“Money Monster” director Jodie Foster thinks mainstream studios avoid female directors because they see women as a “risk.”
“Mainstream movies have become more risk averse than ever. They’re making fewer movies — movies that are mostly franchised, tent pole films, superhero movies — because they’ve decided that’s their model for the future,” Foster told NPR. “And in that scenario, for some reason they see women as a risk and they’ve minimized women by minimizing their risk. I don’t understand why they see women as a risk, but they do.”
Foster also said that, while there is a serious lack of women working behind the camera on studio films, things appear to be changing for the better.
“It’s great to be having the conversation. I’ve certainly been waiting for 40 years for people to have this conversation,” she said. “Because there were no women on film sets at all when I was coming up. But that of course has changed.”
She went on to say that she is hopeful for women on future projects, as audiences now expect something new. “The good news is that audience’s tastes are changing because people get bored being fed the same cereal every day,” she said. “I’m looking forward to the future.”
Foster’s latest directorial effort, “Money Monster” with George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jack O’Connell, debuts today in theaters nationwide.