybe just got over all your teenage angst, and started to think, you know, maybe in the right light and the right shoes and the right dress, I’m all right,” the actress added.
Driver went on to say that this type of behavior in Hollywood has not changed.
“And by the way, that is something that has not changed — there are still just times when people are like ‘she’s too old’ or ‘she’s too tall,'” she said.
“I’ve always thought about how things get distilled,” the actress continued. “There’s this notion of one part of you being ‘the thing’ that will block all these other aspects of who you are. That’s a huge frustration as an actor.”
While she didn’t name the producer, Driver said in another interview that disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein tried firing her, saying “Nobody would want to fuck.”
Driver’s experience in the entertainment industry is just one of many examples of Hollywood’s blatant hypocrisy.
Earlier this year, actress Geena Davis blasted Hollywood sexism and ageism, stating that after she had won an Oscar, directors “wanted to make sure I knew my place.”
In 2020, actress Emma Thompson called out Hollywood’s casting sexism, stating that once a woman passes the age of 50, she becomes “invisible.”
In 2018, actress Sandra Bullock revealed that she had considered leaving Hollywood and quitting acting altogether after being made to feel less worthy than the men in her industry simply because she is female.
Actress Melissa McCarthy has also spoken out against the industry’s perceived culture of sexism and misogyny. Actress Kristen Stewart has denounced Hollywood as well, claiming that there is a lack of opportunities offered to women in the industry.
Moreover, actress-filmmaker Jodie Foster has said she believes more can be done to increase the number of female directors on big Hollywood movies.
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