Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke, during an interview with The Guardian published on July 7, revealed that she was treated with a "mini cupcake" to celebrate the film's success, while male directors get a "car or a three-picture deal or whatever you want."
Catherine, while recalling the offices of Summit Entertainment, which produced the movie, said that after the film had its initial box-office success of $69 million in 2008, she was treated with gender discrimination.
She knew that successful male directors received "a car or a three-picture deal, or (getting) to do basically whatever you want"; however, she didn't receive the same treatment.
"I walked into a room with all these gifts, and everybody was congratulating the studio, and they gave me a box. I opened it up, and it was a mini cupcake."
Hardwicke was soon replaced by Chris Weitz for the first Twilight sequel, New Moon, and male directors were hired to work on the remaining three films in the franchise.
"No, people aren't going to hire more women directors" - says Catherine Hardwicke
Elsewhere in her interview with The Guardian, Catherine Hardwicke reflected on the future of women directors in Hollywood and said,
"No, people aren't going to hire more women directors. They're not going to give you the next job and let you do something great. It was an earth-shattering reality right away."
This isn't the first time, Catherine Hardwicke has talked against Hollywood sexism. In November 2016, Hardwicke, in an interview on the Miss You Already red carpet, was asked about why she's open about the obstacles female directors face. Hardwicke said that she earlier thought that she was "not smart enough", and "didn't work hard enough" since she was being called "difficult" or "emotional", and added that "being quiet is not working."
She also said that people were direct about preferring men in directorial roles,
"I've had it blatantly said to me, and to my agent: 'We want a man for this job."
Catherine Hardwicke also noted that while male directors were allowed to yell on set, "be rude, go over schedule, over budget, be just a total a**hole", female directors were asked to "go in the bathroom" if they needed to cry.
"I've been on a movie where 95 people were fired. Over schedule, over budget. And those people got hired again and again. For all women, it's different. Any tiny little thing people can pick on."
She also questioned why she was not in the "club of successful directors" and getting offers, after Twilight made $400 million on a "very tight budget."
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