Jill Soloway
Jill Soloway
Jill Soloway is an American comedian, playwright, feminist, Emmy-winning television writer, and award-winning director who won the Best Director award at the Sundance Film Festival for directing and writing the film Afternoon Delight. She is also known for her work on Six Feet Under and for creating, writing, executive producing, and directing the Amazon original series Transparent...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionScreenwriter
Date of Birth26 September 1965
CityChicago, IL
CountryUnited States of America
The network shows have this very commercial voice that you have to adhere to, and the cable shows, it's kind of like winning the lottery. The independent film world is a world you can actually get to. You can get the under-a-million-dollar film by finding a good cast and financing.
My sister and I created a show called 'The Real Life Brady Bunch,' which was sort of a theatrical sensation that got us attention in L.A. and New York.
I've been playing with this idea in my mind that the hero's journey that we're all taught as screenwriters may resonate more specifically for male protagonists and maybe even male viewers.
My interest in community is what fuels my work as a writer, more than just wanting to write or just wanting to have a TV show.
From the moment you say 'action,' this is the fun part - things should happen that surprise you, excite you, scare you, turn you on, make you laugh. If things aren't surprising you, when you say 'cut,' whisper things to the actors that will make them do things that do surprise you.
It's really easy to do sad; you just put on some sad music and write dramatically - everybody can do that.
People who don't have experience setting healthy boundaries, they have secrets instead.
Because so many rooms are run by men they're just used to women being the "that" - to be adored and dreamed about.
I think people don't really actually talk about what their real issue is, which is that white, cis men - not straight men, but cis men - have had their hands on the narrative ever since filmmaking has begun.
It's hard enough to be a lady writer. Doubly hard to be a funny lady writer.
So many features at Sundance seemed to be powered more on the director's need to be a director than any particular story.
I'm very aware that just driving blindly towards money won't get me anything. I drive blindly towards making the world a better place.
I really relate to the feeling of falling in love 10 times a day and wishing I could never stop falling in love.
I really feel like becoming a director came from other women saying, 'Yeah, you can do this.' I wanted to direct 'Six Feet Under,' and no, they didn't let me.