Carey Mulligan on appearing in "She Said" and its impact on Hollywood

At Marie Claire's annual Power Trip conference, a gathering of the biggest and brightest female leaders and executives, Carey Mulligan had a fascinating conversation with journalist Lisa Lynn On November 15, the two discussed Mulligan's latest film, "She Said" , New York Times investigative journalists Jodi Kanter and Megan Toohey delved into the backstory of the revelations about Harvey Weinstein in 2017.

For Mulligan, taking on the role of Toohey in a story still in progress (Weinstein's sexual assault trial is currently taking place in L.A.) was a challenge unlike anything she had ever done. She said, "[Toohey] is the most impressive woman I've ever met. She's been a journalist for decades. She's been a journalist for decades," Mulligan says. So we didn't just take on the role of a real person. We got to play someone who is essentially a superhero to us. So it was certainly a daunting prospect."

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In their conversation, the actress not only explained why "She Said" is such a timely film, but also addressed the culture of sexual exploitation against women in Hollywood and around the world. Mulligan's highlights include.

On building a relationship with Megan Toohey:

"I was [intimidated], but in a way she was very open, very generous about her life and her research. It's bigger than Megan, it's bigger than the New York Times."

"The film is really about the survivors. What it took for them to come forward and record their stories. And ...... I think we forget what kind of power Weinstein held. He held enormous power for decades. I think it takes a great deal of courage to tell one person about a traumatic event in one's past. But to be able to tell a journalist, and for that journalist to agree to let you tell it to the world, I think is an amazingly courageous thing to do. So that's what this film is about. This group of people, this group of women and how they came together. It really is a small group of women and the impact it has had."

On how the Hollywood climate has changed:

"There was a sense of a smaller voice. And for a long time, I thought: 'I'm not going to be a part of this. I'm only 21. ...... But I'm 30 now, and I should feel a little better, and I should feel like my voice is more important. So I think for me, what I had in the room was more about me than it was about the men of my generation.

"But what I think has happened is that not only are people talking more openly about the wage gap, but specific things are happening. Zoe Kazan is in this film with me, and we talk about how insane it was that there was no regulator of intimacy. Zoe Kazan is in this film with me, and we talk about how insane it was that there was no intimacy coordinator. It's like you wouldn't hit someone with a stunt if you didn't have a stunt coordinator: ...... And at the end of the day, it's about women going to work and working and not having to deal with anything else."

On the response from women who saw "She Said":

"The response has been amazing ...... We are fortunate and privileged to have many survivors involved in the film and consulted from the script: Zelda Perkins, played by Samantha Morton, is in the film, as is Ashley Judd, who appears in the film as herself. In New York, after the premiere, Megan (Toohey) and Jodi (Kanter) came on stage and everyone in the audience looked as if Bruce Springsteen had just walked off stage. It was the coolest thing ever. Everyone was going crazy. And when Ashley came out, everyone was in tears. The entire audience was on their feet. The courage it took for Ashley to speak was immense. But Ashley was the first actor to speak publicly in that first article. Then the dam broke. But she really put it all on the line. So it was really wonderful to see the audience react to her."

On playing someone as impactful as Toohey:

"I don't know how Tarana Burke, Megan (Toohey), Jodi (Kanter), Zelda (Perkins), or Ashley (Judd) are. I don't know if they can truly understand the impact of what they did. But I think the impact was huge, and not just in our industry. A lot has changed in our industry. I mean, we've been asked a lot in the press lately about the impact of this movement and where we are now. Zoe and I said, "We are actors. We are not sociologists. We don't really know. But as women in the world, I think we know that things are different."

"But you only have to open a newspaper to know. Women still live in horrible situations all over the world. So it's clear that it's not going to be solved overnight. But I can't imagine how they calculate what they have done. It just amazes me. The achievements are so great, the impact they have had is so great. How do you measure that? To play such a character is just that. The whole thing is really a privilege."

As for whether Carrie's approach to the industry has changed since appearing in She Said,

"There are new standards set in our industry, and I think part of our responsibility - if we're doing it a little longer - is to really pay attention to that."

She continued: "If you've been around a little bit longer, it's your job to take care of everybody, to look out for everybody else in the cast and the whole crew. And what the #MeToo movement has ultimately done is it has brought actresses who have historically been at odds with each other for a long time together to say, 'Oh, why. So I think it was really powerful for these women to come together."

On how "She Said" was different from other films she's worked on:

"First of all, it felt very close. It's very relevant. It's raw in a way. But at the same time, this is an age-old issue that has affected women for thousands of years. So in a way, there's nothing new about it, except that we're seeing women stepping forward and doing incredible things. I made a film seven years ago about the suffrage movement and what these women have given us. They have now given us such a great platform and this landscape where it is possible to talk about these issues."

[17] "That's why this film feels so timeless, even though it is a very contemporary film. Because these are issues that all of our mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers have dealt with. The difference between what they did, what Megan and Jody did, and what the survivors did, is that they have given us a new landscape of talking about what happened to women, to women and to men. That it is possible to talk about these things. That it is possible to talk about these things. I think that is an amazing gift they have given to all of us."

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