Now these and other women’s movement pioneers are the subject ofMrs.
America(FX/Hulu, April 15), a nine-part miniseries about the controversies over the rise of feminism.
“Phyllis Schlafly was a force of nature like me!
I identified with her as a working parent.
I was gobsmacked by her ability to inspire people who felt their voices were not being heard.
“Friedan was very egotistical.
She drove people crazy, Ullman notes.
She felt like she was the mother of the women’s movement.
She was very hard on Steinem, with her beautiful jeans and aviator sunglasses.
Looks with women count for a lot, and I think Betty sensed that and was angry.
We were not allowed to wear prosthetics or anything, which I like to do.
What she did capture was Friedan’s personality.
She had that chutzpah and intelligence, that irascibility, the way she kept going.
I think she loved being the star.
She reminded me of [Australian-born writer] Germaine Greer.”
“In her debate with Schlafly, which she lost spectacularly, Ullman continues, Betty just snapped.
She couldn’t control her temper.
She said, I’d like to burn you at the stake, but Schlafly kept her cool.”
“When Bryant got pied in the face, she started weeping, Blanchett says.
She definitely relished the cut and thrust.”
We wanted those characters to be living and breathing.
She thinks things are different today.
We’ve got haranguing matches and shouting, but then there was a strong culture of robust public debate.
They didn’t agree, but these women actually talked and debated these things through.”
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