Beanie Feldstein has already appeared in film, on TV, and on Broadway, but now the multi-hyphenate star is looking to get behind the camera in one way or another.
The actress/executive producer told IndieWire while at the “Through Her Lens” cocktail reception, hosted by Tribeca and Chanel, that working with filmmakers such as Greta Gerwig and Olivia Wilde has inspired her to turn to screenwriting…and eventually, directing. Feldstein starred in Gerwig’s semi-autobiographical “Ladybird,” and led Wilde’s directorial debut “Booksmart.”
“I’m inspired to write a script. I don’t think you can work with Greta Gerwig and Olivia Wilde and walk away from that experience and not want to write and direct,” Feldstein said of her upcoming projects. “I’m not in a rush. I’ve got time.”
And while Feldstein didn’t divulge what she is working on next, she did tease that she is developing “a lot of amazing” projects that are “female-focused,” with herself set as both as an actress and executive producer before starting a script.
The “Drive Away Dolls” star added, “Greta always says that actors learn the most about directing on sets.”
Both Feldstein and Wilde served on the 2024 “Through Her Lens” jury for the grant program. Feldstein called Wilde her “sister, cousin” and explained what partnering with Tribeca and Chanel meant to her.
“I was so honored,” Feldstein said, adding that it was “so difficult” to select a grant recipient among the five female filmmaker finalists. “The women were so different. The film we saw today [winner ‘Black Shores’ from writer/directors Sophia Youssef and Céline Bava-Helms] was so affirming. I feel like I have so many collaborators [in the finalists].”
And perhaps “Through Her Lens” could lead to some other collaborations with more fellow jury members in addition to Wilde. Feldstein said that just writing the official “Through Her Lens” jury statement with fellow juror Lucy Liu was a “dream.” Other jury members were Wilde, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Joanna Calo.
Liu also told IndieWire at the reception that supporting female creatives will always be a “process” in mainstream Hollywood. In other words, we’re not quite there yet.
“Studios can’t just hire female directors and not let them have creative control,” Liu said. “Female filmmakers need to be supported.”
