The 18-year-old Alizeh, Geena Davis’s oldest child, was a toddler when the Academy Award-winning actress was eager to settle down and watch the newest generation of children’s television. But Geena, who also has twin sons Kaiis and Kian, both 16 years old, immediately realized how constricting that experience was. The fact that there were far fewer female characters than male characters surprised me. I assumed that it would be appropriate for young children, but it wasn’t,” Geena says in a recent talk.
“That started a big thing because I thought, ‘Well, hold on a second. She will discover that women are not as significant as men. It’s quite difficult to modify something that has become unconscious if we teach children from an early age that girls are less valuable than boys.
She realized that something had to alter.
Geena will executive produce the upcoming children’s animated series I Am, which centers on a 7-year-old girl who tries on several occupations in each episode. Geena is shown with her children and ex-husband Reza Jarrahy.
Kickstart Entertainment, the production firm behind Netflix’s children’s program StarBeam, just signed a $10 million investment agreement to support mission-driven entertainment, and the show is the first to benefit from that investment.
Geena firmly adheres to the adage “If she can see it, she can be it.”
The series I Am, which has not yet been given a release date, contributes to the mission of her organization, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which promotes gender equality in the entertainment industry.
When you watch someone on TV acting in a scene and they resemble you, you may be taken aback. I am capable of doing it. I’m going to try that as well,” she replies. Therefore, this will be a chance for kids to witness girls doing a variety of jobs and trying on things they might do in the future.
When it comes to inclusivity, it is time to close the gap.
Geena tells us, “We’d love to have the made-up fictional worlds represent the actual population, which is as female and very diverse. “Wanting to see that is not irrational or outrageous.”
And it’s not absurd to wish to see more strong female characters in non-kids’ programs on TV and in movies.
Geena has played some very legendary women on television, so she is well aware of the need of strong female leads. They include Dottie in 1992’s A League of Their Own and Thelma in 1991’s Thelma & Louise.
People still adore her for both of these roles now.
“A League of Their Own is frequently mentioned by young girls or teenagers. It’s generally Thelma & Louise for adult ladies,” she claims. However, there is an intriguing occurrence where someone will comment, ‘I enjoyed your movie,’ Geena chuckles, “And I’m like, OK, so they think I was in one movie. But every time I inquire about the movie they are discussing, Beetlejuice comes up.
Geena expresses amazement that people still recognize her from that movie after all these years. It’s amazing, she continues. “I’m extremely grateful that I was able to appear in films that had a lasting cultural impact. I really appreciate it. However, such components don’t always appear.
Geena is now delighted to be a part of the change she wants to see behind the scenes and will collaborate closely on I Am with Wendy Guerrero, Kickstart’s new head of inclusion for talent and content. What we teach young people is crucial, she says. “We’re moving forward.”
