Half Magic – Heather Graham Debuts Behind the Camera
The critical and commercial success of Wonder Woman breathed new life into the DC film franchise. More importantly, it placed two women under the spotlight: Gal Gadot, who plays the eponymous character, and Patty Jenkins, who directed the film. Interestingly, the latter has something to share with Andrea Arnold, other than gender. Both female directors were nominated for Independent Spirit Awards.
Jenkins eventually won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Female Feature for Monster, while Arnold was nominated for her directorial role on American Honey, which was nominated in 2017.
Both women are part of the female directors who are trying to dismiss the notion that women in Hollywood are not as masterful behind the camera as their masculine counterparts. While there may only be a few, the successes of Jenkins and Arnold are slowly encouraging other ladies to step up and try their hand at directing.
The latest to be inspired by their successes is the veteran actress Heather Graham. The thespian will have her directorial debut on Half Magic, a film she also wrote and stars in.
Heather Graham who was also revealed as the latest endorser for Foxy Bingo earlier this year, which has only elevated her stock further. Graham has taken on a role with the company that many perceived only fit for a man. It’s this type of sexism in the film industry that she is trying address in her new movie. She told Salon.com that is a reaction to sexism in Hollywood. Graham went onto say that there are a lot more men in the industry holding positions of power over women. She also pointed out that movie scripts are often written using the male point-of-view.
The actress exclaimed, “Girls are described as ‘pretty’ or ‘ugly’ or ‘she’s a 10 or a 2’ — it’s so disrespectful. So my film is about what it’s like for females to tell stories in a male-driven business.” Her perspective is more interesting in light of her part in the sexual harassment issue of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
In a separate interview with the Huffington Post, Graham noted that only about 7 percent of Hollywood directors are women. Additionally, she pointed out that there are more leading roles offered to males compared to females.
Although this is her first directorial project, Graham told Collider that being at the helm of a movie project is not completely new to her since she has been in the business for more than three decades.
While the concept of sexism is a potentially heavy topic, Graham said it will be tackled in a comedic manner. She admitted to People.com that the idea came to her after she went through a breakup. She wrote the script as a form of catharsis, and deliberately exaggerated her own, as well as her friends’, relationship experiences to make herself laugh. When the story was completed, she realized the film was hilarious and easily relatable for women.
Half Magic revolves around the lives of three women who forge friendship through a common denominator: all of them came from failed relationships. They commit to learning how to love themselves before they get involved in another romance. Graham teased that the film will tackle female sexuality as well, saying that the subject is seldom discussed from a female’s point of view in Hollywood-produced films.
