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Director Mimi Leder, now 66, was the first female cinematography graduate of the American Film Institute.
She talked toVultureabout her career and RBGs, whats next for her, and whats next for us.
Once I read it, I felt so many commonalities.
Were both Jewish, mothers, both have longstanding marriages.
I know that feeling.
But today on sets we really strive for gender parity, 50-50.
On this film crew, all our department heads were equally represented in terms of color and gender.
Ginsburg advanced her own career by advancing the cause of womens rights everywhere.
Have you felt the same sense of responsibility?Always, always.
When I became a producer onChina Beach, I was in a position to produce and direct.
I hired a lot of women, and I always have.
He said to me, Youve done it every day on television, onER.
Right after that cameDeep Impact, which Steven and Sherry Lansing offered me.
But I really related to that film on a very personal level.
And what, in your mind, isBasis of Sexabout?
Discrimination on the basis of sex isnt just a womens issue.
Its an injustice that affects us all.
Their marriage was based on equality, and it was a metaphor for the film.
Im in a long-term marriage thats based on equality.
Thats what I bring, my personal understanding of living a life.
We all need champions, and we all need love.
I understood that deeply.
So, this is your first biopic …I dont see the film as a biopic.
I see this as a film about how change happens, how love prevails.
How together we rise to meet challenges of the culture.
Its a prequel for the documentary [RBG, out earlier this year].
And we [were].
The law dialogue really came out of conflict with the characters, instead of being a history lesson.
I thought we were very effective in making that happen.
And I cant speak to the outcome.
I can only speak to the experience of making it, which was extraordinary.
I got the seal of approval from Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and that to me is everything.
She thought it was magnificent.
She thought it got her work right in the Womens Rights Movement, and it wasnt men-bashing.
She felt that being a feminist in the 60s, 70s was a joyous time for her.
It was a joyous time for feminists.
They werent angry; they were fighting for what was right.
She felt the film reflected that joy.
Its a very civil way, and its something we need now.
[The] Me Too and Times Up movements are in their infancy.
I think were in the beginning of it, and its here to stay.
I think the country is super-divided.
Its going to be very interesting what happens in the new year.
Its interesting, bouncing back and forth.
The quality of work is the same, and I plan to continue doing both.
