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PEOPLE & ARTSFriday 1 April 2016
Film director says he supports-
moves toward gender parity
SANDY COHEN
AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The
director of “Bridesmaids,”
‘’Spy” and the upcoming
“Ghostbusters” remake
says he would add an eq-
uity clause to his future
film contracts that requires
gender-balanced casting
of minor roles. This image released by The Public Theater shows Lin-Man-
uel Miranda, foreground, with the cast during a perfor-
Paul Feig said he supports mance of “Hamilton,” in New York.
such efforts to push the Associated Press.
movie business toward Open casting call
gender parity. for ‘Hamilton’
“I think we need to set causes a little ruckus
these things in stone so it This image released by EPIX shows director Catherine Hard- MARK KENNEDY
wicke from the original documentary series, “The 4%: Film’s AP Drama Writer
forces everybody to think Gender Problem.” NEW YORK (AP) — The Broadway smash “Hamilton,”
which has been cheered for reclaiming the nation’s
that way,” he told The As- Associated Press founding story by a multicultural cast, has oddly
come under fire for specifically seeking “nonwhite
sociated Press. are half of film-school stu- percent of speaking roles in men and women” for upcoming roles in future ver-
dents and movie ticket the films of 2014. sions.
Feig was part of a panel buyers, not to mention the Bello said she is part of an That went too far for the Actors’ Equity Association
human population, yet effort to develop a “gen- union, which said Wednesday that the show’s lan-
discussion Wednesday play the lead in just one in der parity stamp” to recog- guage was not official or in compliance with their
five films and are outnum- nize productions that are rules.
night at the actors’ union bered by male directors 23 actively increasing oppor- The show responded by saying it regretted the con-
to one. tunities for women on both fusion and will amend the notice to add that “we
Los Angeles headquarters sides of the camera. welcome people of all ethnicities to audition.”
Smith, whose studies on The documentary, di- No such outcry was heard when the show was first
about Hollywood’s gender gender and Hollywood in- rected by Suh and avail- being mounted, which called specifically for non-
formed the documentary, able on-demand on EPIX, white actors to play the likes of Alexander Hamilton,
bias. The talk with actress suggested that A-list stars includes interviews with George Washington, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson
consider an equity clause such filmmakers as Cath- and Eliza Hamilton. Only King George III was sup-
Maria Bello, directors Car- in their contracts so that erine Hardwicke, Lake Bell, posed to be filled by a white man.
some movies might reflect Anjelica Huston and Julie “Hamilton” producers said such a stance adheres to
oline Suh and Tina Mabry real-world demography. Delpy, who says: “The next the accepted practice that certain characteristics
Her research found that Kubrick, in no one’s mind, is in certain roles constitute a legal and “bona fide oc-
and University of Southern women represented 30 a woman.” cupational qualification.” Other shows also cast with
ethnicity in mind.
California professor Stacy L. Since it opened off-Broadway last year, the show
has been celebrated for putting minorities at the
Smith followed a screening center of America’s birth. The show’s African-Ameri-
can, Asian and Latino actors have been cheered by
of the documentary “The President Barak Obama, British actress Helen Mirren
and many others.
4%: Film’s Gender Prob- The latest snag occurred when the show posted on
its website a call for “nonwhite men and women,
lem.” ages 20s to 30s, for Broadway and upcoming tours.”
Equity, which usually reviews casting notices, said it
The film’s title refers to the had not in this case.
“Our audition rules are created to provide the broad-
number of top movies di- est access possible for our members to be seen for
roles,” the union said.
rected by women over the The show is by Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote the
show’s book, music and lyrics, and stars in the title
past dozen years. role. It stresses the orphan, immigrant roots of Hamil-
ton and has a terrifically varied score, ranging from
Research shows women pop ballads to gospel to sexy R&B. A Chicago pro-
duction will open this fall and a national tour will
New study shows gender travel to San Francisco and then Los Angeles in 2017.
gap narrowing in book coverage
BY HILLEL ITALIE ments, some large and 80 percent of the review-
AP National Writer some incremental, which ers in 2010 were men and
NEW YORK (AP) — A new makes us cautiously op- a similar percentage of the
study of literary publications timistic; however even books were written by men.
finds that men remain the great strides seem to also As in previous years, the cur-
majority of book reviewers regularly take one or two rent charts were compiled
and authors reviewed, but steps back,” said King, not- by a team of VIDA volun-
the gap is narrowing. ing, for instance, that men teers. In an email to The
VIDA, otherwise known as outnumbered women by Associated Press, Paris Re-
Women in Literary Arts, told 2-to-1 for The Paris Review’s view editor Lorin Stein said
The Associated Press on book coverage in 2015. that year-to-year changes
Wednesday that The New Two years earlier, the ra- in gender representation
Republic and Harper’s tio was nearly even. VIDA were a matter of “about
were among those show- (www.vida.org) sparked a dozen poems in one col-
ing notable increases in the an extensive debate in umn or the other, a handful
representation of women in the book world when it re- of stories.” He noted that
their book coverage. VIDA leased its first study, in 2011, the magazine has given
chair Amy King said the showing vast disparities be- four of its last five Plimpton
report showed some “up- tween men and women Prizes for fiction, awarded
ticks worth noting,” but also at such elite and politically to outstanding new writ-
cautioned against possible liberal publications as The ers who have appeared in
backlash that “happens New Yorker, Harper’s and the magazine, to women:
with increased awareness.” The New York Review of Emma Cline, Ottessa Mosh-
“We see regular improve- Books, where more than
fegh, April Ayers Lawson
and Amie Barrodale.
