Kristen Stewart Talks About Actress Treatment In Hollywood

Kristen Stewart has juggled the best of both worlds in Hollywood, and she has a verdict!

The actress is still reeling from her directorial debut and how it is a completely different terrain from what she is used to as a female actress in Hollywood.

Kristen Stewart has been vocally consistent about seeking better treatment and closing the gender disparity gap in the movie industry and made a statement on the issue as recently as last November.

The actress sat down with The Sunday Times to discuss some newly discovered facts about how life felt for her as a female director in Hollywood, in contrast to her experiences as an actress. Declaring that “actresses get treated like sh-t,” Stewart added:

“People think anyone could be an actress, but the first time I sat down to talk about my movie as a director, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a different experience, they are talking to me like I’m somebody with a brain.”

She recalled a conversation with a male actor she really loved, where she noted that people, especially men, often propagate the idea that directors are superhumans.

At the same time, they see female actors as “puppets.” Stewart also touched on the topic of method acting and how females are excluded from the field because it is an acrobatic performance to make acting seem like a feat that it is not.

“I think acting is just playing pretend; you don’t have to do 50 press-ups before a take. As soon as I made the distinction between male and female actors, he became defensive and said he had never met an actress who wasn’t crazy,” the actress continued in the interview.

Stewart’s directorial debut captures the story of American writer Lidia Yuknavitch, as captured in her 2011 memoir. Lidia, played by Imogen Poots, suffered sexual abuse at the hands of her father, played by Michael Epp.

Despite her excitement at achieving her first-ever directing gig, Stewart confessed that the project would have experienced a different outcome if she were a man. In her words:

“We have to deny our physicality every single day, and there is so much — like birth — that is so painful and also quite beautiful, but we don’t share it because it is uncomfortable and icky.”

She noted that after noticing that women are often pushed out of the canon when it comes to expressing their feelings, she felt inspired to become a leading voice in a world designed to silence women.

“We have to push people out of the way to get our experience seen, and that pisses people off,” the media personality noted.

The actress was present at the Academy and Chanel’s 2025 Women’s Luncheon last year, where she condemned the gender pay gap in the movie industry and some female actresses’ experiences.

As reported by The Blast, Stewart did not hesitate to jump straight to business when she took the stage, calling out Hollywood’s “boy club” culture. The 35-year-old star expressed that there has been a recent switch in the industry where stories made by and for women are finally getting a chance.

Although the star once believed that real change was around the corner, she is now dealing with a completely new reality. She revealed that while shooting “Chronology of Water,” she had to grapple with convincing people to stomach the dark stories and not outright reject them. 

The actress described the gender inequality in Hollywood as very harmful and stated that the abysmal number of three major studio projects directed by women in 2025 was “statistically devastating.”

Stewart urged female creatives to keep pushing forward and stressed that the success rate for women in the industry should not be a rare feature.

During her interview with Variety in January 2024, she made an announcement that every other movie comes secondary until she made a headway with “The Chronology of Water.”

“Yeah, I will quit the f-cking business. I won’t make a-f-cking-nother movie until I make this movie. I will tell you that, for sure. I think that will get things going,” the actress emphasized.

Stewart’s statement was made as a reaction to the lack of financial support towards the project at the time, bringing everything to a halt. Before then, Stewart had featured in two films at the Sundance Festival, first the lesbian crime thriller “Love Lies Bleeding,” and sci-fi romance, “Love Me.”

The actress also played a supporting role in the road trip comedy “Sacramento.” Coming closely behind the lack of funds was Stewart’s credibility as a great director, which was on the line.

Despite having short stints at directing, including her short film “Come Swim,” which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Festival and a music video for the Boygenuis group in 2023, the doubts still creep in. According to her, “They’re like, ‘I don’t know if she’s right.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I am! I’ve done this forever.”

Luckily for the actress and director, she would never have to process these thoughts alone as she now shares her life with Meyer. As shared by The Blast, the duo tied the knot in a private ceremony in the first half of 2025.

They reportedly obtained their marriage license at a courthouse in Los Angeles and went on to exchange vows in front of their family and close friends in Stewart’s home.

Celebrities like Ashley Benson and Brandon Davis watched the couple take their vows in matching outfits and simple hairdos. Stewart and Meyer got engaged in 2021 when the latter popped the question 8 years after they first met in 2013, and two years after they started dating. 

Stewart had previously joked about getting married at the Oscars during her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s show in 2022.

The actress, reacting to her Oscar best actress nomination, agreed humorously with Kimmel that holding their wedding at the event venue would provide a complimentary reception and manage their guest list.

Kristen Stewart’s mission to blur the gender gap is very unrelenting.