SXSWORLD

SXSW.COM | F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 9 | SXS W O R L D 1 3 never would have considered had you not had to redirect based on a sac- rifice." At the same time, she says, "You have to love your project so much that literally nothing can stop you from making it." Wilde is particularly excited to share her knowledge with aspiring film- makers — especially young women, who often have to fight to make the same leaps as their male peers. "I cer- tainly feel like there's this huge swell of enthusiasm for female filmmakers," says Wilde. She cites Chloe Zhao and Reed Morano ("One of my very best friends," Wilde says) as examples. Zhao landed a coveted gig directing a Marvel superhero movie on the strength of her 2017 indie, The Rider. Morano, who directed Wilde in the indie drama Meadowland and serves as executive producer on The Handmaid's Tale, is directing Blake Lively in the blockbuster spy thriller The Rhythm Section, from the producers behind the James Bond franchise. "That's the kind of leap that women have been unsure of," but, Wilde offers, "I'm seeing more women make that jump — and finding the confidence to take that huge leap more often than they were before — because of this movement." Wilde worked hard to ensure that the cast and crew of Booksmart were as diverse as possible. "In order to really shift the paradigm," Wilde says, "we're going to have to change the way that we hire women, and hire people." She credits Annapurna Pictures with giving her total con- trol over hiring: "The studios have to trust the filmmaker to hire the department heads that they trust instead of just hiring people because they know them and have worked with them before." She also credits her casting director, Allison Jones, with helping her find "a really diverse and fairly representative cast" of young actors, including several newcomers. Jones' approach, Wilde explains, was simply to find the best talent avail- able: "It was so organic." As for what she hopes audiences will take away from her directorial debut? "If I could ask for one thing when people walk out of Booksmart is that they feel seen," Wilde says. "And that they are eager to see others a little bit more." Wilde cites one of her favorite moments in the film, when the character Molly is giving a graduation speech. She looks out on the crowd of classmates who, up until the night before, she was so quick to judge and neatly categorize into little boxes, and says "I see you now." "That's really what I want desper- ately for the world, to take a deeper look at each other," says Wilde. "That, at the heart, is what the story is about." Booksmart will World Premiere at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival. Olivia Wilde will be a Film Keynote speaker at the 2019 SXSW Conference. Stay tuned to schedule.sxsw.com for more details. "You have to love your project so much that literally nothing can stop you from making it." Courtesy of Sam Jones Pictures

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