Celebrating Inspiring Women in Film and Television

Celebrating Inspiring Women in Film and Television

It has truly been a strange eighteen months for us all. Perhaps one thing that’s helped most of us survive the multiple lockdowns of 2020 and 2021 has been the multitude of film and television content that has continued to be produced, even in the midst of a worldwide pandemic. Below, I’ve compiled a list of ten inspiring women who have taken the world behind our TV and laptop screens by storm, battling the virus in their own way with wonderful artistic content. I believe we owe them all a thank you!

1. Michaela Coel – Actor, Screenwriter and Producer

Coel showed how much she valued her work when she turned down a $1 million deal from Netflix after the streaming service offered her 0% of the copyright for her semi-autobiographical masterpiece, I May Destroy You. This decision clearly paid off, as after premiering on the BBC and HBO, the show received outstanding reviews and quickly became the most critically acclaimed show of 2020 on Metacritic. Coel, similarly popular, has been since nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards.

2.  Chloé Zhao – Filmmaker

Zhao has gone from success to success, winning awards for her internationally recognised, Nomadland (2020) at the Academy Awards, Directors Guild of America Awards, Golden Globe Awards and British Academy Film Awards, and being the second woman to win at each. At the Oscars, Zhao won both Best Picture and Best Director, being the first woman of colour to ever win in the latter category. She’s got several upcoming projects including a new addition to the Marvel cinematic universe, The Eternals, and a new interpretation of the literature classic, Dracula.

3. Olivia Wilde – Actor and Director

After her memorable career as an actress, Wilde moved on to directing with the 2019 teen comedy, Booksmart. The film received extensively positive reviews for its fresh take on the genre and its brilliant female representation. Her second film, Don’t Worry, Darling, was announced later that year after a bidding war involving 18 different film studios, which was eventually won by New Line Cinema. Wilde admitted that the support for her next feature was ‘extraordinary and unexpected’, highlighting that she simply wanted Booksmart to be good enough that she’d have at least one chance to direct again.

4. Mindy Kaling – Actor, Screenwriter and Producer

You probably know Kaling from her role as Kelly Kapoor in The Office, or from her own creation, The Mindy Project, in which she starred in the main role. However, more recently, Kaling created the series Never Have I Ever, a show that debuted on Netflix and has since reached over 40 million households worldwide. The show, with it’s raw, uplifting and hilarious take on the coming-of-age genre, was partially based on Kaling’s own upbringing and has been praised for its south-Asian representation and breaking of Asian stereotypes.

5. Shonda Rhimes – Producer and Screenwriter

Rhimes is a household name in the world of television, achieving success as the head writer and executive producer of much-loved medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, and as the head of her self-titled production company, Shondaland. She came back into the limelight again in 2020 after her period drama, Bridgerton, hit our laptop screens. The series has achieved huge success, being specifically commended for its racially diverse cast and fusion of genres.

6. Frances McDormand – Actor and Producer

McDormand continues to be one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, achieving widespread success with almost everything that she stars in. She’s one of the few performers to have achieved the ‘Triple Crown of Acting’ (an Oscar, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award), adding a third academy award for best actress to her belt with the lead role in Nomadland just last year.

7. Patty Jenkins – Director, Producer and Screenwriter

Jenkins is best known for her directing work on films such as Monster (2003), Wonder Woman (2017), and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020). For that final hit, Jenkins became the most well-paid female director in the business, earning somewhere in the region of $7-9 million up-front for her writing and directing work on the movie.

8. Lauren Ridloff – Actor

Deaf actor Ridloff rose to fame for her role as Connie on the long-running TV series, The Walking Dead. She starred in her breakthrough Broadway role in Children of a Lesser God in 2018, using her voice for the first time since the age of 13. Later this year, she will appear in the upcoming Marvel film, The Eternals, as superhero Makkari. This casting choice makes her the first deaf superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

9. Phoebe Waller-Bridge – Actor and Screenwriter

If you don’t know of Waller-Bridge’s work on the BBC shows, Fleabag and Killing Eve, then you’re hugely missing out. Both of these writing projects have been critically acclaimed and Waller-Bridge herself was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2020. Later this month, we’ll finally get to enjoy Waller-Bridge’s writing style again as the much-awaited Bond movie, No Time To Die, hits our cinema screens

10. Meghan Markle – Former Actor and Producer

Last but not least, the Duchess of Sussex is set to make waves in the world of entertainment after her and her husband, Prince Harry, have struck deals with both Netflix and Spotify for their Archewell Production and Archewell audio companies. There are plans for documentaries, feature films, TV series and children’s shows for these companies, making it clear that the only way is up for this star since leaving the UK.