The cast of Big Little Lies came out to support one of their own at the premiere of Adrift starring Shailene Woodley. Complete with beaming smiles, Zoe Kravitz, Reese Witherspoon, and Lauren Dern proudly held up tickets to Woodley’s new film, celebrating the resilience of the human spirit and a woman’s ability to survive thousands of miles out in the open ocean.
But this is more than a photo of the BLL cast as a group of co-workers who enjoy hanging out. It symbolizes what happens when women can work together without being forced to compete for limited opportunities. They build each other up and they support each other. When they see one opportunity for one woman, they don’t see it as something to compete over, but rather as a sign that there needs to be more opportunities. Instead of playing the game, they intend to change the rules.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
When speaking to Refinery29 about Adrift, Woodley shared her thoughts on the Time’s Up movement and the importance of women having the opportunity to work together in a positive environment. "It is incredibly vital that women are in this stance to stand together and tell strong stories and to unite. Women should also practice what we preach in eliminating competition, ego, fear, and envy,” Woodley continued. “What the Time’s Up movement stood for for me was a beginning for women to recognize one another as sisters instead of competition. I think that branches far beyond just this industry, but to all industries together."
Big Little Lies has made a name for itself not just for its compelling plot, complex characters, and multimillion-dollar beachfront homes, but because the show and everyone a part of it supports women so wholeheartedly. As fellow cast member Dern described them at last year’s Emmys, this “incredible fierce tribe of women” prove that women working together is more than a trend or a meme-able moment. Women working together off screen creates visibility and opportunities on screen. After winning five Emmy awards for its first season, Nicole Kidman credited it all to friendship. “This is a friendship that then created opportunities. It created opportunities out of frustration because we weren’t getting offered great roles. So now, more great roles for women, please,” said Kidman.