Kristen: Everyday sexism. Every day, all the time. Communication of any kind, pretty much. I think women have to realise and embrace that communication is hard and something that is very unique to the female experience. My favourite thing about getting older is actually realising how to come across and I feel like I've accepted how tricky of a scenario that can be compared to how I've seen men assert themselves and communicate even on a set. So, I wish I didn't have to do that but at the same time there's a way to come across and deliver information that it will be more readily received by people. There’s a certain delivery that I've grown into being able to do, but if I was a guy, I would never have to do that. That type of sexism on a set, in terms of watching Liz (Charlie’s Angels director, Elizabeth Banks) try and talk to her crew and see very clearly that there were times where it was like, ‘people aren't really listening right now. Say it one more time!’ And she's somebody who I think is very good at that, but it's something that we all have to deal with. I'm lucky though, I've never had anything like weird happen or else I would be talking about it.
Naomi: Yeah. To add to that, I remember when Emma Watson was doing the #HeForShe campaign and I remember she spoke about the fact that even the good men in her life - so even your dad and your brother - they didn't necessarily understand what everyday sexism meant. Because obviously they'd look at, and then they were like, ‘Oh, it's kind of all changed and it's great.’ Which, by the way, I completely understand if you've had a different experience. And then when she started this campaign, what they saw was this influx of hate to their daughter. And suddenly they were open to the world of like, ‘Oh, is this, is this what it is? Is this what it's like?’
Kristen: I agree though, but like learning to assert yourself is a continuous thing for me as well to keep learning how to speak up.
Ella: Definitely one of my favourite things growing up was always doing sport. And there was definitely a whole thing about this is what a girl sport is, and this is what a boy sport is, especially in school. I think it is just what you say about asserting yourself. Like if you know it's what you like and it's what you enjoy, you don't need to fit into any mould of saying like, ‘Hey, well I'm not supposed to so maybe I shouldn't.’ I suppose it's just a journey of growing that confidence to put yourself in those positions and what's amazing is that people often don't really question confidence. It's one of those things where I feel like it's almost the more you commit to your own passion and have confidence in yourself to make that decision, it's almost like it will make it easier for you to stand by a choice that you know you've made in yourself because you believe in it.
Kristen: Talking about it is totally necessary, but at the same time, doing is better because there's always going to be pushback. There are people that feel threatened by this because it's like, ‘that's not my experience!’
Can you remember a time you specifically asserted yourselves and it made you feel more empowered?
Ella: In this film we were lucky for health and safety to let us do a lot of our own stunts and I know what I need to prepare for those moments. And I was like, ‘I need 10 minutes to account for every single shot that I'm going to fire in this sequence.’ People were rushing it round and I'm like, ‘Guys, you just need to give me a second so I can just really get this precise and then hey, we can bang out like six in a row if you want it because I'll have it ready!’
Kristen: That’s the first thing that people love to do (rush you along) and, to be honest, I've worked with one female first assistant director. And ours was great but it's just the train of it all, especially when it’s manned by people that are men. So yes, sometimes it's just an awful feeling being the annoying girl who's being conscious.
Naomi: Well especially when it's a safety thing. I remember one time I got put in in the middle of a pool, this was for Power Rangers, and they didn't put any platform in the water, and they put weights on me. I don't know what they were expecting. Maybe they were just trying to kill me. It sounds like it, literally! This was like a near death experience.
One of the things about these characters, which I love, it they're not overly sexualised either. It's so amazing see you guys so liberated by that and Kristen is allowed to check out a girl and no comment is made about her sexuality. How liberating was that for you?
Kristen: Its honestly refreshing not to have to peddle a love story because even sometimes those are so irrelevantly embedded into things that you're like, ‘Okay, of course! There's the scene with a guy. Okay, great!" But we are also totally, unabashedly dressing sexy and using femininity as a bit of a weapon at times, but also something that we were totally allowed to bask in a little bit, but not because we were performing it. It wasn't for other people; it was just ours. I also think that like everyone's really sexy in the movie too. I watch it and I'm like, ‘Damn!’
You are strong role models for strong, powerful bodies over being thin. How has your relationship with your own body image changed throughout your lives?
Naomi: That's a really good question. I still - but genuinely - have moments where it's kind of impossible to be in this world, to be on social media, to be our age and not get those moments. So, I couldn't sit here and be like, "I love every part of me. Every bit of cellulite."
Kristen: All the time! I'm pretty much stoked with what I'm looking at.
Naomi: But I think like anything, it's training your brain a little bit in terms of what you spend your thought life thinking about.
Kristen: Because our brains have been trained to critically assess ourselves in a way that is disproportionate. Girls are crazy. We're all going like, ‘Oh, what's wrong with me?’
Naomi: Whilst you're taking up time thinking about that you then have less space to think about other things. And I think that's something, for me, that I have to train my brain to do. We all get the thoughts and then I think it's what you choose to do with them. If you go, ‘You know what? Let me just switch that up,’ then you chip away and then you get to a point where it's not something that you don't ever think, you just don't spend that time on it. Therefore, it doesn't fester and outwork itself in other ways.
It’s not just about body strength, it’s about working on your mental strength. How have you worked on your own mental strength as people and what's been the turning point in that?
Ella: I think there's definitely a journey for everyone. There's no pressure to get to a certain place by a certain time. As long as you are aware it’s ok to not be in a certain place, you surround yourself with people who are supporting you, you're in a place where you can communicate you will be ok. Especially with me, I'm a massive over thinker, like huge! I like to think of options A through Z, knowing that only A is going to happen. But now I know that I do that, at least, so I can know that whilst I'm thinking about B through Z, I can just go, ‘I don't actually need these but I'm enjoying the process of thinking about it anyway.’
Naomi: There’s so many people probably watching going, ‘Yeah, I totally get that.’ And then there will be other people going, ‘Wait, the alphabet? I don't understand.’ That’s what's so great about it, I love it. It's fantastic.
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