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She directed her first episode of television in 2013 onSouthland,the TNT police drama she also starred in.
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But as King warned, its not time to celebrate quite yet.
Were hearing more frequently about actors wanting to work behind the scenes as directors.
But thats easier said than done.
So it really started with me being confident enough to say it out loud.
Did something happen to lead you in that direction?
Because those directors were so strong, it made me notice their relationships with other department heads.
I like working with people.
I like talking to people.
The director and the prop master?
Watching them, it sparked those questions.
But I did not get the guts to actually speak out about it til years later.
And Nelson McCormick allowed me to shadow him.
You told a story.
I think you are serious about this.
From there, he turned me on to the ABC directing program.
I was shadowing Karen Gaviola onPrivate Practicethe day they found out they were canceled.
Its not like I cant still learn.
So I think moments like that let people knowoh, shes serious.
I was chock-full of knowledge from that!
Youve directed a lot of episodic television since then.
And they were like, Regina, what do you wanna do?
The answer is both.
Some of them I was actually interested in doing and we pursued them.
At that point, it was just about developing it.
I want to direct this.
Did you ever think about doing both?Oh, no.
When I did both onSouthland,thats just a lot of work.
I did not feel like I would do it a great service by acting as well.
The prep is much more intense on a pilot than when you come in as a guest director.
Intense in a great way.
As great asAmerican Crimewas, it was out of the box for ABC.
And I respect that.
I think your style can change, especially with TV, based on where youre shooting your show.
And also at what point you got involved with the show.
Are you involved at the beginning stages?
Thats great because there are situations where the writer and director dont see it the same way.
I know that personally this accomplishment feels very satisfying to you.
This year, 24 pilots are being directed by women as opposed to six last year.
I think the most important thing at this point is to not allow it to be an anomaly.
Every woman I talk to, we do feel like were on the verge of something.
And here is ABC, taking a risk.
And youve gotta applaud them for that.
We, as producers, dont look at it as a risk.
We look at it as: Hell yeah!
Like we were talking about, this is the beginning of the change.
This is more like a shoe change.
By 2019 when they put the numbers out, maybe well have a jacket and earring change.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
