Kidman, Witherspoon and cast of ‘Big Little Lies’ honored at Elle celebration
A night celebrating sisterhood took on more significance Saturday at Elle’s 2017 women in television event.
Elle Editor in Chief Robbie Myers set the tone with her opening remarks. In order to get women’s voices fully represented “in places, like, say, Congress,” she said, it would require the support of men, “who really do still hold 90% of leadership positions across all industries and institutions.”
But Myers, clad in chic black lace, was also mindful of the celebration at hand and jokingly quoted what “that lousy, overrated Meryl Streep” said at the Golden Globes: “An actor’s only job is to enter the lives of people who are different from us and let you feel what that feels like.”
Myers continued in her own words, “So thank you, women in TV, for letting us feel.”
The focus of the evening was the star-studded cast of HBO’s upcoming limited series “Big Little Lies,” including Reese Witherspoon,
Witherspoon spoke of the challenge of being a working woman in Hollywood during a panel for “Big Little Lies” at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena on Saturday morning.
“For 25 years, I have been the only woman on set, so I had no other women to talk to. They call it like the ‘Smurfette Syndrome,’ where she’s got 100 Smurfs around, but she’s the only girl,” Witherspoon said, adding that working with a cast full of women was the greatest ensemble experience she’d ever had.
The Elle evening was marked by politics and palling around.
“I stand against hate. I stand against greed. I stand against patriarchy. I stand against anything that puts another down in a negative way,” actress and advocate Woodley told gathered press. “But I do stand for compassion, and I do stand for empathy. Even if I don't understand why you believe certain things, I want to have conversation about why you do.”
After a little time goofing for the cameras with partner-in-crime Amanda Peet (“Brockmire”),
“I’m so inspired by the work that’s being made and I’m so grateful my daughter is growing up at a time where the shows being made are asking hard questions,” Hahn said. “A lot of these shows would have never been made even four years ago.”
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Mandy Moore dazzled in a patchwork Marc Jacobs gown, a fashion choice that was a far cry from her mother-of-three character on NBC’s freshman hit “This Is Us.”
Moore took a moment to speak about what she really prized about the role of Rebecca Pearson.
“This is a woman who wasn’t sure she was suited to be a mother, who tabled her career and what she was striving for on a personal level to be a family woman,” Moore said. “I feel like there’s such innate strength in that.”
For Lena Waithe (“Master of None”), the Elle celebration was an opportunity for actors who may not know one another to express their admiration.
“There’s so much phenomenal talent in one room and everyone is a fan,” Waithe said.
Perhaps the best take on the evening came from Dern, who has spent her career playing nuanced women.
“Let me just say how blessed I feel to have been raised by strong, complicated women who are incredible actresses,” Dern said. “My mother, Diane Ladd, my godmother Shelley Winters, Maureen Stapleton, Gena Rowlands, these were the women I watched growing up who were actors.
“And there was no delineation between girl, sexuality, femininity, beauty, fashion, the love of dressing up, damage, heartbreak. I feel like I just got lucky because that’s all I knew because of them so I believed that was the job requirement.”
“Now,” Dern said with a smile, “there are a tribe of us.”
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