Female Filmmakers Look Back on What Made Them Get in the Directors Chair: ‘It’s Something Boys Do’ | PRO Video

Kyra Sedgwick, Kim Raver, Ashley Williams, Elisabeth Röhm, and Robin Givens all have something in common: they are actors who recently hopped into the director’s chair. The five female filmmakers looked back on their journey to director at TheWrap’s annual Power Women Summit, speaking on a panel titled “Broader Focus: View from the Director’s Chair,” moderated by Tanya Lopez. Executive Vice President, Movies, Limited Series & Original Movie Acquisitions, Lifetime & Lifetime Movie. The panel was presented by Lifetime. “I was the person who never had that voice — my voice was, ‘you will never direct,’” Sedgwick said. “I’ve been working professionally as an actor from the time I was 16 and I’d worked with a lot of legendary directors, all of whom were men… my loving husband kept saying to me, ‘you have such big opinions about the way things are directed… what about the concept of you directing one day?’ And I was very much like, ‘I don’t think so, not for me.’” But things changed for Sedgwick when she walked into Lopez’s office at Lifetime one day to discuss a passion project she had had, of a novel she had bought in 2007 but had never been able to get the film made. And speaking to Lopez in 2017, it hit her that she wanted to direct the project, which would turn out to be “Story of a Girl,” as well. Raver, who also currently stars on ABC’s hit show “Grey’s Anatomy,” credited Sedgwick’s move to directing as a reason for her to follow suit. Watch Sedgwick, Raver, Ashley Williams, Elisabeth Röhm and Robin Givens reveal their motivations above.