And then leave the stageThe Laura Dern approachBut I get so many emails from
young female critics who say they
don’t feel they belong in the industrybut to answer your question, I’ve always said
it’s so important to surround yourself with people
who make you feel like you belongWhich is easier said than done, admittedlyWait can I add my caveatThere that’s my caveatSo it’s important to surround yourself with
people who make you feel like you belong
BUT the problem with that is that a lot of the
time these people are also your competitors
for jobs, and that can lead to all sorts of
feelings of inadequacy and jealousyOohIf it ain't broke In my case, when I entered the industry I –
without even thinking about it, by pure instinct –
tried to placate the usually male gatekeepers at
all costs. It felt like the obvious thing you had to
do to be here. But over time I’ve seen that that
ain’t it, and now the people who support me,
and who make me feel like I belong, are those
full of challenge (like your good self). I myself
feel full of challenge, but a consequence of this
is seismic disillusionment. Nothing and no one
is what I thought it was. So – on the one hand- it feels amazing to be with allies. But – on the
other – it’s like, ‘oh shit, look how much there
is to sort out. It would have been sooooo much
less work to stay asleep’
May I first chuck my two cents into the ring
re the radical consequences of surrounding
yourself with allies?And the despair spiral comes when you watch
the non-eyelid batters go about their careers
with comparative easeOr so it seemsMaybe it isn’t so simple for anyone idkUghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhOkay okay okay I have a lot to say on thisThis caveat is a doozy, and you better believe
that we will be circling back to itYES 100% ABSOLUTELYYou canFuckin preachAfter dropping the micOf course!Oh it’s true, it’s so trueAnd you see it time and time
again, even beyond film. It’s just
easier, isn’t it, to not bat an eyelidI think it’s definitely easier for some
than others. And you do worry about
making life harder for yourselfRight. The easy and beneficial thing to
do are rarely the same042 The Promising Young Woman Issue