The conversation is changing. With each passing week, more and more female stars have shared their experiences with rampant Hollywood sexism, from horrifying stories about giving “blowjob eyes” at auditions to tales of pay inequality and pushing for more female-led stories. While the sheer scale of the stories is upsetting — it seems like every actress has their own tale to tell — that these stars feel comfortable speaking out on the subject is heartening, one step closer to an industry that doesn’t have this kind of discrimination seemingly baked into its everyday operations.
While there have certainly been misfires along the way — actress and director Elizabeth Banks was recently taken to task for (incorrectly) calling out Steven Spielberg for never directing films with female leads, and “Game of Thrones” star Emilia Clarke compared sexism to racism in an ill-concieved statement to Rolling Stone — the recent uptick in discussion is proof that the, while change might not be happening quickly, the more we talk about, the more we can learn and grow.
Here are 11 stars who have recently shared their stories, with plenty of lessons to take away from each.
1. Zoe Kazan

Earlier this week, “The Big Sick” star spoke to The Guardian about her experiences with sexism in the industry. The long-time actress and writer got honest about her experiences, and how they differ from the experiences of her longtime partner, actor Paul Dano.
“There’s so much sexual harassment on set,” she told the outlet. “And there’s no HR department, right? We don’t have a redress. We have our union, but no one ever resorts to that, because you don’t want to get a reputation for being difficult. I’ve told Paul about stuff that has happened on set and it’s almost as if he can’t take it in. It’s too upsetting. And he’s never had to deal with that once.”
She added, “I have a lot of girlfriends who are amazing actors, and many times we’ve talked about having to go into a room and give ‘blowjob eyes.’ You know, be flirty with a director or a producer…Or there’ll be auditions where they’ll say, ‘Wear something body-conscious’ and then you’re aware that they’re checking out your body. You leave the situation feeling not good about what just happened, but you don’t really have the language for why.”
2. Elisabeth Moss

“The Handmaid’s Tale” actress has been particularly vocal over the last few months when it comes to her latest project, a Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s seminal novel that imagines a future where women have been stripped of their rights. In a recent interview with Metro, Moss opened up about two examples of sexism she’s seen during her career, including both pay inequality and a lack of interest in stories deemed “too female” by executive brass.
“My one big thing is women don’t make as much as men. I’m sure, I know, I’m 100 per cent positive I’ve been a victim of that,” she told the outlet. “The other thing I have experienced is in pitching something that is female led. I have been told something is too female by executives. It was everything, the fact it was a female lead, a female protagonist, was led by a woman, made it too female, which I was shocked by.
But the tide might be turning, and Moss added, “This was recent, in the last couple of years, and it’s shocking to me to hear that, that is almost illegal to say. It wasn’t said to my face, I would dare a male executive to say that to my face now.”
3. Lena Headey

In a recent interview with Net-A-Porter Magazine, conducted by her “Game of Thrones” co-star Maisie Williams, the British actress got honest about her early experiences in the industry.
“When I was in my twenties, and doing a lot of audition tapes in the States, a casting director told me: ‘The men take these tapes home and watch them and say, ‘Who would you f***?,'” she said. “I’ve never played the game of going in [to auditions] and flirting; I’ve never done it.”
Headey also added that, while she believes it’s entirely possible that her reticence to flirt her way into a gig probably prevented her from getting certain parts, “I’m very happy I didn’t.”
See the rest of the story at Business Insider