77 In-spire
LS
Words by Ian Birthwright @BrooklynFlyer
Gina Davis's portrayal of the persistent, lovelorn
Muriel Pritchett was convincing enough for her
to walk away from the 61st Academy Awards
with the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in The
Accidental Tourist staring alongside William Hurt
and Kathleen Turner.
For Thelma & Louise both Ms Davis and co-star
Susan Sarandon were nominated for Best Actress
roles. The movie was a tale of discovery, friendship,
moral fortitude and the importance of taking
responsibility for your own actions.
Unfortunately, neither actress was rewarded for the
role as Jodie Foster took Best Actress for Silence of
the Lambs in 1991. Nevertheless, Thelma & Louise is
an iconic movie and held in high esteem by movie
goers around the world. Not least, because it also
tackles in its own way; abusive relationships, rape
and women rights.
Following on from this success, Geena retuned to
familiar ground with the sports comedy A League of
Their Own which was a fictionalised account of the
real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball
League. Her depiction of "Lottie" bagged her the
Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress
in 1992.
For the next ten years, Geena Davis notably
appeared in the 1996 film The Long Kiss Goodnight
paired with the singularly cool Samuel L. Jackson
and in the same year appeared in Cuthroat Island.
These movies firmly secured Geena's move into
production with her then husband, Renny Harlin.
In 1999, she starred in the kids movie Stuart Little
and since the turn of the century has only been seen
significantly on the big screen when reprising her
role as Eleanor Little in Stuart Little 2 and 3.
Given the latter roles she has acted in, it is not any
great coincidence that Geena Davis is staunchly
supporting of equal rights for women. More
importantly, in her own field of acting, where
women are still very much underrepresented in
Film, TV, Theatre and Sport.
Clearly not one to shout from the rooftops of her
work towards instilling change within a still very
male dominated movie industry, Geena Davis has
managed to make her point in all three aspects of
her life over the past 30 years whilst keeping every
area of her life, distinct and separate. Rare, given the
intrusion that Hollywood stars often go through.
Yet, it appears Ms Davis transcends the `usual' and
`stereotypical' as her career bares witness to.