By Alexandra Quilici
Each year The Hollywood Reporter starts to release their annual roundtable talks with various different people in the entertainment industry. This year’s started with the Drama Actress Roundtable and the candid conversation about sexism in the industry included Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife), Jennifer Lopez (Shades of Blue), Sarah Paulson (The People v O.J. Simpson, American Horror Story), Kirsten Dunst (Fargo), Regina King (The Leftovers, American Crime), Kerry Washington (Scandal, Confirmation), and Constance Zimmerman (UnReal).
These women are seasoned professionals and are all currently playing leading roles in primetime television, however, just because they have found career success does not excuse them from the sexist culture rampant behind the scenes…
When asked about the most overtly sexist things they have experienced in their careers, each had thoughtful responses:
Kerry Washington: She doesn’t experience too much thanks to female show runner Shonda Rhimes running Scandal, and notes that “it’s specified in scripts that guys take their shirts off all the time.” A fun, very appreciated, change to come to television.
Sarah Paulson: While she has multiple heads and has fulfilled the absolute weirdest requests for American Horror Story she notes the most annoying request is that she’s”never been asked to play the romantic leading lady without having to be a blonde.”
Jennifer Lopez: Often noted as the diva, Lopez commented “I’m always fascinated on how much more well-behaved we have to be than men. I get the moniker of being a ‘diva’ which I never felt I deserved.” Lopez noted how being late or having a strong opinion is “being difficult,” even though she sees her male counterparts do it constantly.
Julianna Margulies: While being the star for seven years on The Good Wife it was impossible for her to get producing credit from the Producers Guild as she had to “try and prove” her job to them (something that Julia Louis-Dreyfus also struggled with on her show Veep).
Other topics included where the actresses would draw the line for nudity, many agreeing that it depends on the character and if it felt “right” for them. Lopez noted that she does less and less ever since having kids, while Margulies shared that there is “something great about seeing a woman in her 40’s having sex with someone and not being inhibited”
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Stay tuned on The Hollywood Reporter’s YouTube where they will begin to release full length versions of the upcoming roundtables.
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