Entertainment
Lena Dunham says female directors are held to a different standard than men as she addresses Olivia Wilde controversy-Tori Brazier-Entertainment – Metro
Dunham said she was ‘upset’ by the treatment of Olivia Wilde.
The Girls star has not been happy to see the intrigue surrounding director Olivia Wilde and her film Don’t Worry Darling (Picture: EPA/Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)
Lena Dunham said she is ‘upset’ by the treatment of Don’t Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde, which she believes can be ‘more intense’ for women in the public eye.
The making of Don’t Worry Darling became a source of global intrigue following Shia LaBeouf’s departure from the film and Florence Pugh’s perceived lack of public support for the project on her social media accounts.
Wilde herself became a tabloid fixture after she confirmed her off-screen relationship with Harry Styles, who replaced LaBeouf in the psychological thriller, before she was served with custody papers by her ex-partner Jason Sudeikis during a presentation about her film on stage at CinemaCon.
Director, writer and actress Dunham, 36, who created and starred in the award-winning TV series Girls, spoke about the difficulties of navigating Hollywood as a female director.
The star is currently promoting her new film Catherine Called Birdy, a medieval comedy featuring Bella Ramsey alongside Andrew Scott, Billie Piper and Joe Alwyn.
Speaking in a new interview, she said: ‘I think anyone who does not represent the kind of cis white male majority in Hollywood is held to a different standard.
Girls star Dunham was unimpressed by the ‘glee’ people had shown (Picture: Lia Toby/Getty Images)
(L-R) Nick Kroll, Florence Pugh, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Sydney Chandler, Harry Styles and Gemma Chan on th red carpet for Don’t Worry Darling (Picture: Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
‘I think people are made to feel like, “If you mess this up, then it’s gonna be your last opportunity,” or, “Whatever you’re doing, you have to represent everybody else who looks like you or shares your same gender identity.”’
Accepting that people often wish they had done things differently and that ‘constructive criticism is really healthy’, the star shared that what had upset her the most around Olivia Wilde and the Don’t Worry Darling drama was ‘the glee that people have’.
She continued on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast: ‘That kind of ‘gotcha’ glee that people have, and I do think that it can be more intense when it comes to women in the public eye, but I also think it can be more intense when it comes to queer people and people of colour and that the best thing that we can all do is band together in noticing it and supporting each other.’
Wilde’s movie has seen everything from rumours of feuds to ‘spitgate’ between stars Styles and Chris Pine during its promotional tour (Picture: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Splash News)
The dystopian drama stars Styles and Florence Pugh (Picture: Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dunham, who played aspiring writer Hannah Horvath in Girls, said it is ‘upsetting’ to see the thin line between obsessive fandom shift to something ‘much darker’.
She also said she ‘felt lucky’ that she had never herself received ‘that kind of mass pandemonium of attention’ because she thought her creativity would suffer.
‘I don’t know that I could continue to have the fluid creative life that I have. I deeply admire and there’s some amazingly creative people who do deal with it, but I don’t think I have the constitution.’
Dunham celebrated the 10-year anniversary of her hit drama Girls this year, which followed the life of Hannah and her three friends as they navigate their 20s in New York City.
More: Trending
During its run it received multiple awards including the international prize at Bafta TV Awards, two Golden Globes for best television series and best actress in a comedy or musical for Dunham.
She said that taking a break after Girls was ‘not a choice’ but was a necessity for her wellbeing.
Don’t Worry Darling is currently in cinemas and Catherine Called Birdy is available on Prime Video now.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
MORE : James Bond actor Daniel Craig receives same royal honour as 007
Entertainment – MetroRead More
