SUSAN SEIDELMAN
THE DIRECTOR ON MADONNA, MARTIN SCORSESE AND MALE-DOMINATED HOLLYWOOD…
Long before the likes of Greta Gerwig and Patty Jenkins, there was Susan Seidelman. Her new book, Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir about Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls, recounts how she brought female-centred stories to the screen in an industry then dominated by men. Her debut, Smithereens, became America’s first indie film to compete for Palme d’Or at Cannes. Her next movie, Desperately Seeking Susan, was a box-office smash that featured a young Madonna.
How did it feel when your first short film, And You Act Like One Too, was nominated for a Student Academy Award?
It was a real breakthrough and affirmation for me that I was on to something with the stories I wanted to tell about women breaking out of boxes they found themselves in. Flawed people were interesting to me – I was drawn to [characters] like Jack Nicholson’s [Randle] in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. I admired their fearlessness, but they were schemers, too. You didn’t see many female versions of this on screen. I wanted to change that.
What are your memories of your feature debut Smithereens competing at Cannes?
Walking the red carpet was a very special moment. As a cash-strapped, aspiring filmmaker, you really don’t know if you will ever make a career out of this. Cannes was the first moment I remember thinking I could be a filmmaker after all.
How did Martin Scorsese help you at that time?
He’d seen Smithereens, liked it and recommended me for the Directors Guild of America. I think he was aware of how few female directors there were and helped me out. I went to meet him on the set of After Hours – it was so educational and eye-opening.
I was so grateful to him.
Next, Desperately Seeking Susan was a huge success…
Yes, and I’m very proud it was one of the first films in Hollywood to have an all-female creative team who pushed to get this made. It’s a little easier now, but most big-budget studio movies are still made by men, despite the success of Barbie and Wonder Woman. There’s still not salary equality for women in this business, either.
