The actress also says that Lauren Miller Rogen's directorial debut is an opportunity for more diversity in the industry.
- Aug 2, 2018
AceShowbiz - Kristen Bell is committed to promoting diversity in Hollywood.
"The Good Place" actress is gearing up to star alongside Frasier's Kelsey Grammer in new Netflix comedy-drama "Like Father", which sees her take on the role of jilted bride Rachel, who jets off on her Caribbean honeymoon with her estranged father. It marks a directorial debut from actress Lauren Miller Rogen, who Kristen has praised for making the film what it is - an opportunity she feels is all too lacking for women in the industry.
"I think everyone would benefit from more diversity and I think Hollywood doesn't have an even number (of men and women) yet and it might not for a while but we're getting there," she explained in an interview with The Press Association at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Tuesday, July 31.
"I'm grateful to Netflix for giving Lauren the green light to write and direct this movie and I don't know that you would've got the same movie if it was a man.
"I also think men are very valuable directors but when you're a director, the lens you're looking through and your own life, it affects how you direct it and it affects the story you tell."
Her comments follow a report published on Tuesday by the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California, which found that in spite of the Time's Up and #MeToo movements set up to fight sexual harassment, diversity in Hollywood has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.
It's a statistic Kristen is keen to change and she suggested that a wider range of directors, producers and actors will only benefit the film industry and its fans.
"I think the wider variety we get, the more stories that will be relatable to different types of people and that's the goal," the 38-year-old smiled. "The goal isn't to make movies and television for one type of person, it's to make them for the masses."
