Director Amma Asante Discusses Hulu Series “Mrs. America”

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Could I just first ask you to react to AOC’s comments and how she said she didn’t want that kind of faux apology after that kind of misogyny and sexism directed at her? What does that say to you about this moment, in fact?

AMMA ASANTE, SCREENWRITER AND DIRECTOR: I think it was powerful. I think the way that she structured her whole response, which I only saw this morning. I’m speaking from Denmark and I managed to catch it this morning, was quite the incredible. I think the way that she laid out how misogyny can work in our world today was really impressive and incredibly powerful, the idea that you can be a husband, the idea that you can be a powerful man, the idea that you can have children, the idea that you can have a wife are not a defense, you know, against everyday misogyny and the kind of everyday misogyny that we see. So, I thought it was incredibly powerful and the she has a platform from which she can speak today. It tells us everything about today. We’ve come a long way but clearly still have a long way to go.

AMANPOUR: Which, of course, brings me obviously to your series, because it’s called “Mrs. America.” It’s about the American feminism and Women’s Liberation Movement of the ’70s. And how much did you know about that part of history? What attracted you to that now?

ASANTE: I knew a little bit. I knew specifically about Shirley Chisholm and I knew about Gloria Steinem. I particularly knew about Gloria’s magazine, Ms. magazine, and what it stood for, what it was about. But I had to do a real kind of cramming of research and information as I took on the two episodes that I directed, because it was a big subject and there were so many aspects that were coming together all at the same time, a little bit like today, that made it important for me to really try and catch up, specifically for my episodes. So, you know, not so much, but enough to be interested. And what attracted me, I guess, was the fact that the series was also going to be looking at the intersection, not just feminism as it pertained to white women of the time, but as it pertained and needed to include black women as well, and I was particularly always struck by Shirley’s journey and what it meant to be as courageous as she was at the time and not just being, you know, the first black person to step up and do what she did, but also the first woman and what that meant for her journey.