Greta Gerwig has something to say about the French 'Me Too' movement

She's the president of the jury for this year's Cannes Film Festival

President of the Jury, Greta Gerwig attends the jury photocall at the 77th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 14, 2024 in Cannes, France.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Greta Gerwig was asked to weigh in on the French cinema industry belatedly implementing new measures as a result of #MeToo, and she had some great words.

"I think people in the community of movies telling their stories and trying to change things for the better is only good," Greta said during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday (via ELLE UK). "I have seen substantive change in the American film community, and I think it is important that we continue to expand that conversation. So I think it’s only moving everything in the correct direction. Keep those lines of communication open."

Last week, an article in The Hollywood Reporter proclaimed that #MeToo had "finally arrived" in France, where the festival takes place, with new measures including intimacy coordinators and chaperones for minors being widely implemented on film sets.

The Little Women director's comments contrasted those made by Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux on Monday, when he said: "We are trying to have a festival without these polemics. In Cannes, the politics should be on the screen" (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Barbie | Main Trailer - YouTube Barbie | Main Trailer - YouTube
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Greta, who serves as the president of the jury for this year's Festival, is known for her socially engaged films. Her latest work, Barbie, received immense praise (and criticism) for depicting some of the most difficult aspects of being a woman in this world.

One of the most memorable moments in the film happened when America Ferrera, who plays Gloria, gave a rousing speech about womanhood.

"It is literally impossible to be a woman," Gloria said to Margot Robbie's Barbie. "You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don’t think you’re good enough. Like, we always have to be extraordinary, but somehow we’re always doing it wrong."

She continued: “You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to have money, but you can’t ask for money because that’s crass. You have to be a boss, but you can’t be mean. You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas."

She concluded the speech: "I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know."

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Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.