>> FRUSTRATING, TRAUMATIC.
IT FEELS LIKE THE SYSTEM IS
STACKED IMNS YOU.
LIZ: WHAT WERE PEOPLE TELLING
YOU AS THEY REJECTED YOU?
>> THEY SAID PEOPLE DON'T CARE
ABOUT WOMEN'S STORIES, WOMEN'S
MOVIES MAKE MONEY.
IF YOU WANT TO GET A MOVIE MADE,
WRITE ABOUT A MAN.
LIZ: HOW DID YOU SAY I'M GOING
TO DO IN ANYWAY?
BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT AN ENTIRE
INDUSTRY AND A MACHINE ALL
TELLING YOU THE SAME THING.
>> I GUESS I JUST REALLY WANTED
TO TELL THE STORY.
I MADE THE MOVIE FOR MYSELF.
I FIGURED IF I WOULD ENJOY IT,
OTHER WOMEN WOULD ENJOY IT TOO.
LIZ: IT'S HILARIOUS, THERE ARE A
LOT OF MEN IN THE MOVIE AND MEN
THAT OTHER MEN WOULD RELATE TO,
HATE OR WANT TO HATE OR WANT TO
KNOW AND BE LIKE.
>> I WANTED TO KEEP IT FUNNY AND
SEXY SO YOU COULD WATCH IT AS A
WOMAN, FEEL EMPOWERED, BUT AS A
MAN YOU COULD FIND THE HUMOR,
AND IT'S SEXY.
IT'S ABOUT SEX.
LIZ: MEN ARE NOT NECESSARILY
ATTACKED IN THIS MOVIE.
>> NO.
THERE'S SOME GREAT MEN IN THE
MOVIE.
LIZ: SO FROM IDEA, PUTTING PEN
TO PAPER, TO THEN GETTING IT UP
ON THE SCREEN.
CAN YOU GIVE ME A TIMELINE OF
HOW LONG THAT TOOK?
>> SEVEN YEARS.
[LAUGHTER]
LIZ: YOU'RE KIDDING?
>> YEAH, I MEAN, THE SYSTEM IS
STACKED AGAINST WOMEN .
YOU START FROM THE DAY THAT
WE'RE BORN, THERE'SES NOT A LOT
OF ROLE MODELS FOR FEMALE
WRITER/DIRECTOR.
TO EVEN WRITE A MOVIE AND HAVE
THE CONFIDENCE IT'S GOING TO
HAPPEN IS HARD, AND TO GET THE
MONEY IS HARD, THE DISTRIBUTION
IS HARD, AND ONCE IT COMES OUT A
LOT OF MEN ARE WRITING ABOUT IT.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
SO YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL
THESE MEN TO GET TO THE WOMEN
THAT YOU WANT TO WATCH THE
MOVIE.
LIZ YOU JUST MENTIONED
FINANCING.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO
START UP COMPANIES OR IN YOUR
CASE START YOUR OWN LITTLE MINI
COMPANY IN THE FORM OF A FILM.
RIGHT.
LIZ: TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GOT
FINANCING, BECAUSE YOU PUT YOUR
BUSINESSWOMAN HAT ON, AND THEN
YOU LOST THE FINANCING.
>> YES.
I MEAN, REALLY TWO MEN HELPED ME
MAKE THE MOVIE.
MICHAEL NICHOLS, HE READ EVERY
DRAFT AND SAID YOU SHOULD DIRECT
IT, AND HE FOUND THESE
FINANCIERS WHO TOOK US THROUGH
PREPRODUCTION AND SAID WE DON'T
HAVE THE REST OF THE MONEY.
WE HAD TO FOLD THE PROJECT, IT
WAS INCREDIBLY TRAUMATIC.
AND THEN A YEAR LATER BILL
SHINEBERG FINANCED THE FILM, AND
THANKS TO HIM --
LIZ: BUT YOUR TIME ANYTHING THE
RELEASE IS UNBELIEVABLE BECAUSE
YOU WROTE IT AND PUT IT ALL
TOGETHER BEFORE THE COVER WAS
BLOWN OFF THE BIGGEST SCANDAL
THAT HOLLYWOOD HAS SEEN IN
DECADES, AND THAT IS THE HARVEY
WEINSTEIN, ACTRESSES BEING
HARASSED AND PRESSURED SCANDAL.
AND YOU WERE ONE OF THOSE
ACTRESSES.
>> UH-HUH.
>> YOU'VE WRITTEN ABOUT IT WHERE
HARVEY WEINSTEIN, THIS BIG
EXECUTIVE, HAD SAID TO YOU
YOU'LL HAVE THE PICK OF ANY
SCRIPT YOU WANT, JUST SLEEP WITH
ME.
HE EVEN, AS I UNDERSTAND, LIED
YOU SAY TO LURE YOU TO HIS
HOTEL.
INSTEAD OF DOING THAT, YOU WROTE
YOUR OWN SCRIPT, AND HE'S NOW A
DISGRACED MOGUL.
VINDICATION?
>> IT'S AMAZING.
IT'S SO GOOD.
AND, YOU KNOW, EVERY HARDSHIP WE
WENT ALONG THE WAY TO GET THIS
MOVIE MADE, NOW THE MOVIE'S
COMING OUT AT A PERFECT TIME,
LIKE YOU SAID.
SO I GUESS MAYBE THERE'S SOME
GOOD FORCE IN THE UNIVERSE WHERE
PEOPLE ARE OPEN TO HEARING
WOMEN'S STORIES.
LIZ: MAYBE IT'S HALF MAGIC.
[LAUGHTER]
>> IT'S KIND OF MAGIC.
LIZ: YOU'RE ALREADY HAVING AN
EFFECT ALONG WITH ANOTHER MOVIE
THAT SOME PEOPLE WOULD NOT
COMPARE YOURS TO, AND THAT'S
BLACK PANTHER --
>> SO EXCITING.
LIZ: THESE UNLIKELY SUPERHEROES.
I JUST READ A HEADLINE, THE
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATER
OWNERS IS NOW DEMANDING THAT
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS PUT FORTH AND
GIVE THEM THE VERY THINGS THAT
MOVIE EXECUTIVES HAVE SAID FOR
YEARS DON'T SELL;
AFRICAN-AMERICAN STARS AND WOMEN
STARS.
>> AMAZING.
THANK YOU, FINALLY, FINALLY!
IT'S INCREDIBLE.
LIZ: AS A NEWLY-MINTED DIRECTOR,
I DON'T NEED TO REMIND YOU THAT
THE OSCARS ARE THIS COMING
SUNDAY.
THERE IS ONLY ONE FEMALE WHO'S
BEEN NOMINATED --
>> THANK GOD THERE'S ONE.
USUALLY THERE'S NONE, YOU KNOW?
I MEAN, FINALLY THIS YEAR
THERE'S ONE, YOU KNOW?
LIZ: ONE FEMALE DIRECTOR
NOMINATED.
DO YOU THINK THAT WILL SOON
CHANGE?
>> I THINK SO.
I MEAN, IT WAS EXCITING WHEN
NATALIE PORTMAN SAID AT THE
GOLDEN GLOBES AND NOW FOR THE
ALL-MALE NOMINEES.
WE DO NEED TO CHANGE THIS ISSUE.
TIME'S UP, 50/50 BY 2020, THAT'S
A GREAT GOAL TO HAVE.
LIZ: WHICH IS EASIER, LANDING A
PLUM ROLE AS AN ACTOR OR GETTING
A MOVIE MADE?
[LAUGHTER]
>> THEY'RE BOTH SO HARD.
THEY'RE SO HARD.
I MEAN, IT'S LIKE I GAVE UP
TRYING TO GET GUYS TO CAST ME IN
THEIR MOVIE, AND I CAST MYSELF.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF DAY, NO