Jennifer Garner was among the high-profile actresses honoured by Elle magazine at its Women in Hollywood event but the actress took the opportunity give an impressive speech about gender equality in the film industry.
During the event on Monday night, the 42-year-old actress and mother of three told the audience about the importance of events that celebrate women in film.
“The fact that there even needs to be a Women in Hollywood event is a little bit sad,” the Dallas Buyers Club star told the audience.
“I mean, the men in Hollywood event is every day — it’s called Hollywood. Fifty-one per cent of the population should not have to have to schedule a special event to celebrate the fact that in an art that tells the story of what it means to be human and alive, we get to play a part.”
Garner went on to explain how sexism was particularly apparent when she compared the differences between how she and her actor husband, Ben Affleck are treated by the industry.
“So for example, my husband and I do kind of the same job, a little bit,” she said. “Not long ago we both had one of those magical days, we call it a junket, where we both attended these lovely events where people come in every four minutes, they ask the same questions over and over again, you know the drill.”
“We got home at night and we compared notes,” she continued. “And I told him every single person who interviewed me, I mean every single one, and this is true of the red carpet here tonight at Elle, asked me, ‘How do you balance work and family?’ And he said the only thing that people asked him repeatedly was about the tits on the Blurred Lines girl, which, for the record if we’re talking about them, they are real and they are fabulous.”
Garner was referring to model Emily Ratajkowski, who appeared in Robin Thicke’s risqué Blurred Lines music clip and co-starred with Affleck in his latest movie, Gone Girl.
After the audience finished chuckling at Garner’s clever wit, she continued: “As for work-life balance, he said no one asked him about it that day. As a matter of fact, no one had ever asked him about it. And we do share the same family. Isn’t it time to kinda change that conversation?”
Actresses Elizabeth Banks, Annette Bening, Tina Fey and Jessica Lange were also among those honoured.
While gender inequality may be all too common in showbiz, in an interview with Elle for the magazine’s November 2014 issue, Garner outlined how motherhood changed her career and how Affleck encouraged her along the way.
“My ambition shifted when I had kids in a way that I didn’t anticipate. I became more ambitious for my life as a whole, and for that kind of health and happiness of the overall family unit. And that very much includes my husband and very much includes me. My husband is always the one saying to me, ‘You have to work, you have to work. This is part of who you are. We’ll figure it out.’ That’s powerful, when your partner has that serious mantra.”
