Women’s empowerment was the theme at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday, where the cast of “Ocean’s 8” held a news conference for the all-woman addition to the “Ocean’s” film franchise.
Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson and Awkwafina were joined by director Gary Ross and screenwriter Olivia Milch for the event, where the discussion continued to return to the topic of changing times for women in film.
Bullock admitted that she initially didn’t think the movie would actually get made when she first heard about it, to which Blanchett — fresh back from leading a women’s march at Cannes — remarked, “Isn’t it interesting, two or three years ago this seemed like an impossibility, like ‘how can we possibly get this made?’ And it’s so great that it’s being released now when you go, ‘Well, of course!’ A lot has shifted, I think.”
“There are more ‘of courses’ now than there were then,” Ross added.
“And you can’t underestimate the power of visual representation,” said Anne Hathaway.
Ross revealed the inspiration for creating the movie came out of 2012’s “Hunger Games,” which he directed. “The thing that stuck with me about ‘Hunger Games’ was the kind of impact that it had on girls, seeing a protagonist like that they could relate to, in a kind of movie that they’d never seen a protagonist like that in before.” It inspired the idea for this “kick-ass ensemble,” which he wrote with Milch.
Absent from the event were Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter, who complete the heist team. “Ocean’s 8” hits theaters June 8.
