Greta Gerwig

By now, we’ve all heard the name Greta Gerwig at some point, and if you haven’t, I don’t know what kind of Mojo Dojo Casa House you’ve been living under. If you don’t know, Greta Gerwig is an American actress, writer, and director who is most widely recognized today for the phenomenon that is Barbie. Barbie was a powerful movie that continues to spark masses of inspiration of relatability for people all over the world, and along with this, Gerwig is also known for Lady Bird and the 2019 adaptation of Little Women, which she also wrote and directed. In her career, she has received awards and nominations from a handful of different associations (such as the Golden Globes and Academy Awards), made the 2018 Times 100 List of Most Influential People in the World, and was the 5th woman to ever receive an Oscar nomination for best director. 

Gerwig was born on August 4, 1983, to parents Christine and Gordon Gerwig and has two siblings. Her original life plan was to study musical theatre in New York, but she ended up graduating with a degree in English and philosophy from Barnard College — where she shared a dorm room with Kate McKinnon. Before Barbie and Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig started with minor roles in Joe Swanberg’s LOL and later joined forces with him to co-write both Hannah Takes the Stairs and Nights and Weekends, helping co-direct the latter as well. Over time, she began picking up roles more frequently and larger, such as Sally in To Rome With Love, Frances Halladay (and co-writer) in Frances Ha, and Abigail Porter in 20th Century Women. 

In 2017, Greta Gerwig made her debut as a solo director with her coming-of-age film Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan. The movie, while only having a $10 million budget, grossed $78 million worldwide. Next on her list of accomplishments was directing and writing the screenplay for the 2019 adaptation of Little Women. These two movies racked up quite a few award wins and nominations for Gerwig: in total, 13 nominations and 3 wins, including winning a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture— Musical or Comedy. Then, after starring with Adam Driver in White Noise, her film Barbie opened in theaters on July 21, 2023. The film made $70.5 million on opening day and has gone on to make Gerwig the first woman solo director to have a movie grossed over $1 billion.  

Barbie is a movie based on Mattel’s ever-popular doll, but it is so much more than that. It is a film that embodies feminism, female empowerment, and the importance of supporting and lifting women. Barbie was able to take a children’s toy and weave in important messages that everybody needs to hear, messages that made so many people around the world who have experienced girlhood/ womanhood feel seen, represented, and valid. America Ferrera’s tear-jerking monologue on what it’s like to be a woman made us all cry our eyes out because those who never have to think about what women go through every day finally have it put into perspective for them. Barbie is the light that shines through, pushing the idea that you are (k)enough and you will find your place in the world: that you belong, and that you are perfect. 

Between her acting, directing, and writing credits, to her long list of accomplishments and awards, Greta Gerwig is an inspiration. She is constantly pushing out wonderful creations that express life’s important ideas and messages for us to relate to, and I feel lucky to live in a time where I get to share the same air as someone so powerful and influential.