Kristen Stewart has criticized the poor treatment of actresses in the industry, stating that it was only after becoming a director that she felt respected as someone with a brain. In an interview with The Times of London, she discussed her directorial debut, 'The Chronology of Water,' highlighting gender disparities in how performers and filmmakers are perceived.
Kristen Stewart, known for her roles in the 'Twilight' franchise and arthouse films such as 'Seberg,' 'Underwater,' 'Spencer,' and 'Love Lies Bleeding,' opened up about the challenges faced by actresses during a discussion with The Times of London. Promoting her feature directorial debut, 'The Chronology of Water,' Stewart remarked, “Actresses get treated like shit, I’ve got to tell you.” She contrasted this with her experience as a director, noting, “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.”
The film, which stars Imogen Poots as Lidia—a woman confronting her traumatic past through competitive swimming and writing—premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025 and received a wide theatrical release on January 9. Stewart praised Poots' commitment, saying, “Imogen [Poots] put her whole body and soul into this movie.” She further addressed industry biases, stating, “There’s this idea that directors have otherworldly abilities, which is not true. It’s an idea perpetuated by men. Not to sound like I’m complaining all the time, but it’s worse for female actors than male ones—they get treated like puppets, but they are not.”
This is not the first time Stewart has spoken on gender inequities. In a recent New York Times profile, she observed that male actors are “aggrandized for retaining self” in their craft, while women receive less recognition. She elaborated, “There’s a common act that happens before the acting happens on set: If [male actors] can protrude out of the vulnerability and feel like a gorilla pounding their chest before they cry on camera, it’s a little less embarrassing. It also makes it seem like a magic trick, like it is so impossible to do what you’re doing that nobody else could do it.”
Stewart's comments underscore ongoing discussions about respect and autonomy for women in Hollywood, particularly as she transitions from acting to directing.
