ELLE Magazine’s “Women in Hollywood” Issue

Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie, Jessica Chastain, Tessa Thompson, Laura Dern, Riley Keough, Cicely Tyson and Kathleen Kennedy cover the November 2017 ‘Women in Hollywood’ issue of ELLE magazine photographed by Terry Tsiolis.

Jennifer Lawrence

On the internal pressure of making movies: “The only time I find myself worrying about the result is when I’m filming, because I’m working all day, and then I come home and my brain’s just like, ‘What should we panic about?’ After I’ve finished the process, though, it’s done for me. I’ve done my work, and I’ve gotten what I need to get out of it—I’ve fulfilled myself. What happens next doesn’t really matter.”

Margot Robbie

On wanting to work behind-the-scenes: “I never thought I’d want to be a producer. I’d always wanted to direct and write, but I got to a point as an actress where I felt like I was everyone’s puppet. I thought, Why don’t I get a say in the art I’m making?”

Jessica Chastain

On her production company, Freckle Films: “For me, it’s for finding and creating opportunities for women and minority groups that might not have an outlet, whether it be as a writer or an actor or a director. It’s important to me to create these stepping stones.”

Tessa Thompson

On how traditional roles never worked for her: “I think our ideas about what a young black person or a young Mexican person or a young white person should be like weren’t as expansive then as they are now. It made me think I had to fit into a box. The one-dimensional girlfriend or the
sassy black friend—those weren’t going to work for me.”

Laura Dern

On portraying relatable women: “In my twenties, the characters I was asked to play were limited by, well, she’s just a girl—she doesn’t mean it or she doesn’t know who she is. So I’m starting to play women who just don’t know how to do it—they’re not girls, but they haven’t figured it out, still. That’s so relatable! I’m having the time of my life.”

Riley Keough

On the sex scenes in The Girlfriend Experience: “I’d like to make the story more interesting and say it was a really difficult thing for me to do…but I don’t find nudity difficult. America feels very…Oh my God, boobs! But I wasn’t squeamish.”

Cicely Tyson

On women who have influenced her career: “At the very beginning of my career, I had a teacher whose name was Vinnette Carroll; she directed a number of Broadway shows. She kept saying to me, “You know the problem with beautiful women? They tend to rely on their beauty.” And I said, How wrong she is! I never think of myself as being beautiful. I thought, What are you talking about? I work so hard. And I did. But I learned from her how important it is to learn your craft. When all else fails, you will land on that, and that alone.”

Kathleen Kennedy

On being a role model for women in film: “I don’t like to step in front of the camera, but if I can be a role model for women to recognize they can make it in film, I’m happy to do that whenever I can.”

[Photo Credit: Terry Tsiolis/ELLE Magazine]

• Cicely Tyson
• Editorials
• ELLE
• Jennifer Lawrence
• Jessica Chastain
• Kathleen Kennedy
• Laura Dern
• Magazines
• Margot Robbie
• Riley Keough
• Terry Tsiolis
• Tessa Thompson