Maria Schrader: «Welcome, little girl»

This article is published in issue 50 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until 12 December 2022

“I was 23, he was a lot older. I was terribly uncomfortable, him aggressive in his sexual gestures». Her voice is calm and never angry, her gaze seems peaceful but determined to speak. She is Maria SchraderGerman, actress and director of the acclaimed Netflix series Unorthodox and of the expected movie Me too (Universal Pictures), taken from the courageous investigation of the reporters of New York Times Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey who has opened the Pandora’s box of harassment in Hollywood (the protagonists are Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan).
Maria did not have never told before what happened to her at the beginning of her career, in the theater. Today, 34 years later, rompe the dam of silence and descends again into suffering, just like the women of his latest project, while – coincidence – Harvey Weinsteina symbol of the abuse system already sentenced to 23 years out of prison for rape and sexual assault, faces the second trial.

How did he react then?
“I went to the theater manager’s office, told him I was feeling very, very uncomfortable, and that I didn’t want to show up for rehearsals anymore.”

He?
“He dismissed me like this: ‘Welcome, little girl!’ And it could have ended there, but I thought: “If no one here helps me, I’ll help myself.” I contacted a lawyer, who in turn called the theater and these were his words: “If the situation doesn’t change, my client is no longer obliged to come”. Only later did I realize how privileged I was, because I could turn to him, to my boyfriend at the time who supported me… and because my livelihood didn’t depend on that job. I was not-forced-to-suffer».

Was this the first time something like this had happened to her?
“In my youth there was no abuse. But I started working in the theater at 16, shortly after in the cinema, and I am well aware of the moments, the examples, the gestures, the small cases: a hand placed in the wrong place, an insistent gaze, an inappropriate joke, a word too many from which you understand that they are treating you like an object. In short, a wide range of intimidation. For me and for many colleagues it was normal, it was reality: we tried to forget it as soon as possible, above all not to show that we were affected by it. We bit the bullet, smiled and carried on ».

Then came the investigation New York Times.
“He broke the dam of silence. And she has sparked much-needed new thinking about sexual harassment and the treatment of women for far too long. I vividly remember how countless voices were raised in 2017 and the Me Too movement grew. I myself have been involved in various conversations on the subject, we were constantly confronted at work, with friends… But living in Berlin I didn’t know who the creators of that revolutionary investigation were. Io too was born with the intention of making them known to everyone, and of telling a story that is not only true: it has had an impact on the whole world».

What were the most significant changes for you?
“Meanwhile, the survivors of Harvey Weinstein’s harassment, who believed they were the only ones, managed to leave the state of isolation in which they found themselves and share their stories. Secondly, it is an established fact that before then it would not have been possible to make a film like this. Again: it is undeniable that in America and in my country – I don’t know in Italy – there has been a rethinking in the organization of the sets, from the presence of intimacy coordinators to codes of conduct».

Some of the survivors appear in his Me too. Ashley Judd plays herself.
«In the meantime she has become an activist, her presence is powerful, she breaks down the fourth wall, and she wanted to be with us at the first screening at the New York Film Festival. We experienced many emotional moments while filming and we were able to count on therapists».

He didn’t want to show the rapes.
“They didn’t help, there was no need to add another rape scene in the world.”

Why did you choose Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan?
“I knew they knew each other, because they’d worked together before, but I had no idea they were such close friends. I was looking for two very good actresses, believable and nonchalant as intellectuals, who could team up, because that’s the heart of the film. I met them both via Zoom, due to the pandemic, and only then did I discover that they really wanted to share the set».

What struck you about Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey?
«The great confidence in them on the part of the witnesses, who entrusted these two journalists with the most intimate and terrible experiences, and agreed to use their names to make the publication of the article possible. It is simply amazing to see how a handful of diligent and courageous women managed to bring the truth to light. And, with that truth, an authentic change, which must not stop».

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