"How To Get Away With Murder" Star, Aja Naomi King, On Sexism In Hollywood

source:huffington post

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Answers by Aja Naomi King, Actress, How to Get Away with Murder, The Birth of a Nation, on Quora.
Q: Is the problem of sexism in Hollywood getting better or worse for female actors? How does sexism manifest in the industry impact female actors?
A: The problem of sexism is getting better, but I don't know if it's getting better fast enough. We see more roles for women that don't entirely revolve around the way in which they function in a man's life, but typically those women are almost always white, and even then, there are only a few of them.
I think the number of conversations that occur between women in a film or tv show still largely revolve around the men in their lives, so we aren't doing too well in terms of passing the Bechdel Test, but I think there is more of an awareness of the problem, and more of an attempt to make a difference.
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Q: In what ways has learning to act developed you as a person?
A: Studying acting has been personally enriching because it has taught me to take the time to imagine what someone else's life experience might be like. To look deeply at how our pasts and the circumstances of our early childhoods mold us as people. It has also taught me to nurture my inner child, to allow myself the freedom to play on stage as well as in front of the camera.
It has also taught me that if I can look deeply at a a character to figure out their motivations and needs, I can do the same with people. I can use this as a tool to better understand where someone else is coming from, which has made me a more compassionate person. Sometimes people just need to feel heard and being an actor has taught me to really listen.
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Q: Which episode of #HTGAWM is your favorite?
A: My favorite episode, this is hard, so I'm going to pick two. The first episode, the pilot, the rush of that episode was nothing that I have ever felt before. We were out there in the dark shooting in Philadelphia and I was out there acting my heart out. I felt alive and different and it was so real and raw and I felt like after that night we were bonded as a cast in this show. It was lighting in a bottle and a feeling I won't ever forget.
My second favorite is the episode with the amazing Cicely Tyson. The scenes with her and Viola are so real and raw. Its such a slow pouring of emotions it almost leaves you breathless. I remember melting as I watched that and its that same intensity and raw talent that Viola brings to set everyday. Its such a contagious feeling and as the lead of this show she makes us all believe and strive to be better actor, take bigger risks.
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