Rose Byrne On Sexism In Hollywood: “It’s Illegal”

Rose Byrne is certainly doing her part to battle sexism in the film industry. The actress recently launched an all-female production company, and she is an outspoken advocate for gender equality in Hollywood, often speaking about what it's going to take to achieve balance between the sexes. She recently opened up to The Guardian on the subject of sexism in the business. While the Spy star has sought more funny girl roles on screen over the last several years, when she's not acting, she's becoming markedly more serious. Last fall, Byrne appeared in a PSA about sexual assault on college campuses; these days, she's adding her voice to the debate about how to eradicate gender-based discrimination from the film industry. "That’s illegal," she told The Guardian, before going on to say that it's exciting to see the ACLU stepping in and take sexism seriously. The organization recently launched an inquiry into Hollywood's gender-discriminating, hiring practices. And, not a moment too soon: Recent stories from actresses about the wildly inappropriate things they've been asked to do and say during auditions have exploded during recent weeks and revealed some ugly colors in Tinseltown. Of the ACLU's investigation, Byrne said: “It’s not being put down to good old-fashioned misogyny, it’s actually [asking] why is this quietly tolerated? Why has this been a silent agreement for the last however many years." Tracking down the answer to those questions is going to be tricky, but it seems like Byrne is prepared to be a part of the solution: She's creating change in the industry by helping to shape it herself. And if that's not a #GirlBoss move, we don't know what is.