MOVIES

Honoree Hardwicke talks about making it in male-dominated Hollywood

By Matthew Odam
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, March 08, 2009

It's a long way from the remote Texas Valley town of McAllen to the bright lights of Hollywood. But thanks to an artistic vision, a tireless work ethic and perseverance, director Catherine Hardwicke has carved a role for herself in the male-dominated film industry.

The director of the blockbuster "Twilight," who first came to national attention with her stirring debut, the indie coming-of-age tale "Thirteen," made headlines recently by shattering the box-office record for a female-directed movie. Thursday, Hardwicke will receive the Ann Richards Award at the Texas Film Hall of Fame Awards.

We caught up with the University of Texas graduate to discuss her Texas roots, the "Twilight" phenomenon and the struggle women face in the movie business.

American-Statesman: You studied architecture at The University of Texas. How did you transition from that to filmmaking?

Catherine Hardwicke: I'd done this crazy [senior] project ... just very hilarious, theatrical and elaborate. ... At the end of my presentation, none of the teachers or faculty said anything. Their jaws just dropped, and they just moved on to the next person. About a week later, one of the visiting critics came up and said, "You know what? I've been thinking about you, and you shouldn't be in architecture. Architecture is not going to encourage your kind of creativity. You should find something else." [Laughs]

When did you know that you wanted to move from production design to telling your own stories and making your own films?

After I had production-designed seven movies, I started thinking, "I wanna do my own stuff." So, if I had a weekend off, I'd take a screenwriting seminar or an acting class or a directing workshop, and then I would write other screenplays. After working on "The Newton Boys," Richard (Linklater) gave me the best advice. He said, "If you wanna direct, then direct." And that was really helpful because that's what he did for zero money with "Slacker." He and David O. Russell ("Three Kings") both encouraged by doing and saying, "You got to do it. If you wanna break through, you just have to do it." And, in a way, I thought that was good because you earn it that way, through blood, sweat and tears, with nobody helping you.

'Thirteen' and 'Twilight' deal with young girls coming of age and the perils and enticements therein. What it is about that time of life that intrigues you as a storyteller?

I didn't start out thinking that I would make a teenage movie and get on a teenage career path. But after "Thirteen," I realized I do love this age because every possibility is happening for you at that age — you suddenly have breasts, you can kiss a boy, you can smoke, you can drive a car, you can make your own choices.

What is the story behind your decision not to direct 'New Moon' (the follow-up to 'Twilight')?

If I felt like it was right, if the schedule worked right and the way the studio wanted to do the next one felt right for me, then I wanted to do it. And, if not, I didn't want to. I'd have had like 10? weeks to prepare the movie. I didn't think the script was there, and it wasn't ready. I wanted the second one to be better than the first one. I wanted more time to at least think about it and dream about how to step it up to the next level.

Why do you think female directors have such a hard time getting jobs or keeping momentum? I know that summer movies have been mostly R-rated comedies, action thrillers and superhero movies, but isn't it shortsighted or sexist for studios to think only men can or want to direct these movies?

I had never thought there was a gender bias so much, but now I know there is. For example, I've had really great success lately, why don't I have my next movie? It's a more complicated answer than that. ... But how do you make lightning strike? How do you have the magic that makes a studio say yes? They have to believe that they're going to make a profit.

But I have found a bias. Sometimes people have even said it to my face, "Oh, you don't know how to do action or visual effects." To me, that's a pretty sexist thing to say. I've actually done stunts in movie and done a lot of active things [in shooting]. The action that you see in "Twilight," the treetop sequence, the fight sequence at the end of the movie, they're not in the book ...

What are your thoughts on coming down to your home state to receive the Ann Richards Award?

My dad was a cotton farmer and my mom a schoolteacher. This honor and my whole career are way beyond dreams I ever had growing up. It's beautiful and unbelievable on so many levels. ... I get a lot of cool letters from kids and people in small towns in Texas and the Valley, and they say, "You've inspired me to be a director." And that's really cool.

modam@statesman.com; 912-5986