A working, attractive actress directing a major film is like a baseball or football player coming out as gay while he’s still playing. Sure, for years, people say it will happen one day, but both haven’t. In both instances, these “players” only come out (i.e., ex-NFL’er Wade Davis, ex-MLB’er Glenn Burke) or get an opportunity to direct (i.e., Jodie Foster, Penny Marshall) when their acting careers are over or waning.
You never see top money making actresses directing movies—not even those films “made for women.” Besides, that job seems to be filled by “chick director” d’jour David Frankel (“Hope Springs,” “Devil Wears Prada”).
For example, Miley “Hannah Montana” Cyrus, was the Ron “Opie” Howard of her time. But, somehow, Ron got a chance to direct (at the age of 23!) and is still at it. Somehow, Ron’s “money men” have ignored the fact that he has (at times) directed a string of serious money losers. Indeed, if a woman had his same losing streak(s), she’d be out of work.
How and why did this “no attractive woman should direct” edict become an unwritten rule of Hollywood? Is it because the predominantly male power structure that governs movie-land can’t take taking orders from a woman? But not just any woman–a GREAT looking woman? No doubt these men believe the axiom that the “the more looks God gives a woman, the less brains she must have.”
Maybe one day, the most powerful women in show-biz (translation: those that bring in the most moolah) will form a version of United Artists, circa 1919. Then, the four biggest stars at the time (actors Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and director DW Griffith) joined forces to make their own production company. Imagine what would happen if the “hottest” (physically and financially speaking) actresses (Kristen Stewart, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Stone, Emma Watson, Scarlett Johansson and Miley Cyrus) made their own production company and filmed movies by women, for women…and, maybe borrowing a page from “Ben and Jerry’s,” gave an one day sampling of their fare by offering free movies for women. But, giving the politics of our time, an old roadblock will rear its ugly head:
Film distribution companies run by men!
