, you mentioned that we have to keep championing diverse stories because we “could so easily go backward.” In what ways can Hollywood and the Academy prevent that regression?
For me, I made that my priority—I’m not going to be the only one in this room! Small things like that, when you’re going to a meeting and seeing who’s invited to the meeting, asking, “Can we invite so and so to mix it up a little bit?” That should be a point in your conversations when you’re in the workplace. I love talking about other artists and people that I’ve identified [with], and really boosting them up.I’m bummed out! But of course, I’m biased.
I’m always so confused by the backlash. [Puberty and periods] just seem so normal to me—and to a lot of us, right? When we were writing those scenes in the movie, we just wanted to write what was true to our own experiences during puberty, and what would be the most embarrassing, funny, and cringey things we could put our main character through to get her red panda to trigger. This scenario, where her mom shows up at her school holding a bunch of pads, it felt so funny and horrifying.