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[Oersted]

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I'm in Prague filming a movie called The Zookeeper's Wife with director Niki Caro. I can't tell you — it's amazing. I've never been on a set with so many women. We're not even 50 percent of the crew — we're probably something like 20 percent women and 80 percent men — but it's way more than I've ever worked with on a film before. There are female producers (Diane Levin, Kim Zubick and Katie McNeill), a female screenwriter (Angela Workman), a female novelist (Diane Ackerman), a female protagonist and a female director. I've never seen a female camera operator like Rachael Levine on one of my films. And I've never, ever seen a female stunt coordinator like Antje "Angie" Rau.

I was talking to other actors about this recently, and the wonderful thing about having so many women on set is there hasn't been anyone who has screamed or anything like that. It's a very collaborative experience, and it's been heaven for me. We all hang out all the time — there are no strange power plays or egos. We know how rare making this kind of film is. We're giddy with happiness.

In this industry, female filmmakers have had a really hard time of it. Niki Caro should be directing everything right now — she's worked for so long and is incredible, and her movies are great — yet she has not been given the same opportunities a man would. I don't want to be part of the statistics when only about 4 percent of Hollywood studio movies are directed by women. I don't want my percentages to be the same as the status quo.

If you look at the studio system and the American film industry, people want to work with their friends. If men are predominantly the ones working, they are the ones being given the opportunities more than women.

I'm about to go work with John Madden again, whom I absolutely love. There are so many men out there who are the most sensitive, beautiful and supportive people ever. But I've been on sets a couple of times where I've noticed that if I have an idea about a scene, I have to go through the male actors to be heard. It's really annoying. The male actor will have a better relationship with the male director, so I have to get the actor on my side. That's the only thing that sometimes feels very icky.

Much more here

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/jessica-chastain-pens-essay-female-845818

Lock if old

 

[Messofanego]

I can imagine the excitement for working with more of your kind who can relate to a bunch of stuff.

A very outspoken female director is Lexi Alexander, worth following on Twitter as she's always discussing this kind of representation staff.

http://www.twitter.com/lexialex

 

[gdt]

I love how she isn't speaking in terms of fights or discrimination or lost opportunity that men sometimes have a hard time understanding.

She's talkin about a simple thing like there being a boys club and for a women it's really hard to penetrate that. She needs to maneuver her way up to writers and directors just to give an opinion.

 

[KodaRuss]

I think this is great to hear. Hopefully we hear more of it happening.

Side Note: I really think Jessica Chastain is awesome in pretty much everything I have seen her in.

 

[John Dunbar]

triggered by the title: main character is a woman who is still defined as someone's wife.

 

[Schrade]

I love how she isn't speaking in terms of fights or discrimination or lost opportunity that men sometimes have a hard time understanding.

She's talkin about a simple thing like there being a boys club and for a women it's really hard to penetrate that. She needs to maneuver her way up to writers and directors just to give an opinion.

Yep.

So many times I've seen women try to speak up with an idea of theirs or just a general suggestion that is genuinely good but it doesn't get paid attention to solely because the person in charge isn't used to paying attention to women "seriously".

Hate that.