Greta Gerwig Was Not Supposed To Direct 'Little Women'

With “Little Women,” Greta Gerwig has put her name on the elite list of directors working in Hollywood right now. The movie is getting universal acclaim and is considered to be a frontrunner in many categories at the upcoming Academy Awards.

But do you know that Gerwig was not initially approached to direct the film adaptation of the classic novel?

Speaking in an interview with Variety, the 36-year-old filmmaker revealed that the studio initially came to her with an idea of just writing the screenplay of a project and when she got to know that a movie was being made based on the classic book, the “Lady Bird” helmer insisted that she needs to direct this film.

Gerwig further added that Sony Pictures was kind enough to listen to her request and gave her permission to don the director’s hat for the movie. She also revealed that this conversation happened even before Gerwig’s solo directorial debut, “Lady Bird.”

“I told them no one else could direct it; I must direct it. They were like, ‘Alright. Well, you have never directed anything or you have never solo directed anything,” Gerwig said.

The actress-turned-filmmaker also discussed how she went out of the way to take what she wanted because she had the confidence to tell the story of all the four March sisters in a refreshing kind of way. “I was hell bent on it. It is funny because I have never quite gone after something like that,” Gerwig said.

The “Mistress America” star also explained that something similar happened with the film’s lead actress, Saoirse Ronan. As soon as Ronan got to know a film was being made based on “Little Women,” she was adamant that she wants to play the character of Jo in the film.

A couple of days earlier Gerwig expressed gratitude towards Steven Spielberg for helping her throughout the entire movie.

Speaking in a roundtable discussion with the Hollywood Reporter, the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker noted that Spielberg did not let her use a digital camera for shooting the film and instead gave her the camera he used for shooting the original “Jurassic Park” movie. She also confessed that Spielberg would not even let her touch a digital camera during the filming process.

The American Film Institute and Time Magazine have recognized “Little Women” as one of the top 10 movies of 2019 ion their annual lists. On the other hand, the film has been nominated for nine Critics’ Choice Awards, including Best Picture.

The movie also stars Emma Watson, Meryl Streep, Laura Dern and Timothée Chalamet in pivotal roles.