Ava DuVernay On Her Biggest Frustration With Hollywood

It gets lonely up top -- especially for a groundbreaking Hollywood director, who happens to be a woman.

In an interview for the Nov. issue of The Hollywood Reporter, director and screenwriter Ava DuVernay talked about her success after "Selma" and why the lack of female directors in Hollywood is a problem that needs to be fixed.

DuVernay told THR that her biggest frustration about Hollywood and the film industry is that only four percent of studio directors are women. "It defies culture in so many ways," she said. "It affects the way we see ourselves and the way we are seen by others. It gets into the DNA of how we treat each other, the policies we make, what we're able to say and do to each other."

She described the impact and influence Hollywood films have on everyday culture. "For there only to be one dominant voice determining what's said and saying it is something that all like-minded people who believe in dignity of everyone should be concerned about," DuVernay said. "That comes into play for women and for people of color."

DuVernay said that the problem can't be fixed overnight, it's going to take a lot of work. "It's not a problem that can be fixed by the word 'diversity,' whatever that means," she said. "It's a problem that's going to take a multi-pronged solution and allies all over the place who say, 'We want to make a change.'"

This issue was on full display on this week's Hollywood Reporter cover which featured only white actresses. After THR received backlash from readers, the magazine responded with an article explaining there were "no minority actresses in genuine contention for an Oscar this year."

Head over to The Hollywood Reporter to read more from DuVernay's interview.

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