'Insurgent': Why the many women in its cast matters

When women lead up action-driven films and franchises, it's usually one female against the world, but 'Insurgent,' which hits theaters on March 20, includes multiple female leads and supporting characters played by Shailene Woodley, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, and Octavia Spencer.

|
Andrew Cooper/Lionsgate/AP
'Insurgent' stars Kate Winslet.

On the surface, "Insurgent," with its dystopian setting and teenage heroine, might just seem like another by-the-numbers young adult tale. Look a little closer and it's clear that this second installment isn't merely capitalizing on a popular genre, but, with its half dozen female leads and supporting characters, actually represents a subtle subversion of what audiences have been taught action films should be.

When women lead up action-driven films and franchises, it's usually one exceptional gal against the world. Here, they're all over the place, serving as leaders, radicals, and rebels, each wildly diverse, complicated, charismatic, and flawed in their own unique way.

"Insurgent," out on March 20, picks up shortly after the events of the first film and finds Tris (Shailene Woodley) exposed as a state-wanted "divergent," or someone who doesn't fit into the five designated factions, and on the run from Jeanine (Kate Winslet), the controlling, ruthless leader whose goal is to extradite Tris's kind from the society.

Still shaken from the violent deaths of her parents and friend in the first film and on a path to self-actualization, Tris encounters a number of adults hoping to mold her in their image, including franchise newcomers Johanna (Octavia Spencer), the stoic Amity leader with the mysterious scar on her face, and Evelyn (Naomi Watts), a factionless revolutionary with cryptic motives who also happens to be the estranged mother of Tris's boyfriend Four (Theo James).

Credit for populating the world with strong female characters goes to author Veronica Roth, who saw "Insurgent" as a chance to really flesh out the environment around Tris.

"It was very intentional for me that most of the leaders in Tris's world would be women, and not necessarily the good guys all the time," said Roth on a recent afternoon in Los Angeles.

"I think it's equally important to have female villains. When people notice that there's not a lot of representation in a particular area they try to make those characters holy symbols that are pure and good. That does a disservice to women," she said.

Producer Lucy Fisher was particularly delighted by the sheer number of significant moments between the female characters, noting that the film easily passes the Bechdel Test (meaning there must be at least one scene where two female characters with names discuss something other than a man).

"She has a scene with each woman saying, 'I'm not going to be who you want me to be,'" said Fisher, who along with husband and co-producer Douglas Wick is often driven to female-centric projects.

"We like female empowerment," she said, adding that they did try to get a woman in the director's chair before ultimately deciding on German filmmaker Robert Schwentke.

Despite Johanna's limited on-screen time in this film, Spencer said it was a no-brainer to join the project. Not only was she a fan of the book, but she and Roth had met and bonded at a book event years earlier.

"I kind of stalked her," said Spencer with a laugh.

"We talked about (Spencer) and the question of race came up because she's not written as African American but to us it seemed like a great idea," added Fisher. Unexpected casting informed most of their decisions surrounding the characters in the franchise.

Fisher and her team liked the idea of Watts, too, because she didn't exactly fit the mold of a "tough," which makes her even more mysterious on the screen.

For Watts, the only real hesitation came when she realized she'd be playing the mother to an actor only 16 years her junior.

"I thought, 'Oh what the heck. She was young,'" said Watts.

Ultimately, though, the story belongs to Tris, who's at a sort of crossroads in figuring out who she wants to be amid harsh directives from the leadership, her family, and the various fractionalized micro societies.

"I think 'Insurgent' is my favorite in terms of her character. It's kind of like the crucible for Tris," said Roth.

"Tris wasn't born a superhero," said Woodley. "She's someone who, throughout her circumstances and experiences, had to gain certain skills in order to grow. We all have the opportunity to either turn away from our fears or face them head on and draw upon our courage and our bravery."

And yet, even though she strongly believes that audiences thirst for diversity in who is leading their films, Woodley also said that ultimately, it's almost irrelevant.

"The cool thing about this movie is it wasn't meant to be a feminist film. It wasn't meant to be like, 'Ooh, look at this strong female heroine,'" said Woodley. "It's just a really intriguing story line and why the (expletive) do we even care if it's a woman or a man?"

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to 'Insurgent': Why the many women in its cast matters
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Movies/2015/0318/Insurgent-Why-the-many-women-in-its-cast-matters
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe