Recently, Academy Award winner Jennifer Lawrence was in an episode of Variety’s Actors on Actors. In this episode, she was talking with another Academy Award winner, Viola Davis, and her role in The Hunger Games came up. Lawrence said, “I remember when I was doing Hunger Games, nobody had ever put a woman in the lead of an action movie because it wouldn’t work—we were told girls and boys can both identify with a male lead, but boys cannot identify with a female lead.” Needless to say, Lawrence received criticism and a lot of backlash from her statement.
The actress has then amended her comment in an interview with Hollywood Reporter, stating that she knew she wasn’t the first woman in an action movie, and her comment was only meant to express how good it feels when she sees a woman in these roles. This generated a lot of discussion on female leads in action movies, which goes back further in the past than most may think.
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Here is a bit of the history of the action genre in cinema and when it started to have women as the protagonists.
Action Leads in Silent Movies
General Film Company
Action has been a popular genre since the very beginning of cinema. Few people know that more actresses were playing lead roles than actors in silent movies in one specific genre. In the 1910s, the biggest action heroes were all women. Mary Fuller started the path for the many women who came after, and became very popular in 1912 with her adventure series What Happened to Mary. There was also Helen Holmes, who was the lead character in the railroad adventure series, The Hazards of Helen, where she was later replaced by Helen Gibson. Ruth Roland was the protagonist in The Girl Detective. Pearl White became the most well-known star on screen in the massively successful The Perils of Pauline in 1917.
It is safe to say that there were an incredibly high number of actresses that had huge success in their time. Nevertheless, they have been almost completely forgotten. One of the reasons why is the change in the film industry, which started to become more focused on feature-length films, and not short serials. Another substantial change was the fact that there were now ’talking’ movies. Almost none of these early women action stars were able to extend their career as these changes occurred.
What Happened to Them?
Kalem Company
Is almost unbelievable that most are not aware of these fantastic actresses. Unfortunately, they mostly didn’t have happy endings on and outside the big screen. Mary Fuller spent the rest of her days in a mental hospital due to a series of nervous breakdowns; she quit acting in 1917. Holmes lost all her money in the Depression, and she struggled with mental health. Roland died of cancer when she was 46 years old. Pearl White had health problems that led her death by cirrhosis, because of her dependency on alcohol and medication.
It is a shame that they all had somewhat sad moments at the end of their lives. These actresses were some of the first people to be internationally famous, and their extremely daring stunts and practical effects made them action heroes of their time. However, not only did they have somewhat short-lived careers, but they were almost completely forgotten by today’s filmmakers, and apparently today’s actors and actresses.
Women as Action Heroes Today
Pathe Distribution
Knowing about these women that made a difference in the genre, it is also important to remember some examples of more recent roles that are also important. Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) changed the game for women in sci-fi movies. They were some of the most incredible characters in the iconic franchises Alien and Matrix. Then there are the ones that made history from the start, such as Wonder Woman. It is important not to forget the backlash Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) received because she was a woman, and at that point, there haven’t been any feature superhero films with women in the protagonist role.
Even in horror, there are a lot of examples, such as Alice (Milla Jovovich) in the adaptation of the video game Resident Evil. Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) is also an adaptation of an action character from a video game. The Bride (Uma Thurman) in Tarantino’s Kill Bill movies also changed how these protagonists were perceived. There are some actresses, like Charlize Theron, who acted in various action movies – even if they were not part of franchises. Either way, these actresses are only a few examples of women in these types of movies - that for a very long time were considered only for the male audience or the male gaze.
As the years progressed, there has been a big shift in not only female leads but female-centric stories, where their realities and problems are the centers of the narrative, and they are not a sexualized side character for the male protagonist. Lawrence’s character, Katniss Everdeen, is an example of roles that fit this new wave.
All this research is not to drag Lawrence in the mud, but to educate everyone on these amazing women that truly paved the way for modern actresses to be a part of not only the action genre but cinema as a whole. Let’s take this as an opportunity to fully acknowledge these artists that were forgotten with time. Maybe this could be the theme of the next groundbreaking biopic; they certainly have the stories and importance to be remembered forever.
