Greta Gerwig is a widely respected actress, filmmaker, and director. At the beginning of her career, she gained attention by working on many mumblecore, or low-budget, films. This led to other opportunities for her to not only act in, but also to co-write and co-direct the films she took on. Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends are but two examples of her multifaceted talent in the film industry. Greta Gerwig has been with her partner, Noah Baumbach, since 2011 and has collaborated on several films with him. Some of their notable work includes Greenberg, Frances Ha, and Mistress America. Again, Gerwig helped co-write, co-direct, or acted with a main role in each of these films (or did all three)! She did so well in her performance in Frances Ha that she received a Golden Globe Award nomination.
Her two solo directorial projects, Lady Bird and Little Women, were critically acclaimed and earned Gerwig multiple Academy Award nominations. In all of her work, Greta Gerwig strives to highlight that films produced by females, films directed by females, films written by females, and/or films about a female protagonist can and will be successful. She has pushed for female directors to have equal opportunities in a very male-dominated industry. Greta Gerwig has worked for everything that she has earned. It has not been given to her simply because she is a female and she does not expect investments to be made in females simply because they are female. She is driven to help the film industry recognize that women deserve just as much respect and equal opportunities as men through her work.
Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women is an excellent reflection of the message she desires to convey to society. It is a celebration of feminism and hard-earned work. Greta Gerwig shared that she was not anywhere near on the list of potential directors for this film. However, she fought for it and greatly succeeded with it. The film received six Academy Award nominations. Despite its immense success, Greta Gerwig did not receive an Academy Award for her directing. Many believe that Gerwig was “snubbed” from this achievement. Nevertheless, Greta has continued to do what she does best- directing, acting, and writing- all the while building and supporting the movement for equality between males and females in the film industry.