She Said tells the heroic story of the New York Times journalists that brought the #MeToo movement to the forefront by exposing Harvey Weinstein and the system that enabled him to thrive as a sexual predator. The film, which opened in theaters this weekend, stars Zoe Kazan as Jodi Kantor and Carey Mulligan as Megan Twohey, the Woodward and Bernstein of the 21st century.
“The whole way through we felt quite a responsibility to the survivors, getting it right and for Megan and Jodi,” Mulligan said during a panel Saturday at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles awards-season event. “Seeing the survivors at the [New York Film Festival] premiere when Megan and Jodi walked onstage it was like Bruce Springsteen walked onstage — everyone went crazy. Then Ashley [Judd] came on, everyone was on their feet. There were lots of tears. It was incredibly emotional for everyone.”
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The Universal Pictures panel featured Mulligan and Kazan and director Maria Schrader, who discussed her initial meeting with Judd, one of the first well-known actresses to go on the record accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment. “The moment we met in Berlin and had a cup of coffee, at the end she said, “So we’re going to do this together, right?” Schrader recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah I would be so honored.’”
Schrader also discussed the importance of getting the movie right for the survivors and flipping the script on the way their stories are told. “I think it’s about time to not only look at perpetrators and be fascinated by them but really give a voice to those who have been treated in that way,” she said.
“We were all in partnership making this, it felt like there was this cadre of women linking arms, coming together to put this story on screen.” Kazan said. She garnered applause when she ended the panel by posing this question: “What would these women’s lives have looked like, how would the world be different, if this man didn’t do this over and over again and the system supported him doing it? I’m really hoping that our movie adds to the conversation that helps change our culture to support those voices the future.”
Check back Monday for the panel video.
