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In a New York Times profile in December, Carey Mulligan was asked about the initial reactions to her film “Promising Young Woman” when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year. After Mulligan “winced” at the question, she responded.
“I read the Variety review, because I’m a weak person, ”she told The Times. She described the review as saying she wasn’t “hot enough to pull off this kind of trick,” but said she didn’t mention it because her feelings were hurt: wasn’t some ego-hurting sort of thing – like, I can perfectly see that Margot Robbie is a goddess. (The review suggested that maybe Robbie, a “Promising Young Woman” producer, might have been a better choice for the role of Cassie.)
Since Emerald Fennell’s film specifically pinpoints femininity as a performance, writing critically about Mulligan’s appearance in “Promising Young Woman” struck her as a particularly absurd film for being so deaf. “It made me so crazy,” Mulligan told The Times. “I was like, ‘Really? For this film, are you going to write something so transparent? Now? In 2020? ‘I just couldn’t believe it. ”
Although the review, written by independent reviewer Dennis Harvey, was mostly positive, the Variety the newsroom agreed with Mulligan. Variety ended up adding an editor’s note at the top of the review, which reads: “Variety sincerely apologize to Carey mulligan and regrets the callous language and innuendo in our review of ‘Promising young woman ‘ who downplayed his daring performance.
during Mulligan’s conversation with Zendaya for Variety Actors on actors series, presented by Amazon Studios, Zendaya asked her what to call Variety and the subsequent apologies from our magazine. “Beautifully said, ”Zendaya said after Mulligan was done.
We agree with that as well. Here is Mulligan’s response in full:
“I think it’s important that the criticism is constructive. I think it’s important that we look at the right things when it comes to working, and we look at the art, and we look at the performance and the way a movie is made. And I don’t think it depends on an actor’s appearance or your personal preference for what an actor does or doesn’t look like, which this article smelled like.
“Which for me was disappointing, because obviously the film kind of touches on issues with our perceptions and preconceptions about people. In the broadest sense, I think there’s an element in which we’ve idealized women on screen for so long that I think we’re starting to lose sight of what women really look like. When I worked with Steve McQueen on ‘Shame’ he said, ‘Really what we all do is hold a mirror. This is what we do as storytellers.
“And I think if women keep looking at the screen and don’t see each other, it’s not helpful for women or for anyone, really – that we’re not going to be telling authentic stories. So I think that criticizing or lamenting somehow a lack of appeal on my part in a character, it wasn’t a personal gripe, it wasn’t something that I felt. It didn’t hurt my ego, but it did make me fear that in such a big post the appearance of an actress could be criticized and it could be, you know, that could be accepted as a review all the way. made reasonable.
“I think it’s important to call these things because they seem small and insignificant. People around me back then were saying Oh, you know, get over it. It doesn’t matter. It’s great – it’s a great review. Or whatever: People love the movie.
“But it stuck with me, because I think it’s those everyday moments that add up – it means we’re starting to change the way women appear onscreen, and we want them to have a certain appearance. We want them to airbrush and we want to make them look perfect. Or we want to change the way they work, the way they move and the way they think and behave. And I think we need to see real women portrayed on screen and in all their complexity. So I thought this was a little point to point out that might be helpful.
“I was really, I guess, surprised, only because I felt I didn’t know what the reaction would be to me saying that. I certainly didn’t mean – somehow scary to rock the boat with a big post. But at the same time it feels like, you know, you got to stand up for these things. Otherwise, it just keeps going and you’re basically a part of it.
“So I was really, really surprised and delighted, and happy to have received an apology. I kind of found it moving, in a way, that I drew a line under that in a good way, and I know it impacted in some way. So it was positive.
Watch the full conversation below.
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