Women in Hollywood: doing it all

USD’s Warren Auditorium screens actress, producer, writer, and director, Cady McClain’s documentary

Danielle Agnello / A&C Editor / The USD Vista

In Hollywood a woman’s voice can be a powerful tool, as it’s initially her key to unlock and transform the social and political landscapes of the entertainment business. In an industry dominated by men, Emmy Award winning actress, director, producer, and writer of “Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct,” Cady McClain strives to empower women. In pursuit of achieving full equality, McClain whole-heartedly encourages women to use their voices through media.

On Wednesday, March 27, McClain’s documentary, “Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct,” was screened in Mother Rosalie Hill Hall’s Warren Auditorium. After viewing the film, students, faculty, and other audience members asked McClain questions regarding the making of her film and her perspective of breaking into the world of Hollywood as a woman.

As a female director, McClain experienced first-hand, time and time again, people’s underestimation of her and her work, along with the gender-based assumptions people make.

“At one of the film festivals I went to there was a young person handing out the name tags which had little stickers on them stating each individual’s role,” McClain said. “I was handed a name tag with the stickers titled, ‘producer and writer,’ but not ‘director.’  When I told this person my name tag should have a sticker on it for ‘director’ too, this individual gave me a puzzled, belittling gaze. She literally could not see me as the director of a film, even after I clearly expressed my title.”

McClain was asked if there was any one defining moment in her life when everything just clicked and she knew she wanted to pursue directing.

“I took a directing workshop with Curt Dempster when I was 22,” McClain said. “I saw how the director was the one who was creating that whole world and all those toys, all that ability to affect the audience and their choices. At this point I thought, ‘That’s it, drop the mic, that’s where it’s at for me.’”

Similarly, McClain was inspired after reading John Patrick Shanley’s collection of plays, “Welcome to the Moon.”

“The way he saw the world was so unusual,” McClain said. “He’s very much a surrealist in a way and it’s not really fantasy, it’s like mixing life and dreams. I thought it was wonderful, and I didn’t realize that you could tell stories in this way.”

McClain commanded the audience through her enchanting and animated presence. The audience most definitely saw McClain’s inner actress glisten as she spoke about her experiences. She was so passionate, so knowledgeable, so timely, and so aware as she told her story, cultivating brilliance and creativity in USD’s own Warren Auditorium.

Sophomore Serena Stockton attended McClain’s screening out of curiosity and to gain a new perspective on an industry she is not necessarily familiar with.

“I felt very empowered, inspired, and reassured,” Stockton said. “With a group of strong women coming together we have the power to create change no matter the industry we aspire to go into.”

Throughout the night, McClain highlighted how mentorship and leadership by female directors is influential. While creating “Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct,” she wanted the foundation of her film to revolve around a diverse collection of female directors, capturing their unique stories. Throughout the film, McClain presented a range of women in terms of age and race, encapsulating how women have this uniqueness, but solidarity about them. 

During McClain’s presentation following the screening, there was a focus point on storytelling through the eyes of a woman and how a woman’s story both compares and contrasts from a man’s outlook.

“For both men and women, there are issues of the soul,” McClain said. “Who you come into this body as, where you land, what your experiences are; they all have a beautiful multiplicity, a lens you come in with, trumping on uniqueness.”

McClain then went on to speak about the distinct angle women embody and the actions they take considering the body they’ve been given.

“Women have to deal with birth, and what being a mother or not being a mother means,” McClain said. “Men have to deal with a different energy.”

McClain talks about how men can benefit from hearing a woman’s story because it offers an important, new kind of experience. I think there’s a lot of hammering for guys on how they should be and not enough encouragement that they could also learn from the feminine and the creative sacred feminine,” McClain said. “As a culture, it’s something that I think we can all learn from. I want people to see women as visionaries, and intellectuals that are worth investing in. Women are the boss.”

McClain is tough, constantly training herself to be the best female leader and motivating other women across the world to do the same. Though, many people are still adjusting to female leaders and making space for this presence and voice, McClain is gradually changing the face of the entertainment industry.

“Part of the reason I made ‘Seeing Is Believing: Women Direct’ was because there’s only so much voice you have when acting,” McClain said. “I wanted to get behind the camera and incentivize people to take personal responsibility for the stories we digest.”

McClain discusses the many potential structures a film could be composed of, including Aristotle’s three-act structure, the hero’s journey, and the heroine’s journey. But, McClain didn’t want a boring structure.

“I wanted women to sit in a circle, talk, and share stories,” McClain said. “There’s a cyclical tendency and that is where a sacred healing happens. They then expand from that point. But when it’s time to deal, they sit in a circle. They expand again and again, but they all come back together and sit in this circle.”

McClain believes that four women sitting in a circle and sharing stories is a powerful approach, inspiring the community.

“Cultural impact is my definition of success,” McClain said. “I want to make people think, ‘What is possible?’ because that excites me. If you discipline, and you train, and you want, male and female filmmakers can work together, and they can change, and they can heal.”

McClain continues to refine the industry and is currently on the road to directing a creative film. As a female in Hollywood, and a model leader for young adults, McClain manifests that with passion and a virtuous execution, what once seemed like the impossible can be made possible. As McClain infuses others with her story and bridges the gap between aspirations and reality, individuals are reminded that all of their goals are in reach.