The Hollywood Reporter’s latest issue is full of A-list Hollywood comedians, including Amy Schumer, Ellie Kemper and Kate McKinnon.
The June 5 issue of The Hollywood Reporter is a must-read: the magazine has staged a “raunchy, R-rated roundtable” with six of the biggest female comedians of our time.
Lena Dunham (Girls), Ellie Kemper (The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Kate McKinnon (SNL), Gina Rodriguez (Jane the Virgin), Tracee Ellis Ross (Black-Ish) and Amy Schumer (Inside Amy Schumer) not only look badass on the cover, but they also allow fans a no-holds-barred glimpse into their social and professional lives.
They discuss on-screen nudity in great detail, admit that sex scenes aren’t just mechanical (we knew it), and talk about how their male co-stars and co-workers perceive them.
And, of course, there are some major truth bombs dropped about the perpetual racism and sexism in the industry.
“I heard a guy on my show say into his microphone: ‘I hate this job. I can’t wait to be back on a show where there’s a man at the helm,'” Lena Dunham reveals.
Tracee Ellis Ross, whose show Girlfriends helped propel females and POCs forward in showbusiness, believes that “racism trumps everything. It all happens behind the scenes.”
“I remove myself instantly if something’s perpetuating a stereotype,” Rodriguez chimes in. “But the only way to stop stereotypes is to say, ‘I’m going to wait for a journey that suits me.'”
She also shares a story about one audition where she was asked to show up in a tight black dress, and when she argued that this didn’t make sense for the character, she was told that, “We need to know if you’re pretty enough to be on the cover of a magazine.”
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The group goes on to discuss online abuse (which includes rape threats, death threats… honestly, what kind of sad people feel the need to do this?), although Rodriguez admits that she mostly gets marriage proposals.
Finally, they have to address the fact that, astoundingly, the question “Are women funny?” is still being debated both by audiences and executives.
Read the entire fantastic, eye-opening roundtable interview on The Hollywood Reporter!