Women in Hollywood are barely getting a word in edgeways. This analysis of 2,000 screenplays, undertaken by Polygraph, a New York-based publication, reveals that female characters took the lead role in just 22 per cent of big movies in 2015. Even in films with strong female leads, the number of lines by men far outweighs those by women. In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for example, just 28 per cent of the dialogue goes to women.
"Hollywood lives in a bubble and reflects itself," says B Ruby Rich, professor of film at the University of California, Santa Cruz and editor of Film Quarterly. Of the films analysed, big award winners were some of the worst offenders. The Revenant, There Will Be Blood and Schindler's List racked up 12 Oscars between them, yet less than one per cent of their dialogue is spoken by women.
"What's peculiar is how different films are becoming to TV," says Rich. Shows such as Netflix's Sense8 and Amazon's Transparent put women in leading roles both in front of and behind the camera. "Streaming platforms can pat themselves on the back for being daring. They can do what Hollywood cannot."
Despite the inequality, Rich points to a crop of female producers and directors who are bucking the industry trend. Megan Ellison, founder of Annapurna Pictures, produced Zero Dark Thirtyand Her. And in 2015, Ava DuVernay, director of Selma, became the first African-American woman to be nominated for the Best Director Oscar. "There are a lot of good people working there," Rich says. "If conditions shift even a little, we could see some big changes."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
