No, her female characters don’t have to be likable.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinsoncould lie and say thatThe Godfathermade her want to be a filmmaker.
But she’s not going to do that.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.Simone Niamani Thompson for EW
“I made my mom take me toCluelesssix times in the theater,” Robinson says.
“Now there’sDo Revenge.”
It’s the kind of edgy teen story viewers hadn’t seen in years.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.Simone Niamani Thompson for EW
“That kind of biting, acid-tongue camp teen movie just hasn’t been made recently.
The series, though beloved by its small following, only lasted one season on MTV.
For Robinson, writing stories about women just makes sense.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.Simone Niamani Thompson for EW
“And I know women, and I like writing about women.
For me, it’s such a no-brainer to want to tell these stories.
It’s actually incredibly selfish and is not about furthering anything at all.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.Simone Niamani Thompson for EW
It’s super self-serving.”
But with telling those stories comes a certain set of challenges.
Why did they talk like this?
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.Simone Niamani Thompson for EW
They just picked apart everything.
Specifically, Robinson references a scene in the film when Eleanor hits Drea with her car.
“That became a huge point of contention that people really didn’t like,” she says.
Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.Simone Niamani Thompson for EW
“I just had to have faith that once it was out there, everyone was going to understand.
In making things about young women, you might get pulled in a lot of different directions.”
The very idea of letting women behave badly is something Robinson has had to fight for in her career.
“InDo Revengeand evenSomeone Great, those are stories about women behaving badly.
(For those who don’t know, Josh Schwartz is the creator ofThe O.C.)
Her advice to other women wanting to get into the business?
“I sound like a Nike ad but just do it.
I think so much of why I am where I am is because I just hustled.”
And it never hurts to surround yourself with other determined women.
So no, she is not trying to make the nextGodfather, and she’s good with that.
She knows her target audience.
It’s just me.
It’s just making art for the women that inspired me.”
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