‘Equity’ producer: a show about strong women ‘is needed more than ever’
In the wake of the presidential election, the conversation about the representation of women in film and TV has become much more urgent for women in the industry.
Film writer, producer and actor Sarah Megan Thomas had hoped to see Hillary Clinton in the White House, but she isn’t wallowing in disappointment. It’s her mission to show complex female characters — strong, flawed, human — in the hopes of bringing about change.
Her 2016 film, “Equity” — a story about a woman climbing the ladder on Wall Street — was written, produced and directed by an all-female team. Now that movie is being adapted into a TV show for ABC.
Thomas recently sat down with The Frame’s host, John Horn.
Interview Highlights
ON THE TIMING OF HER TV SERIES
I think having on TV now a story about three dynamic, ambitious, strong women is needed more than ever — and I think the networks realize that.
ON THE GLASS CEILING IN ENTERTAINMENT AND ELSEWHERE
In many professions, women have not been able to break the glass ceiling — obviously the presidential election, but on Wall Street as well. There’s not a female CEO at a major bank … and so telling these stories about ambitious women in these positions is really important because, hopefully, it can have some influence on young women who see these characters on screen and say, I want to be like that when I grow up.
ON THE STATE OF THE INDUSTRY
There’s a fantastic dialogue in Hollywood right now about having more women behind and in front of the camera, having more female producers, more female storytellers … For every two men you see speaking on TV, there’s one woman. The percentage of female directors is in the low teens, the number of producers is low.
