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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 24 June 2019

Screenwriters can play key role in gender parity, actors say

By KATIE CAMPIONE who are like us to be able where if you didn't learn
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Acad- to imagine what we could things as fast as the boys,
emy Award-winning actor become?" Bialik said. it meant that it wasn't for
Geena Davis says achiev- The panel was born from you," Bialik said. It's impor-
ing gender parity on screen a study conducted by tant "to have a mentor, to
is simple, and it could hap- the Geena Davis Institute have someone that you
pen overnight. on Gender in Media that can see is living the life of a
"Just go through (the script) found women felt encour- scientist and also has a so-
and cross out a bunch of aged to pursue scientific, cial life — all the things that
male first names and put medical and engineering the lone scientist in the lab-
female first names. That's (STEM) careers because oratory stereotype doesn't
all you have to do," Davis of "X-Files" character Dana give us."
told the audience during Scully, an FBI agent and "You're seeing the full, com-
a panel Saturday at AT&T's medical doctor. Of the plicated, amazing woman
SHAPE media conference women surveyed in the living life as a scientist," Bi-
in the Los Angeles suburb study, 63 percent of those alik said of characters like
of Burbank. working in a STEM field said Scully and Fowler. "That's
Davis joined fellow ac- Scully served as a role mod- what I needed as a young
tor Mayim Bialik on stage el for them growing up. girl that wasn't there for
at the conference to dis- Bialik, who also holds a doc- me."
cuss how gender parity in torate in neuroscience and This doesn't just apply for
media can create social recently wrapped her time gender, either. The pan-
change. The conversation playing the role of neuro- elists said that all forms of
revolved around the need scientist Amy Farrah Fowler diversity on screen are nec- Geena Davis, second right, and Mayim Bialik, right, speak at the
AT&T's SHAPE: "The Scully Effect is Real" panel with Geena Davis
for diversity on screen to on "The Big Bang Theory," essary, pointing to films like and Mayim Bialik on Saturday, June 22, 2019 in Burbank, Calif.
break stereotypes and en- said seeing characters like "Hidden Figures," which is Associated Press
courage young people to Scully on screen and hav- about the key role a group
pursue careers they might ing real-life mentors is cru- of African-American wom- der or race. a worse job of reflecting
otherwise have felt were cial for young women to en played in the U.S. space "As much as people think society than the abysmal
off limits to them. pursue careers in science, program, as leading the Hollywood is liberal and numbers in real life," Davis
"Of course, why wouldn't medicine and engineering. way for more complex sto- open-minded and progres- said. "If we show it, it will
we need to see people "I was raised in a climate ries on people of any gen- sive thinking, they're doing happen in real life."q