Page 35 - Doing It News Today

And it was, you know, however long it was, but it was, say, 90 minutes of heaven. i was so happy and excited. but i bet you never thought about then, "im going to be making movies"? no, absolutely not. your mother, i think, was an activist for greenpeace. did that make you want to change the world? did her activism infuse you, do you think? you know, now i get to look back on it, and i do think so. i mean, when she had me shaking a can on behalf of greenpeace, or cnd up in the local high street,...

And you mentioned another film that you backed early on, straight 0utta compton, which was hailed as a surprise hit — im sure you werent surprised by that. but have you always been driven by the desire to improve representation, whether thats around women or people of diverse backgrounds? yeah, and again, you know, i did it innately, really, you know, back early in my career, i worked for a studio called new line, and i was trained to find stories and make films that were aimed at a specific a...

At the company really goes up. so thats one area of change i see. again, as we just talked about, i think in terms of how people are getting their content, how theyre consuming it, thatll continue to evolve and shift, and change, as well. but i think at the end of the day, movies are movies, and theyre made in all different shapes and sizes. and we make movies for a global audience, and were going to continue to do that. and what about, for you, is there a film that youd absolutely love to make?...

Films like that. but movie studios werent doing it? no, they werent doing it, they werent doing it. but again, i sort of look back to those early days at new line as a training ground for me to just sort of gain an understanding and a perspective, that films like that can really work. they might not be the big blockbusters that travel all around the world and get everybody to show up and see them. but theyre still good business. you know, if theyre priced appropriately, the amount of money they ...

"hm, maybe three—and—a—half hours is a bit long — cut it a bit." or do you just let him do what he wants? thats not necessary with steven. no, he knows what the audience wants, and hell give it to them. fantastic. you are also known for risk—taking — whether that is backing a new up—and—coming director, likejordan peele, to make get out, or being the first major studio to make a gay rom—com, bros — which is coming out in the uk soon and is fantastic. early on in your career, ...

When the proof is in the pudding. but again, they sort of checked the boxes in terms of that relatability and universality. fair enough. i mean, lets go back to the beginning right now. you were born in the uk — which is very exciting to us, of course, because youre now the first british woman to run a studio. but you were born in the uk, your birth father was of egyptian heritage. you were adopted, grew up on the isle of wight. how did that influence your sense of self? i mean, iwonder, the 1...

But his spiritual home is at universal — its where he made his first movie, jaws, of course. and so, you know, when steven wants to make a movie with us, were just thrilled and ecstatic that thats the case. does he have free reign? i mean, do you have to say to him, "hm, maybe three—and—a—half hours is a bit long — cut it a bit." or do you just let him do what he wants? thats not necessary with steven. no, he knows what the audience wants, and hell give it to them. fantastic. you are a...

But, no, i think my first film experience in the movie theatre was fantasia, which was terrifying. but to go back to abba, one of my favourite early experiences watching a movie was my sister took me to see the film that lasse hallstrom directed, called abba arrival. and it was a concert film, and it was, you know, however long it was, but it was, say, 90 minutes of heaven. i was so happy and excited. but i bet you never thought about then, "im going to be making movies"? no, absolutely not. you...

Appealing to particularly underserved audiences — whether it be women or people of colour — its good business. you know, you could really excite an audience by making by telling stories like that and making films like that. but movie studios werent doing it? no, they werent doing it, they werent doing it. but again, i sort of look back to those early days at new line as a training ground for me to just sort of gain an understanding and a perspective, that films like that can really work. the...

Intentional about workplace culture, it makes a positive difference. you know, the sort of level of loyalty to the company or enjoyment of working at the company really goes up. so thats one area of change i see. again, as we just talked about, i think in terms of how people are getting their content, how theyre consuming it, thatll continue to evolve and shift, and change, as well. but i think at the end of the day, movies are movies, and theyre made in all different shapes and sizes. and we ma...