Welcome to the Deep Dive. Now, if you just glance
at the career of our subject today, Geena Davis,
you see, well, you see the highlights, right?
Two Oscar nominations, a Golden Globe. A true
cultural icon, for sure. Films that really lasted.
Exactly. But if you stop there, you're really
missing. Like, the whole picture, her path, has
been anything... but conventional oh absolutely
it's this fascinating mix of um high level achievements
it's not just hollywood success we're talking
about someone with serious intellectual chops
a near olympic athletic detour and then this
incredibly focused data -driven activism that's
genuinely changed things in media So that's our
mission today. We want to connect those dots.
We're going way beyond Thelma Louise, beyond
A League of Their Own, great as they are. We
want to see how that intellectual curiosity,
that ability to just dive in, analyze, and commit.
How that allowed her to pivot so dramatically
throughout her life, from action star potential
to, well, a social change pioneer. We've got
a lot to draw on here. Yeah, let's start right
at the beginning. Those early details often tell
you so much. They really do. Like her name. She
was born Virginia Elizabeth Davis. The Gina,
we all know. That wasn't some Hollywood invention.
Oh, really? No, it was just a family nickname.
Her older brother, Dan Forth, couldn't save Virginia
easily, and they already had an Aunt Virginia
who went by Ginny. So he came up with Gina. Simple
as that. Practical. Practicality. Or maybe adaptability.
That seems like a running theme here. Even before
college, she did something pretty unusual. Right,
the exchange student year in Sandvik in Sweden.
And this wasn't just a holiday. She really immersed
herself, didn't she? Became fluent in Swedish.
Totally fluent, which, you know, for a teenager,
that's a huge undertaking. It really speaks to
this ability to engage, to learn deeply. And
then back in the U .S., moving to New York. Yeah.
The early jobs were pretty interesting, too,
before modeling really took off. Before she signed
with Zoli, yeah. She was actually working as
a window mannequin model for Ann Taylor. Wait,
like posing completely still in the window? Exactly.
Essentially being a live mannequin. It's kind
of a surreal image, right? A future Oscar winner
holding a pose for hours. Talk about paying your
dues. Definitely. But underlying all this, there's
something really crucial. The intellectual side.
This is key. And it's something a lot of people
don't know. Geena Davis is a member of Mensa.
The High IQ Society. The High IQ Society. Suddenly,
a lot of things start to click into place, don't
they? That capacity for intense focus, for analysis,
for specialized learning. It explains so much
about her later career path, especially the activism.
She didn't just feel there was a problem with
gender representation. No, she approached it
like a research project. Hired the researchers,
commissioned the biggest study ever done on it,
used hard data. She measures, analyzes, then
implements. That's the Mensa mind at work, you
could argue. Okay, so we have this incredibly...
Bright, adaptable young woman, fluent in Swedish,
Mensa member, working model. That rigor then
fuels this amazing career surge in the 80s. Let's
call this the rise to prominence, maybe 82 to
92. Sounds about right. And what a launch. 1982,
her debut is in Tootsie. I mean, talk about starting
strong. Sidney Pollack directing, Dustin Hoffman
starring. Critical smash. Huge commercial hit.
Massive. Second most profitable film of the year.
Ten Oscar nominations. Just incredible. And her
famous quote about the role was something like,
someone who's going to be in their underwear
a lot. Yeah, which is funny and, well, accurate
for the part, but it definitely undersells the
confidence it took to make an impression in that
cast. True. But even with a debut like Tootsie,
it's rarely a straight lineup, is it? There was
TV work, too. Oh, yeah. The dues paying continued.
She was a regular on a sitcom called Buffalo
Bill. Critically acclaimed, actually got like
11 Emmy nods. But canceled. But canceled. Ratings
weren't there. Then she did another series, Sarah,
which only lasted 13 episodes. So, you know,
she experienced the typical ups and downs of
TV early on, showed resilience. But the real
momentum started building mid -decade, especially
with science fiction, right? Right. And a key
collaboration. Absolutely. The Fly in 1986. David
Cronenberg directing. A huge commercial success,
genuine body horror classic. It really established
her as a serious actor who could handle intense
drama. And that's where she starred opposite
Jeff Goldblum. Who became her husband, yeah.
They'd actually worked together before that on
a less successful horror comedy, Transylvania
6 -5000. But The Fly was the big one for them
as a screen pair. And it showed her range moving
from comedy to that kind of intensity. Okay,
so the mid -80s set the stage, but then comes
this incredible four -year peak where everything
just explodes. Starting in 88. 1988 is massive
for her. First, Beetlejuice. Tim Burton. She's
Barbara Maitland, one of the sweet, recently
deceased ghosts trying to haunt their own house.
Great film. Such a unique performance from her,
balancing the comedy and the pathos. And it was
a hit. Big hit. Made over $70 million on a $15
million budget. It really cemented that quirky,
endearing persona. And that persona probably
helped set the stage for what happened later
that same year, the Academy Award. Exactly. Best
Supporting Actress, Oscar for The Accidental
Tourist. Playing Muriel Pritchett, the dog trainer.
She was just luminous in that. Critics loved
her. Roger Ebert said she brought this unforced
wackiness, but also that the character was complex,
not as simple as she sometimes seems. Right.
It wasn't just quirky for quirky's sake. She
gave Muriel real depth. That intellectual underpinning,
again, perhaps finding complexity even in eccentricity.
Okay, so Oscar winner. Then, 1991. The big one.
Thelma and Louise. Uh -huh. Landmark film. Instantly
iconic. It wasn't just a movie. It was a cultural
event. Absolutely. Feminist touchstone. Huge
critical conversation. Commercial success. And
her performance as Thelma, the journey from repressed
housewife to liberated fugitive. Wow. Oscar nomination
for Best Actress. Baftonom. Golden Globenom.
It was huge for her and for Susan Sarandon, obviously.
And you can't talk about Thelma Louise without
mentioning, yeah. Yeah. Brad Pitt. Yeah. It basically
launched his career. That role is J .D., the
charming thief. And he remembers it. Decades
later, winning his own Oscar, he specifically
thanked her and Ridley Scott for giving him his
first shot. Which is pretty classy and shows
the impact that film and her presence in it had.
It wasn't just her star turn. It was a launch
pad. Amazing. And she capped off this incredible
run in 1992 with A League of Their Own. Another
smash hit. Penny Marshall directing Tom Hanks'
Madonna. 10th highest grossing film of that year.
And her role as Dottie Hinson, the star catcher,
got her another Golden Globe nomination. So yeah,
that five -year period, say 88 to 92, it's just
phenomenal. From supporting player to Oscar winner
to leading lady in iconic, culturally defining
films, critical acclaim, box office gold, she
was absolutely top tier. A Hollywood powerhouse.
Yeah. But as we know, what goes up often faces
challenges. And the mid -90s brought a really
significant downturn. Which brings us to segment
two, downturn, shifting focus, and resilience.
Yeah, this period is really defined by a couple
of things, starting with her third marriage to
director Rennie Harlan. And they had this big
plan, right, to turn her into an action star.
That was the idea. Leverage her existing star
power, his action -directing chops, aim for that
Schwarzenegger -Stallone level of global action
bankability. Which led directly to, well, disaster.
Cut to Rhode Island. 1995 disaster is putting
it mildly i mean cutthroat island is legendary
in hollywood for how badly it failed the budget
just ballooned in it hugely around 98 million
dollars which was astronomical for 95 and it
grossed maybe 10 million worldwide. It was so
bad, it actually made the Guinness World Records
for the biggest box office loss ever at one point.
Wow. And the fallout was immense. It basically
bankrupted the studio, Coralscom Pictures, didn't
it? Yeah, Coralco had made huge hits like Rambo,
Terminator 2. Cutthroat Island is widely cited
as the film that sank them. Imagine having that
attached to your name. It's brutal. So that's
a massive blow. They tried again quickly, though.
They did. The Long Kiss Goodnight in 1996, another
action film directed by Harlan. It did OK, moderate
success. But the damage from cutthroat was done.
The narrative shifted. She wasn't seen as bankable
anymore. But here's the question, right? Was
it just Cutthroat Island, or was Hollywood also
doing its typical thing with actresses hitting
their 40s? Because she turned 40 right around
then. That's the million -dollar question, isn't
it? It's probably a mix of both. The flop provided
a convenient excuse, perhaps, for what often
happens to leading actresses anyway. The timing
is certainly suggestive. And then the marriage
ended, too. Pretty dramatic. Yeah, she divorced
Harlan in 98. The timing was... Well, awkward.
It came literally the day after his child with
her personal assistant was born. A very public,
difficult situation. So after all that, she took
some time off. She did. About two years, which
she later called unusually long. Time to reflect,
regroup. And she spoke about this period later,
quite openly. In a Vulture interview, she basically
confirmed it. Said film roles really did start
to dry up in her 40s. Yeah, she pointed out she'd
averaged about a film a year before that. But
in her entire 40s, just one major film role,
Stuart Little. And she felt kind of spoiled by
her earlier roles. That's how she put it. Completely
ruined and spoiled. Playing Thelma, playing a
pirate captain, these huge, complex leading roles.
It makes it harder to accept smaller or less
interesting parts, especially when the industry
just isn't offering many great roles for women
over 40. Again, that intellectual rigor. She
wanted substance, not just work. So she pivoted
strategically. First, family film. Stuart Little.
Right. Playing Eleanor Little, the mom. That
franchise was successful, ran from 99 to 2005.
kept her visible, working in a different kind
of genre. But the big move, the attempt to reclaim
that dramatic spotlight, was back on television.
Commander -in -Chief. 2005 -2006, playing Mackenzie
Allen, the first female U .S. president. On paper,
it seemed perfect for her. The gravitas, the
intelligence. And she won the Golden Globes for
it. Best actress in a TV drama. She did, which
makes what happened next even more powerful.
Cancelled after one season. Yep. Just one season.
And she was reportedly devastated. It wasn't
about quality, apparently. It was scheduling.
They put it up against massive hits. House, and
then even worse, American Idol at its absolute
peak. Just impossible competition. She even tried
to shop the show to other networks. She believed
in it so much, but it didn't happen. Man, that's
tough. But even though it was short -lived, it
did kind of solidify her place as a major TV
presence, right? Yeah. Able to carry a high -stakes
drama. Absolutely. And it shows that resilience
again, surviving cutthroat islands, surviving
the cancellation of a passion project. It really
sets the stage for how she approached her career
later. Less about chasing box office, more about
quality roles, often with institutional weight.
That idea of a systematic recalculation, focusing
on roles with substance, leads us perfectly into
segment three. professional expansion and television
presence from about 2010 onward. Exactly. She
really settled into these high profile, often
recurring dramatic TV roles like on Grey's Anatomy.
Right. She played Dr. Nicole Herman, the fetal
surgeon. That was the meaty role. Lots of complex
medical stuff. High drama appeared across a few
seasons. Definitely fit that preference for intellectual
challenge. And she wasn't afraid of genre work
either. In 2016, she starred in the Exorcist
TV series. Oh, yeah. Playing Angela Rance, who
turned out to be... The grown -up Reagan McNeil
from the original movie. Big reveal. The show
got good reviews, critical buzz, showed she still
had that screen presence for intense material.
And what's interesting in this period is seeing
how her off -screen activism started to visibly
connect with her work choices. Like the voice
work she did. For Studio Ghibli is when Marnie
was there. The English dub. Yeah. And she specifically
said she was drawn to it because Ghibli films
are known for having lots of strong female characters.
Which is exactly what she was advocating for
with her institute. So you see this deliberate
alignment starting to happen, using her choices
to reinforce her message. She also kept doing
interesting independent films. Marjorie Prime
in 2017. Right. That sci -fi drama about memory,
AI, another really brainy concept. And critics
noticed her performance. Vanity Fair said she
stole every scene, a nice reminder to the industry
of her capabilities. Definitely. And more recently,
she seems to be having fun with some quirky character
roles, too. Voice work in She -Ra and the Princesses
of Power. And she was great in the last season
of GLOW, as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair. The former
showgirl turned entertainment director. Yeah,
just embracing fun, memorable characters. This
period also saw her become an author. The memoir...
Dying of Politeness came out in 2022. And that
title says so much, doesn't it? about her journey
from, as she put it, that conventional New England
femininity and trauma to the feminist badassery
people saw on screen and that she then put into
action in the real world. And she's still working,
still creating. She's got a children's book coming
out. The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page, perfect
tie -in to her institute's work. And a Netflix
sci -fi series, The Burrows, is on the horizon
too. So if you look at her career since, say,
the late 90s, it really is a masterclass in strategic
redirection, isn't it? away from the volatile
star vehicle system that kind of burned her.
And focusing instead on quality, on intellectual
challenge, on roles that maybe resonated more
with her personal mission, across TV, indie film,
voice work, writing. That flexibility, that adaptability,
it goes right back to that core intellectual
curiosity we talked about at the start. And that
core drive, that systematic thinking, brings
us squarely to maybe her most lasting legacy,
the activism. Segment four, activism, gender
in media and humanitarian work. Yeah, it's quite
possible that long term her work off screen will
have an even bigger impact than her acting. And
it all started with a simple observation. Just
watching kids TV with her daughter, right? Around
2004. Exactly. And noticing just visually this
huge imbalance, way more male characters than
female characters, something any parent might
notice. But most parents don't then launch a
major research institute. Precisely. That's the
Geena Davis difference. She founded the. Davis
Institute on Gender and Media. And crucially,
the approach was collaborative from the start.
She knew just yelling at Hollywood wouldn't work.
She needed data, hard evidence. Right. So the
institute sponsored the biggest research project
ever done on gender in children's entertainment
through USC's Annenberg School, applying serious
academic rigor to cartoons and kids' movies.
And the results were pretty stark. Yeah, they
confirmed her initial observation big time. Across
hundreds of films, G, PG, PG -13, even R -rated,
they found almost three male characters for every
one female character. Three to one. Wow. And
that's not just leads, right? That's everything.
Everything. Background characters, crowd scenes,
characters shown in different professions. The
implication, especially for kids absorbing this
constantly, is huge. It subconsciously reinforces
the idea that men just dominate the world numerically
and professionally. So the Institute's goal became
clear. Use this data to actually change things.
Exactly. Increase female presence, reduce stereotyping.
But do it by going to creators and executives
with the numbers, showing them specifically where
the imbalances were, often unconsciously. That
famous mantra of hers, if she can see it, she
can be it. That's the core idea. Show more women
in diverse roles, even in the background. And
it changes perceptions. The Institute provides
specific data backed advice on how to achieve
parity before production even starts. And she
didn't stop at research. She created platforms
for change to the Bentonville Film Festival launched
in 2015. And it has a very specific mission championing
diversity. It actively seeks out and showcases
films with women and minorities prominent in
front of and behind the camera. It's an economic
driver for inclusion. She also used her producing
skills. The documentary, This Changes Everything.
Right, 2018, exploring the systemic gender inequality
in Hollywood, drawing on her own experiences
and the Institute's research. Got great buzz
at TIFF. And she executive produced that educational
show, Mission Unstoppable. Which focuses on getting
young women into STEM careers. Yeah. Another
direct link. And the industry itself has recognized
this work at the highest level. She received
the Jean Herschelt Humanitarian Award and Honorary
Oscar in 2019. That's huge. And maybe even more
significantly, the Institute itself got the Governor's
Award from the Academy in 2022. That shows real
institutional recognition of the impact they've
had. had it's not just media imagery either is
it her support goes wider no she's a big supporter
of the women's sports foundation and a major
advocate for title next the law preventing gender
discrimination in education especially known
for its impact on women's sports Exactly. Which
connects really nicely to her own surprising
athletic story. It shows her commitment to equality
is about opportunity across the board, not just
on screen. That personal athletic dedication
is maybe the most unexpected twist in her story.
It really highlights her drive. Which brings
us to segment five, personal life and the archery
surprise. But first, maybe a quick recap of the
personal side, the marriages. Sure. It was often
in the public eye. First marriage brief. To Richard
Amelow, a restaurateur, 81 to 84. Then the very
public pairing with Jeff Goldblum. Yeah, met
working together, married 87 to 91. She later
called in a magical chapter, emphasizing that
he understood the acting world, wasn't competitive
with her success. Which contrasts with the third
marriage to Rennie Harlan. Defined by those big,
ultimately troubled professional collaborations.
married 93 divorced filed in 97 under those difficult
circumstances we mentioned the timing with his
child with her assistant definitely a tumultuous
end and finally her longest relationship With
Dr. Reza Jarai. The surgeon, yeah. Together from
around 99, they have three children together,
daughter Elisa, twin sons, Kaiz, and Kian. But
the marriage itself ended up being legally complicated.
Very. When she filed for divorce in 2018, she
later claimed in court they were never actually
legally married, despite the ceremony and long
relationship. The divorce was finalized in 2021,
and part of the settlement involved changing
the sons' last names to just Jarai. Okay, so
a complex personal life, like many in the public.
guy. But now, the archery. This is wild. It really
is. So picture this. It's 1997. Cutthroat Island
has bombed. Her marriage to Harlan is ending
under stressful circumstances. What does she
do? Take up archery. Takes up archery. A sport
requiring immense precision, focused discipline.
Not exactly casual hobby. And then, just two
years later. Two years. July 1999. She's competing
in the official tryouts for the U .S. Olympic
archery team for the Sydney 2000 Games. Against
300 of the best archers in the country after
only starting two years before. That seems impossible.
It's almost superhuman, isn't it? Think about
the dedication. Most Olympic athletes train from
childhood. She reached national competitive level
in 24 months while still managing her career,
her life. It's pure focused commitment. Did she
make the team? She placed 24th, so no, she didn't
qualify for the official team. But just getting
to that level, being competitive in that field
is staggering. She did participate in an international
competition in Sydney later as a wildcard entry.
That archery story just reframes everything,
doesn't it? It shows that the Mensa intellect
is matched by this incredible physical and mental
discipline. Absolutely. Whether it's learning
Swedish, acting, or archery, she applies the
same rigorous analytical all -in approach. She
seems driven to master complex systems. So wrapping
this all up. What are the big takeaways from
this deep dive into Geena Davis? We've seen the
incredible highs, the Oscars, Alma and Louise.
The crushing lows, cutthroat island, the resilience
pivoting to TV, winning another Golden Globe
for commander in chief. But the constant thread
seems to be that intellectual rigor, that polymath
quality. Exactly. Actor, yes, but also Mensa
member, fluent Swedish speaker, near Olympic
archer, author, and crucially, the driving force
behind the Geena Davis Institute. Her most lasting
impact. might just be that data -driven activism
changing gender representation. Her story really
shows what can happen when celebrity influence
is combined with serious, methodical work for
systemic change. Which leads to a really interesting
final thought for you, the listener. Dina Davis
used her platform, sure, but it was her commitment
to rigorous research, to data, to collaborative
persistence that actually moved the needle in
Hollywood. So the question is... What potential
for real social or industrial change are other
very visible figures overlooking when they focus
solely on performance or awareness, rather than
digging into the data and working to reshape
the underlying systems of their industries? It's
a powerful question about leveraging influence
effectively. A fantastic place to leave it. Thank
you for joining us for this deep dive into the
remarkable life and multifaceted work of Gina
Davis.