WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Now, if you just glance 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:05.099 at the career of our subject today, Geena Davis, 00:00:05.259 --> 00:00:07.360 you see, well, you see the highlights, right? 00:00:07.480 --> 00:00:10.679 Two Oscar nominations, a Golden Globe. A true 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:13.599 cultural icon, for sure. Films that really lasted. 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.879 Exactly. But if you stop there, you're really 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:20.000 missing. Like, the whole picture, her path, has 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:22.530 been anything... but conventional oh absolutely 00:00:22.530 --> 00:00:27.109 it's this fascinating mix of um high level achievements 00:00:27.109 --> 00:00:29.550 it's not just hollywood success we're talking 00:00:29.550 --> 00:00:32.189 about someone with serious intellectual chops 00:00:32.189 --> 00:00:35.149 a near olympic athletic detour and then this 00:00:35.149 --> 00:00:37.869 incredibly focused data -driven activism that's 00:00:37.869 --> 00:00:40.380 genuinely changed things in media So that's our 00:00:40.380 --> 00:00:41.840 mission today. We want to connect those dots. 00:00:41.880 --> 00:00:44.320 We're going way beyond Thelma Louise, beyond 00:00:44.320 --> 00:00:46.259 A League of Their Own, great as they are. We 00:00:46.259 --> 00:00:48.380 want to see how that intellectual curiosity, 00:00:48.539 --> 00:00:51.500 that ability to just dive in, analyze, and commit. 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:53.420 How that allowed her to pivot so dramatically 00:00:53.420 --> 00:00:55.539 throughout her life, from action star potential 00:00:55.539 --> 00:00:58.960 to, well, a social change pioneer. We've got 00:00:58.960 --> 00:01:00.840 a lot to draw on here. Yeah, let's start right 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:02.719 at the beginning. Those early details often tell 00:01:02.719 --> 00:01:06.519 you so much. They really do. Like her name. She 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:09.390 was born Virginia Elizabeth Davis. The Gina, 00:01:09.569 --> 00:01:11.969 we all know. That wasn't some Hollywood invention. 00:01:12.469 --> 00:01:14.310 Oh, really? No, it was just a family nickname. 00:01:14.890 --> 00:01:17.530 Her older brother, Dan Forth, couldn't save Virginia 00:01:17.530 --> 00:01:20.189 easily, and they already had an Aunt Virginia 00:01:20.189 --> 00:01:23.750 who went by Ginny. So he came up with Gina. Simple 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:27.870 as that. Practical. Practicality. Or maybe adaptability. 00:01:27.989 --> 00:01:30.510 That seems like a running theme here. Even before 00:01:30.510 --> 00:01:33.170 college, she did something pretty unusual. Right, 00:01:33.209 --> 00:01:35.609 the exchange student year in Sandvik in Sweden. 00:01:35.969 --> 00:01:39.060 And this wasn't just a holiday. She really immersed 00:01:39.060 --> 00:01:41.099 herself, didn't she? Became fluent in Swedish. 00:01:41.379 --> 00:01:43.540 Totally fluent, which, you know, for a teenager, 00:01:43.700 --> 00:01:45.719 that's a huge undertaking. It really speaks to 00:01:45.719 --> 00:01:48.819 this ability to engage, to learn deeply. And 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:50.819 then back in the U .S., moving to New York. Yeah. 00:01:50.959 --> 00:01:52.659 The early jobs were pretty interesting, too, 00:01:52.739 --> 00:01:54.980 before modeling really took off. Before she signed 00:01:54.980 --> 00:01:56.980 with Zoli, yeah. She was actually working as 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.400 a window mannequin model for Ann Taylor. Wait, 00:01:59.480 --> 00:02:02.370 like posing completely still in the window? Exactly. 00:02:02.409 --> 00:02:04.469 Essentially being a live mannequin. It's kind 00:02:04.469 --> 00:02:06.469 of a surreal image, right? A future Oscar winner 00:02:06.469 --> 00:02:09.449 holding a pose for hours. Talk about paying your 00:02:09.449 --> 00:02:12.289 dues. Definitely. But underlying all this, there's 00:02:12.289 --> 00:02:14.590 something really crucial. The intellectual side. 00:02:14.789 --> 00:02:17.270 This is key. And it's something a lot of people 00:02:17.270 --> 00:02:20.710 don't know. Geena Davis is a member of Mensa. 00:02:20.729 --> 00:02:24.699 The High IQ Society. The High IQ Society. Suddenly, 00:02:24.740 --> 00:02:26.719 a lot of things start to click into place, don't 00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.759 they? That capacity for intense focus, for analysis, 00:02:29.939 --> 00:02:33.000 for specialized learning. It explains so much 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:35.479 about her later career path, especially the activism. 00:02:35.879 --> 00:02:37.680 She didn't just feel there was a problem with 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:39.919 gender representation. No, she approached it 00:02:39.919 --> 00:02:42.280 like a research project. Hired the researchers, 00:02:42.580 --> 00:02:44.379 commissioned the biggest study ever done on it, 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:48.020 used hard data. She measures, analyzes, then 00:02:48.020 --> 00:02:50.319 implements. That's the Mensa mind at work, you 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:52.340 could argue. Okay, so we have this incredibly... 00:02:52.639 --> 00:02:55.259 Bright, adaptable young woman, fluent in Swedish, 00:02:55.419 --> 00:02:58.120 Mensa member, working model. That rigor then 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:01.620 fuels this amazing career surge in the 80s. Let's 00:03:01.620 --> 00:03:04.099 call this the rise to prominence, maybe 82 to 00:03:04.099 --> 00:03:06.939 92. Sounds about right. And what a launch. 1982, 00:03:07.300 --> 00:03:10.020 her debut is in Tootsie. I mean, talk about starting 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:13.020 strong. Sidney Pollack directing, Dustin Hoffman 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:16.860 starring. Critical smash. Huge commercial hit. 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:19.939 Massive. Second most profitable film of the year. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.669 Ten Oscar nominations. Just incredible. And her 00:03:23.669 --> 00:03:25.509 famous quote about the role was something like, 00:03:25.530 --> 00:03:27.129 someone who's going to be in their underwear 00:03:27.129 --> 00:03:31.349 a lot. Yeah, which is funny and, well, accurate 00:03:31.349 --> 00:03:33.569 for the part, but it definitely undersells the 00:03:33.569 --> 00:03:35.509 confidence it took to make an impression in that 00:03:35.509 --> 00:03:38.449 cast. True. But even with a debut like Tootsie, 00:03:38.530 --> 00:03:41.020 it's rarely a straight lineup, is it? There was 00:03:41.020 --> 00:03:43.319 TV work, too. Oh, yeah. The dues paying continued. 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:45.560 She was a regular on a sitcom called Buffalo 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:47.740 Bill. Critically acclaimed, actually got like 00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:50.580 11 Emmy nods. But canceled. But canceled. Ratings 00:03:50.580 --> 00:03:52.840 weren't there. Then she did another series, Sarah, 00:03:52.919 --> 00:03:55.259 which only lasted 13 episodes. So, you know, 00:03:55.280 --> 00:03:57.180 she experienced the typical ups and downs of 00:03:57.180 --> 00:03:59.800 TV early on, showed resilience. But the real 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:01.900 momentum started building mid -decade, especially 00:04:01.900 --> 00:04:04.360 with science fiction, right? Right. And a key 00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:08.800 collaboration. Absolutely. The Fly in 1986. David 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.740 Cronenberg directing. A huge commercial success, 00:04:11.960 --> 00:04:15.039 genuine body horror classic. It really established 00:04:15.039 --> 00:04:17.720 her as a serious actor who could handle intense 00:04:17.720 --> 00:04:19.660 drama. And that's where she starred opposite 00:04:19.660 --> 00:04:21.860 Jeff Goldblum. Who became her husband, yeah. 00:04:22.180 --> 00:04:23.879 They'd actually worked together before that on 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:25.959 a less successful horror comedy, Transylvania 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:29.019 6 -5000. But The Fly was the big one for them 00:04:29.019 --> 00:04:31.339 as a screen pair. And it showed her range moving 00:04:31.339 --> 00:04:33.720 from comedy to that kind of intensity. Okay, 00:04:33.759 --> 00:04:35.660 so the mid -80s set the stage, but then comes 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:38.160 this incredible four -year peak where everything 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:41.699 just explodes. Starting in 88. 1988 is massive 00:04:41.699 --> 00:04:45.199 for her. First, Beetlejuice. Tim Burton. She's 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:46.879 Barbara Maitland, one of the sweet, recently 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:49.180 deceased ghosts trying to haunt their own house. 00:04:49.439 --> 00:04:51.279 Great film. Such a unique performance from her, 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:54.000 balancing the comedy and the pathos. And it was 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.019 a hit. Big hit. Made over $70 million on a $15 00:04:57.019 --> 00:04:59.540 million budget. It really cemented that quirky, 00:04:59.740 --> 00:05:01.980 endearing persona. And that persona probably 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:04.079 helped set the stage for what happened later 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.779 that same year, the Academy Award. Exactly. Best 00:05:06.779 --> 00:05:08.839 Supporting Actress, Oscar for The Accidental 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:11.500 Tourist. Playing Muriel Pritchett, the dog trainer. 00:05:11.620 --> 00:05:14.370 She was just luminous in that. Critics loved 00:05:14.370 --> 00:05:17.029 her. Roger Ebert said she brought this unforced 00:05:17.029 --> 00:05:19.730 wackiness, but also that the character was complex, 00:05:19.970 --> 00:05:22.509 not as simple as she sometimes seems. Right. 00:05:22.610 --> 00:05:25.209 It wasn't just quirky for quirky's sake. She 00:05:25.209 --> 00:05:28.550 gave Muriel real depth. That intellectual underpinning, 00:05:28.550 --> 00:05:31.350 again, perhaps finding complexity even in eccentricity. 00:05:31.430 --> 00:05:35.389 Okay, so Oscar winner. Then, 1991. The big one. 00:05:36.129 --> 00:05:40.310 Thelma and Louise. Uh -huh. Landmark film. Instantly 00:05:40.310 --> 00:05:42.689 iconic. It wasn't just a movie. It was a cultural 00:05:42.689 --> 00:05:45.550 event. Absolutely. Feminist touchstone. Huge 00:05:45.550 --> 00:05:48.790 critical conversation. Commercial success. And 00:05:48.790 --> 00:05:51.529 her performance as Thelma, the journey from repressed 00:05:51.529 --> 00:05:54.930 housewife to liberated fugitive. Wow. Oscar nomination 00:05:54.930 --> 00:05:57.949 for Best Actress. Baftonom. Golden Globenom. 00:05:58.050 --> 00:06:00.370 It was huge for her and for Susan Sarandon, obviously. 00:06:00.370 --> 00:06:02.110 And you can't talk about Thelma Louise without 00:06:02.110 --> 00:06:04.899 mentioning, yeah. Yeah. Brad Pitt. Yeah. It basically 00:06:04.899 --> 00:06:07.379 launched his career. That role is J .D., the 00:06:07.379 --> 00:06:09.279 charming thief. And he remembers it. Decades 00:06:09.279 --> 00:06:11.759 later, winning his own Oscar, he specifically 00:06:11.759 --> 00:06:14.600 thanked her and Ridley Scott for giving him his 00:06:14.600 --> 00:06:16.720 first shot. Which is pretty classy and shows 00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:19.360 the impact that film and her presence in it had. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:21.399 It wasn't just her star turn. It was a launch 00:06:21.399 --> 00:06:24.800 pad. Amazing. And she capped off this incredible 00:06:24.800 --> 00:06:27.819 run in 1992 with A League of Their Own. Another 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:30.720 smash hit. Penny Marshall directing Tom Hanks' 00:06:30.839 --> 00:06:33.529 Madonna. 10th highest grossing film of that year. 00:06:33.629 --> 00:06:36.189 And her role as Dottie Hinson, the star catcher, 00:06:36.230 --> 00:06:38.750 got her another Golden Globe nomination. So yeah, 00:06:38.790 --> 00:06:41.750 that five -year period, say 88 to 92, it's just 00:06:41.750 --> 00:06:44.329 phenomenal. From supporting player to Oscar winner 00:06:44.329 --> 00:06:47.889 to leading lady in iconic, culturally defining 00:06:47.889 --> 00:06:50.949 films, critical acclaim, box office gold, she 00:06:50.949 --> 00:06:53.410 was absolutely top tier. A Hollywood powerhouse. 00:06:53.589 --> 00:06:56.689 Yeah. But as we know, what goes up often faces 00:06:56.689 --> 00:06:59.129 challenges. And the mid -90s brought a really 00:06:59.129 --> 00:07:01.610 significant downturn. Which brings us to segment 00:07:01.610 --> 00:07:04.329 two, downturn, shifting focus, and resilience. 00:07:04.709 --> 00:07:06.689 Yeah, this period is really defined by a couple 00:07:06.689 --> 00:07:08.370 of things, starting with her third marriage to 00:07:08.370 --> 00:07:10.189 director Rennie Harlan. And they had this big 00:07:10.189 --> 00:07:11.990 plan, right, to turn her into an action star. 00:07:12.129 --> 00:07:14.250 That was the idea. Leverage her existing star 00:07:14.250 --> 00:07:17.269 power, his action -directing chops, aim for that 00:07:17.269 --> 00:07:19.569 Schwarzenegger -Stallone level of global action 00:07:19.569 --> 00:07:22.829 bankability. Which led directly to, well, disaster. 00:07:23.370 --> 00:07:26.930 Cut to Rhode Island. 1995 disaster is putting 00:07:26.930 --> 00:07:29.170 it mildly i mean cutthroat island is legendary 00:07:29.170 --> 00:07:31.889 in hollywood for how badly it failed the budget 00:07:31.889 --> 00:07:35.389 just ballooned in it hugely around 98 million 00:07:35.389 --> 00:07:38.589 dollars which was astronomical for 95 and it 00:07:38.589 --> 00:07:42.319 grossed maybe 10 million worldwide. It was so 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:44.060 bad, it actually made the Guinness World Records 00:07:44.060 --> 00:07:46.860 for the biggest box office loss ever at one point. 00:07:46.980 --> 00:07:50.220 Wow. And the fallout was immense. It basically 00:07:50.220 --> 00:07:52.540 bankrupted the studio, Coralscom Pictures, didn't 00:07:52.540 --> 00:07:54.899 it? Yeah, Coralco had made huge hits like Rambo, 00:07:55.120 --> 00:07:58.139 Terminator 2. Cutthroat Island is widely cited 00:07:58.139 --> 00:08:00.339 as the film that sank them. Imagine having that 00:08:00.339 --> 00:08:02.220 attached to your name. It's brutal. So that's 00:08:02.220 --> 00:08:04.139 a massive blow. They tried again quickly, though. 00:08:04.240 --> 00:08:07.019 They did. The Long Kiss Goodnight in 1996, another 00:08:07.019 --> 00:08:09.639 action film directed by Harlan. It did OK, moderate 00:08:09.639 --> 00:08:11.920 success. But the damage from cutthroat was done. 00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:14.779 The narrative shifted. She wasn't seen as bankable 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:16.839 anymore. But here's the question, right? Was 00:08:16.839 --> 00:08:19.220 it just Cutthroat Island, or was Hollywood also 00:08:19.220 --> 00:08:21.160 doing its typical thing with actresses hitting 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:24.019 their 40s? Because she turned 40 right around 00:08:24.019 --> 00:08:26.079 then. That's the million -dollar question, isn't 00:08:26.079 --> 00:08:28.980 it? It's probably a mix of both. The flop provided 00:08:28.980 --> 00:08:31.920 a convenient excuse, perhaps, for what often 00:08:31.920 --> 00:08:34.980 happens to leading actresses anyway. The timing 00:08:34.980 --> 00:08:37.279 is certainly suggestive. And then the marriage 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:39.179 ended, too. Pretty dramatic. Yeah, she divorced 00:08:39.179 --> 00:08:42.750 Harlan in 98. The timing was... Well, awkward. 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:45.970 It came literally the day after his child with 00:08:45.970 --> 00:08:48.169 her personal assistant was born. A very public, 00:08:48.289 --> 00:08:51.309 difficult situation. So after all that, she took 00:08:51.309 --> 00:08:53.909 some time off. She did. About two years, which 00:08:53.909 --> 00:08:56.830 she later called unusually long. Time to reflect, 00:08:57.090 --> 00:08:59.730 regroup. And she spoke about this period later, 00:08:59.830 --> 00:09:02.710 quite openly. In a Vulture interview, she basically 00:09:02.710 --> 00:09:05.330 confirmed it. Said film roles really did start 00:09:05.330 --> 00:09:07.789 to dry up in her 40s. Yeah, she pointed out she'd 00:09:07.789 --> 00:09:10.299 averaged about a film a year before that. But 00:09:10.299 --> 00:09:13.220 in her entire 40s, just one major film role, 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.139 Stuart Little. And she felt kind of spoiled by 00:09:17.139 --> 00:09:19.879 her earlier roles. That's how she put it. Completely 00:09:19.879 --> 00:09:23.080 ruined and spoiled. Playing Thelma, playing a 00:09:23.080 --> 00:09:25.899 pirate captain, these huge, complex leading roles. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:28.259 It makes it harder to accept smaller or less 00:09:28.259 --> 00:09:30.960 interesting parts, especially when the industry 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.279 just isn't offering many great roles for women 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:36.179 over 40. Again, that intellectual rigor. She 00:09:36.179 --> 00:09:39.899 wanted substance, not just work. So she pivoted 00:09:39.899 --> 00:09:43.639 strategically. First, family film. Stuart Little. 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:46.460 Right. Playing Eleanor Little, the mom. That 00:09:46.460 --> 00:09:49.039 franchise was successful, ran from 99 to 2005. 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:52.259 kept her visible, working in a different kind 00:09:52.259 --> 00:09:55.320 of genre. But the big move, the attempt to reclaim 00:09:55.320 --> 00:09:57.840 that dramatic spotlight, was back on television. 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:01.480 Commander -in -Chief. 2005 -2006, playing Mackenzie 00:10:01.480 --> 00:10:04.120 Allen, the first female U .S. president. On paper, 00:10:04.220 --> 00:10:06.059 it seemed perfect for her. The gravitas, the 00:10:06.059 --> 00:10:07.980 intelligence. And she won the Golden Globes for 00:10:07.980 --> 00:10:10.679 it. Best actress in a TV drama. She did, which 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:12.440 makes what happened next even more powerful. 00:10:12.659 --> 00:10:14.850 Cancelled after one season. Yep. Just one season. 00:10:15.009 --> 00:10:17.090 And she was reportedly devastated. It wasn't 00:10:17.090 --> 00:10:18.809 about quality, apparently. It was scheduling. 00:10:18.870 --> 00:10:21.789 They put it up against massive hits. House, and 00:10:21.789 --> 00:10:23.929 then even worse, American Idol at its absolute 00:10:23.929 --> 00:10:27.250 peak. Just impossible competition. She even tried 00:10:27.250 --> 00:10:29.269 to shop the show to other networks. She believed 00:10:29.269 --> 00:10:31.129 in it so much, but it didn't happen. Man, that's 00:10:31.129 --> 00:10:33.509 tough. But even though it was short -lived, it 00:10:33.509 --> 00:10:36.690 did kind of solidify her place as a major TV 00:10:36.690 --> 00:10:39.149 presence, right? Yeah. Able to carry a high -stakes 00:10:39.149 --> 00:10:41.470 drama. Absolutely. And it shows that resilience 00:10:41.470 --> 00:10:43.909 again, surviving cutthroat islands, surviving 00:10:43.909 --> 00:10:47.049 the cancellation of a passion project. It really 00:10:47.049 --> 00:10:48.990 sets the stage for how she approached her career 00:10:48.990 --> 00:10:52.169 later. Less about chasing box office, more about 00:10:52.169 --> 00:10:54.789 quality roles, often with institutional weight. 00:10:54.909 --> 00:10:57.669 That idea of a systematic recalculation, focusing 00:10:57.669 --> 00:11:00.370 on roles with substance, leads us perfectly into 00:11:00.370 --> 00:11:03.450 segment three. professional expansion and television 00:11:03.450 --> 00:11:06.950 presence from about 2010 onward. Exactly. She 00:11:06.950 --> 00:11:09.570 really settled into these high profile, often 00:11:09.570 --> 00:11:13.590 recurring dramatic TV roles like on Grey's Anatomy. 00:11:13.690 --> 00:11:15.649 Right. She played Dr. Nicole Herman, the fetal 00:11:15.649 --> 00:11:18.629 surgeon. That was the meaty role. Lots of complex 00:11:18.629 --> 00:11:21.289 medical stuff. High drama appeared across a few 00:11:21.289 --> 00:11:24.029 seasons. Definitely fit that preference for intellectual 00:11:24.029 --> 00:11:26.870 challenge. And she wasn't afraid of genre work 00:11:26.870 --> 00:11:29.740 either. In 2016, she starred in the Exorcist 00:11:29.740 --> 00:11:32.379 TV series. Oh, yeah. Playing Angela Rance, who 00:11:32.379 --> 00:11:35.100 turned out to be... The grown -up Reagan McNeil 00:11:35.100 --> 00:11:37.399 from the original movie. Big reveal. The show 00:11:37.399 --> 00:11:40.419 got good reviews, critical buzz, showed she still 00:11:40.419 --> 00:11:42.879 had that screen presence for intense material. 00:11:43.299 --> 00:11:45.980 And what's interesting in this period is seeing 00:11:45.980 --> 00:11:49.220 how her off -screen activism started to visibly 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:51.940 connect with her work choices. Like the voice 00:11:51.940 --> 00:11:54.480 work she did. For Studio Ghibli is when Marnie 00:11:54.480 --> 00:11:57.000 was there. The English dub. Yeah. And she specifically 00:11:57.000 --> 00:11:59.539 said she was drawn to it because Ghibli films 00:11:59.539 --> 00:12:02.299 are known for having lots of strong female characters. 00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:04.379 Which is exactly what she was advocating for 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:06.000 with her institute. So you see this deliberate 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.600 alignment starting to happen, using her choices 00:12:08.600 --> 00:12:10.620 to reinforce her message. She also kept doing 00:12:10.620 --> 00:12:12.879 interesting independent films. Marjorie Prime 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:16.399 in 2017. Right. That sci -fi drama about memory, 00:12:16.659 --> 00:12:19.480 AI, another really brainy concept. And critics 00:12:19.480 --> 00:12:22.309 noticed her performance. Vanity Fair said she 00:12:22.309 --> 00:12:25.169 stole every scene, a nice reminder to the industry 00:12:25.169 --> 00:12:28.110 of her capabilities. Definitely. And more recently, 00:12:28.210 --> 00:12:30.169 she seems to be having fun with some quirky character 00:12:30.169 --> 00:12:33.590 roles, too. Voice work in She -Ra and the Princesses 00:12:33.590 --> 00:12:35.830 of Power. And she was great in the last season 00:12:35.830 --> 00:12:39.669 of GLOW, as Sandy Devereaux St. Clair. The former 00:12:39.669 --> 00:12:42.350 showgirl turned entertainment director. Yeah, 00:12:42.830 --> 00:12:46.529 just embracing fun, memorable characters. This 00:12:46.529 --> 00:12:49.690 period also saw her become an author. The memoir... 00:12:49.899 --> 00:12:53.159 Dying of Politeness came out in 2022. And that 00:12:53.159 --> 00:12:56.409 title says so much, doesn't it? about her journey 00:12:56.409 --> 00:12:59.490 from, as she put it, that conventional New England 00:12:59.490 --> 00:13:03.870 femininity and trauma to the feminist badassery 00:13:03.870 --> 00:13:06.470 people saw on screen and that she then put into 00:13:06.470 --> 00:13:08.629 action in the real world. And she's still working, 00:13:08.669 --> 00:13:10.509 still creating. She's got a children's book coming 00:13:10.509 --> 00:13:12.870 out. The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page, perfect 00:13:12.870 --> 00:13:15.409 tie -in to her institute's work. And a Netflix 00:13:15.409 --> 00:13:17.590 sci -fi series, The Burrows, is on the horizon 00:13:17.590 --> 00:13:20.370 too. So if you look at her career since, say, 00:13:20.370 --> 00:13:23.169 the late 90s, it really is a masterclass in strategic 00:13:23.169 --> 00:13:25.610 redirection, isn't it? away from the volatile 00:13:25.610 --> 00:13:27.789 star vehicle system that kind of burned her. 00:13:27.909 --> 00:13:30.529 And focusing instead on quality, on intellectual 00:13:30.529 --> 00:13:33.909 challenge, on roles that maybe resonated more 00:13:33.909 --> 00:13:37.129 with her personal mission, across TV, indie film, 00:13:37.350 --> 00:13:40.409 voice work, writing. That flexibility, that adaptability, 00:13:40.629 --> 00:13:42.350 it goes right back to that core intellectual 00:13:42.350 --> 00:13:44.389 curiosity we talked about at the start. And that 00:13:44.389 --> 00:13:47.370 core drive, that systematic thinking, brings 00:13:47.370 --> 00:13:49.950 us squarely to maybe her most lasting legacy, 00:13:50.250 --> 00:13:54.519 the activism. Segment four, activism, gender 00:13:54.519 --> 00:13:57.500 in media and humanitarian work. Yeah, it's quite 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:00.179 possible that long term her work off screen will 00:14:00.179 --> 00:14:02.620 have an even bigger impact than her acting. And 00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:04.659 it all started with a simple observation. Just 00:14:04.659 --> 00:14:06.919 watching kids TV with her daughter, right? Around 00:14:06.919 --> 00:14:10.580 2004. Exactly. And noticing just visually this 00:14:10.580 --> 00:14:13.559 huge imbalance, way more male characters than 00:14:13.559 --> 00:14:15.340 female characters, something any parent might 00:14:15.340 --> 00:14:17.480 notice. But most parents don't then launch a 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:20.019 major research institute. Precisely. That's the 00:14:20.019 --> 00:14:22.059 Geena Davis difference. She founded the. Davis 00:14:22.059 --> 00:14:24.639 Institute on Gender and Media. And crucially, 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:27.059 the approach was collaborative from the start. 00:14:27.139 --> 00:14:29.179 She knew just yelling at Hollywood wouldn't work. 00:14:29.279 --> 00:14:32.240 She needed data, hard evidence. Right. So the 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.500 institute sponsored the biggest research project 00:14:34.500 --> 00:14:36.700 ever done on gender in children's entertainment 00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:40.179 through USC's Annenberg School, applying serious 00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:42.659 academic rigor to cartoons and kids' movies. 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:44.860 And the results were pretty stark. Yeah, they 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:47.600 confirmed her initial observation big time. Across 00:14:47.600 --> 00:14:51.799 hundreds of films, G, PG, PG -13, even R -rated, 00:14:51.919 --> 00:14:54.980 they found almost three male characters for every 00:14:54.980 --> 00:14:58.210 one female character. Three to one. Wow. And 00:14:58.210 --> 00:14:59.870 that's not just leads, right? That's everything. 00:15:00.169 --> 00:15:02.250 Everything. Background characters, crowd scenes, 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:04.809 characters shown in different professions. The 00:15:04.809 --> 00:15:06.909 implication, especially for kids absorbing this 00:15:06.909 --> 00:15:10.450 constantly, is huge. It subconsciously reinforces 00:15:10.450 --> 00:15:13.590 the idea that men just dominate the world numerically 00:15:13.590 --> 00:15:15.950 and professionally. So the Institute's goal became 00:15:15.950 --> 00:15:19.019 clear. Use this data to actually change things. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:22.080 Exactly. Increase female presence, reduce stereotyping. 00:15:22.100 --> 00:15:24.200 But do it by going to creators and executives 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:26.360 with the numbers, showing them specifically where 00:15:26.360 --> 00:15:28.860 the imbalances were, often unconsciously. That 00:15:28.860 --> 00:15:31.139 famous mantra of hers, if she can see it, she 00:15:31.139 --> 00:15:34.110 can be it. That's the core idea. Show more women 00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:36.289 in diverse roles, even in the background. And 00:15:36.289 --> 00:15:39.029 it changes perceptions. The Institute provides 00:15:39.029 --> 00:15:41.889 specific data backed advice on how to achieve 00:15:41.889 --> 00:15:44.169 parity before production even starts. And she 00:15:44.169 --> 00:15:46.330 didn't stop at research. She created platforms 00:15:46.330 --> 00:15:49.549 for change to the Bentonville Film Festival launched 00:15:49.549 --> 00:15:54.389 in 2015. And it has a very specific mission championing 00:15:54.389 --> 00:15:56.990 diversity. It actively seeks out and showcases 00:15:56.990 --> 00:15:59.789 films with women and minorities prominent in 00:15:59.789 --> 00:16:02.350 front of and behind the camera. It's an economic 00:16:02.350 --> 00:16:04.950 driver for inclusion. She also used her producing 00:16:04.950 --> 00:16:07.730 skills. The documentary, This Changes Everything. 00:16:08.009 --> 00:16:11.169 Right, 2018, exploring the systemic gender inequality 00:16:11.169 --> 00:16:13.389 in Hollywood, drawing on her own experiences 00:16:13.389 --> 00:16:16.019 and the Institute's research. Got great buzz 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:18.500 at TIFF. And she executive produced that educational 00:16:18.500 --> 00:16:21.379 show, Mission Unstoppable. Which focuses on getting 00:16:21.379 --> 00:16:23.840 young women into STEM careers. Yeah. Another 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:26.320 direct link. And the industry itself has recognized 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:29.019 this work at the highest level. She received 00:16:29.019 --> 00:16:32.000 the Jean Herschelt Humanitarian Award and Honorary 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:34.879 Oscar in 2019. That's huge. And maybe even more 00:16:34.879 --> 00:16:37.919 significantly, the Institute itself got the Governor's 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:41.679 Award from the Academy in 2022. That shows real 00:16:41.679 --> 00:16:44.440 institutional recognition of the impact they've 00:16:44.440 --> 00:16:46.620 had. had it's not just media imagery either is 00:16:46.620 --> 00:16:49.440 it her support goes wider no she's a big supporter 00:16:49.440 --> 00:16:51.799 of the women's sports foundation and a major 00:16:51.799 --> 00:16:54.600 advocate for title next the law preventing gender 00:16:54.600 --> 00:16:57.500 discrimination in education especially known 00:16:57.500 --> 00:17:00.480 for its impact on women's sports Exactly. Which 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:02.600 connects really nicely to her own surprising 00:17:02.600 --> 00:17:04.940 athletic story. It shows her commitment to equality 00:17:04.940 --> 00:17:08.140 is about opportunity across the board, not just 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:10.420 on screen. That personal athletic dedication 00:17:10.420 --> 00:17:13.079 is maybe the most unexpected twist in her story. 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:15.079 It really highlights her drive. Which brings 00:17:15.079 --> 00:17:17.940 us to segment five, personal life and the archery 00:17:17.940 --> 00:17:20.380 surprise. But first, maybe a quick recap of the 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:22.940 personal side, the marriages. Sure. It was often 00:17:22.940 --> 00:17:26.119 in the public eye. First marriage brief. To Richard 00:17:26.119 --> 00:17:29.220 Amelow, a restaurateur, 81 to 84. Then the very 00:17:29.220 --> 00:17:31.700 public pairing with Jeff Goldblum. Yeah, met 00:17:31.700 --> 00:17:34.819 working together, married 87 to 91. She later 00:17:34.819 --> 00:17:37.220 called in a magical chapter, emphasizing that 00:17:37.220 --> 00:17:39.380 he understood the acting world, wasn't competitive 00:17:39.380 --> 00:17:41.819 with her success. Which contrasts with the third 00:17:41.819 --> 00:17:44.779 marriage to Rennie Harlan. Defined by those big, 00:17:44.839 --> 00:17:46.880 ultimately troubled professional collaborations. 00:17:47.740 --> 00:17:52.160 married 93 divorced filed in 97 under those difficult 00:17:52.160 --> 00:17:55.099 circumstances we mentioned the timing with his 00:17:55.099 --> 00:17:57.960 child with her assistant definitely a tumultuous 00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:01.049 end and finally her longest relationship With 00:18:01.049 --> 00:18:03.910 Dr. Reza Jarai. The surgeon, yeah. Together from 00:18:03.910 --> 00:18:05.730 around 99, they have three children together, 00:18:05.950 --> 00:18:09.269 daughter Elisa, twin sons, Kaiz, and Kian. But 00:18:09.269 --> 00:18:11.650 the marriage itself ended up being legally complicated. 00:18:12.049 --> 00:18:15.269 Very. When she filed for divorce in 2018, she 00:18:15.269 --> 00:18:17.009 later claimed in court they were never actually 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:19.250 legally married, despite the ceremony and long 00:18:19.250 --> 00:18:22.029 relationship. The divorce was finalized in 2021, 00:18:22.309 --> 00:18:24.069 and part of the settlement involved changing 00:18:24.069 --> 00:18:27.390 the sons' last names to just Jarai. Okay, so 00:18:27.390 --> 00:18:30.109 a complex personal life, like many in the public. 00:18:30.190 --> 00:18:34.529 guy. But now, the archery. This is wild. It really 00:18:34.529 --> 00:18:37.710 is. So picture this. It's 1997. Cutthroat Island 00:18:37.710 --> 00:18:40.150 has bombed. Her marriage to Harlan is ending 00:18:40.150 --> 00:18:42.130 under stressful circumstances. What does she 00:18:42.130 --> 00:18:44.609 do? Take up archery. Takes up archery. A sport 00:18:44.609 --> 00:18:46.569 requiring immense precision, focused discipline. 00:18:46.690 --> 00:18:49.650 Not exactly casual hobby. And then, just two 00:18:49.650 --> 00:18:54.519 years later. Two years. July 1999. She's competing 00:18:54.519 --> 00:18:56.559 in the official tryouts for the U .S. Olympic 00:18:56.559 --> 00:18:59.480 archery team for the Sydney 2000 Games. Against 00:18:59.480 --> 00:19:02.480 300 of the best archers in the country after 00:19:02.480 --> 00:19:05.480 only starting two years before. That seems impossible. 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:08.099 It's almost superhuman, isn't it? Think about 00:19:08.099 --> 00:19:10.460 the dedication. Most Olympic athletes train from 00:19:10.460 --> 00:19:13.000 childhood. She reached national competitive level 00:19:13.000 --> 00:19:16.000 in 24 months while still managing her career, 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:19.019 her life. It's pure focused commitment. Did she 00:19:19.019 --> 00:19:21.569 make the team? She placed 24th, so no, she didn't 00:19:21.569 --> 00:19:23.650 qualify for the official team. But just getting 00:19:23.650 --> 00:19:25.789 to that level, being competitive in that field 00:19:25.789 --> 00:19:28.490 is staggering. She did participate in an international 00:19:28.490 --> 00:19:31.130 competition in Sydney later as a wildcard entry. 00:19:31.289 --> 00:19:33.369 That archery story just reframes everything, 00:19:33.509 --> 00:19:35.210 doesn't it? It shows that the Mensa intellect 00:19:35.210 --> 00:19:38.509 is matched by this incredible physical and mental 00:19:38.509 --> 00:19:40.609 discipline. Absolutely. Whether it's learning 00:19:40.609 --> 00:19:43.329 Swedish, acting, or archery, she applies the 00:19:43.329 --> 00:19:46.250 same rigorous analytical all -in approach. She 00:19:46.250 --> 00:19:49.170 seems driven to master complex systems. So wrapping 00:19:49.170 --> 00:19:51.950 this all up. What are the big takeaways from 00:19:51.950 --> 00:19:54.230 this deep dive into Geena Davis? We've seen the 00:19:54.230 --> 00:19:56.410 incredible highs, the Oscars, Alma and Louise. 00:19:56.730 --> 00:19:59.930 The crushing lows, cutthroat island, the resilience 00:19:59.930 --> 00:20:02.769 pivoting to TV, winning another Golden Globe 00:20:02.769 --> 00:20:05.230 for commander in chief. But the constant thread 00:20:05.230 --> 00:20:07.890 seems to be that intellectual rigor, that polymath 00:20:07.890 --> 00:20:11.329 quality. Exactly. Actor, yes, but also Mensa 00:20:11.329 --> 00:20:13.549 member, fluent Swedish speaker, near Olympic 00:20:13.549 --> 00:20:16.470 archer, author, and crucially, the driving force 00:20:16.470 --> 00:20:19.130 behind the Geena Davis Institute. Her most lasting 00:20:19.130 --> 00:20:21.250 impact. might just be that data -driven activism 00:20:21.250 --> 00:20:24.190 changing gender representation. Her story really 00:20:24.190 --> 00:20:26.269 shows what can happen when celebrity influence 00:20:26.269 --> 00:20:29.309 is combined with serious, methodical work for 00:20:29.309 --> 00:20:31.950 systemic change. Which leads to a really interesting 00:20:31.950 --> 00:20:34.750 final thought for you, the listener. Dina Davis 00:20:34.750 --> 00:20:37.269 used her platform, sure, but it was her commitment 00:20:37.269 --> 00:20:40.569 to rigorous research, to data, to collaborative 00:20:40.569 --> 00:20:42.670 persistence that actually moved the needle in 00:20:42.670 --> 00:20:45.549 Hollywood. So the question is... What potential 00:20:45.549 --> 00:20:48.869 for real social or industrial change are other 00:20:48.869 --> 00:20:51.670 very visible figures overlooking when they focus 00:20:51.670 --> 00:20:54.609 solely on performance or awareness, rather than 00:20:54.609 --> 00:20:56.710 digging into the data and working to reshape 00:20:56.710 --> 00:20:59.230 the underlying systems of their industries? It's 00:20:59.230 --> 00:21:00.769 a powerful question about leveraging influence 00:21:00.769 --> 00:21:03.509 effectively. A fantastic place to leave it. Thank 00:21:03.509 --> 00:21:05.589 you for joining us for this deep dive into the 00:21:05.589 --> 00:21:08.390 remarkable life and multifaceted work of Gina 00:21:08.390 --> 00:21:08.690 Davis.