Within the last year, it has been a popular movement for the women of Hollywood to speak up about equal rights for women.
Among these women is actress Olivia Wilde. In August 2014, Olivia posed for Glamour Magazine while breastfeeding her son, making a statement about breastfeeding in public.
Now, Wilde is opening up about female superheroes.
A Twitter user suggested that Wilde and her Meadowland director, Reed Morano, amp up the Marvel’s Captain Marvel to include more emphasis on female empowerment. The actress quickly weighed in on the matter:
“I’m a big fan of superhero films, and I have so much respect for the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” the 31-year-old actress said during an interview with Cinema Blend.
“The thing with female superheroes is that, in order to be powerful, they are flawless. The idea of kick-a–– power lacks a certain nuance, at times.”
She added, “There is something to be said for a female director working to create a female superhero that perhaps [has] a little more complexity.”
Wilde expressed her thoughts about the portrayal of female superheroes in contemporary film and what needs to change.
“Marvel has been so smart about casting unexpected people for these roles. Look at what Robert Downey brought to Iron Man,” the actress stated. “A real, dry sense of humor and a complexity to his hero balance.”
“I think that’s the way these Marvel heroes are written, the female superheroes included, do have complexity and flaws.”
However, though she believes they are written as complex characters, she doesn’t think they are portrayed as such.
She argued, “But I think when they are translated into film, the women can become these ultimate goddesses of perfection,” she explained.
“I would love to create a female Marvel character who is just as unexpected and complex as some of the male characters as Iron Man. I think that would be really cool!”
Wilde isn’t alone in her sentiments. Morano, producer of the Marvel films, agrees that female superheroes could be more complex and flawed.
”The most interesting characters are the ones who have issues and are flawed individuals,” he said. “It would be nice to give a real history, to give a real, tangible background to this character.”