Emma Thompson Says Hollywood Sexism Is Only Getting Worse

Though some have called  2015 "the year of the woman" in cinema, Oscar-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson says that sexism in the industry is actually getting worse.

In an interview with Radio Times magazine , Thompson said she is "not impressed at all" by the supposedly more female-focused media landscape. “I think it’s still completely s**t actually,” she said. “I don’t think there’s any appreciable improvement and I think that, for women, the question of how they are supposed to look is worse than it was even when I was young."

Calling the press “deeply reactionary and homogenized,” the "Saving Mr. Banks" star lamented the ways women are treated in contemporary culture. “When I was younger, I really did think we were on our way to a better world, and when I look at it now, it is in a worse state than I have known it, particularly for women, and I find that very disturbing and sad.”

The 56-year-old also acknowledged the ageism inherent in her casting as a 77-year-old prostitute in the upcoming film "The Legend of Barney Thomson." “It would be really nice to get someone who is actually 77 to play her," she told the magazine. "But it’s a wildly comic role and I couldn’t resist.” 

Sexism in the film industry  has been a topic of much discussion in recent years, with many, like Thompson, claiming that institutional misogyny is still widespread . Such accusations are supported by tangible evidence in the form of female stars' salaries: Just last November, the Sony email hack revealed  that Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Adams were paid less than their male co-stars for "American Hustle." More recently, Amanda Seyfriend discussed her discovery that she was making 10 percent  of what a male co-star of a similar stature was on a big-budget project. 

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