defuse the situation. i think that probably is reflected in a lot of the comedies that we make here at universal. but, yeah, ithink also, you know, just growing up in a small place like that where, you know, as kids, we could be kids, we could wander the beaches and over the hills and the downs, and my imagination would just run wild with the history of the place whether it was smugglers or aristocracy. and it was just a wonderfully free place to grow up. were you into cinema, do you remember going to the movies? do you remember the first film you saw, or was it more about storytelling? it was much more about storytelling, i think. i think we all know, as brits, we grow up with a deep love of literature, and english literature in particular. but, no, i think my first film experience in the movie theatre was fantasia, which was terrifying. but to go back to abba, one of my favourite early experiences watching a movie was my sister took me to see the film that lasse hallstrom directed,
as children, you know, were to think outside of yourself, just understand that the world is bigger than your own experience and whatever one can do to make that a better place is a good thing to do. ok, so cut forward you arrive in la with a letter of introduction, i think, to a literary agency. you end up with a job in the movie business. did you feel you needed to leave the uk to make a success of yourself? yes. why was that? i don t know. i mean, honestly, i knew i needed to leave the isle of wight, but then i found myself in london. and i don t know if it was the time when i left college, margaret thatcher was on her way out. it was before tony blair, before the era of some prosperity. and i just didn t see a future for myself. i didn t know what to do. and i did have friends who were in the media
deserved back then, as a young whippersnapper. but, no, i mean, look, this is a very competitive industry and environment. and so, you know, it s not for the faint of heart, right? so, you know, i learned early on you had to have some chutzpah to make it. i mean, they talk about powerful male entities it was clearly a very different time, so much has come out since, not least about harvey weinstein, who s about to go on trial here in la. i mean, how bad was it back then for a young woman like you in the movie business? you know, i m fortunate to have never experienced that kind of behaviour first hand. but, you know, i think a lot of the revelations that have come out in the last 4 5 years have just shown us just how bad it was, you know, that we were in an environment that just tended to turn a blind eye to certain toxic behaviour. so i think it s great that now there s a very bright light shone on that, and i do think that the culture has
we know that the movie theatres are the domain of the big visual effects movies likejurassic world or the superhero movies from marvel and dc. but what else can we entice audiences to come and see at the movie theatre? and so, you know, that s the $100 billion question. but i guess, do you have a use it or lose it message for people watching this, listening to this? i do. i think we all have to remember, you know, that the activity or the joy of going to a movie theatre and seeing a movie in a movie theatre with an audience, with your popcorn is immense, and it s something that s really baked into our dna, i think. storytelling is in all of us and what better way to engage with a story? and i also don t think that, you know, it has to be binary
and got onto the call, and said, guys, i ve got this great project, and here it is. so the majority of the story actually takes place on earth, and then, the character needs to go up to space to save the day. wow i mean, ithink that isjust a big wow , right? i think so. i mean, it s worth reflecting tom cruise isjust one of the big names that you work with. you know, you ve wooed the likes of steven spielberg, christopher nolan, they ve both got films under way at universal. how do you attract those big names, what are you saying to those directors? well, steven has a long history with universal, obviously, and he did go and make films for other studios. and as a director, he works all over town. but his spiritual home is at universal it s where he made his first movie, jaws, of course. and so, you know, when steven wants to make a movie with us, we re just thrilled and ecstatic that that s the case. does he have free reign? i mean, do you have to say to him,