Daredevil Star Slams Gender Inequality in Hollywood: ‘I Will Get Fired’

Deborah Ann Woll, the star of hit TV shows like True Blood and Daredevil, has opened up about the gender inequality she constantly faces in Hollywood. Ann Woll broke onto the TV scene thanks to her major role as Jessica Hamby in True Blood. Since then, she has become a mainstay of Marvel’s partnership with Netflix, appearing in Daredevil, The Punisher, and The Defenders. Deborah Ann Woll’s star power has grown exponentially since appearing as Karen Page in Daredevil — with the character set to join the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again — but the actress is still blighted by the subtle gender inequalities that face almost every actress working today.

Deborah Ann Woll sat down with her former (and soon to be returning) The Punisher co-star Jon Bernthal for his Real Ones podcast. The emotionally vulnerable and open conversation broached many subjects, including bullying, anxiety, and sexism in the industry. During the chat, the pair discussed how they handle creative differences with the writers/directors/showrunners of their projects. While Bernthal is known for being a head-strong and charismatic personality who loudly faces his problems head on, Woll said that she, and many other actresses, cannot take that approach. She explained:

“Not to bring sexism into it too much… I can’t bring it loudly in that way. I will get fired if I bring it loudly in some capacities. I feel that very strongly. The looks that I get sometimes when I push too hard, or even just get ignored…

The Punisher star admitted that he didn’t notice that effect when the pair worked together in the past. Now understanding the situation his co-star finds herself in, Bernthal asked Woll how she goes about pushing back against bad creative decisions. She explained that’s because she has to be “very tactful” in how she confronts creatives about making changes and alterations to scripts. She said:

“Part of the reason that is, is because I have had to be very tactful, and state things in really… you know, ‘Oh, that’s a great idea. What if also…’ When I see you guys go, ‘No that’s not good. Make it better.’ Or, ‘Here’s what’s better and that’s what I’m gonna do,’ again, I just know that that would be greeted with ‘You don’t have to work here.'”

Deborah Ann Woll Struggles With How Few Female Characters Are Written

It’s no secret that Hollywood is a white, male-dominated industry. Even as the wheels of change are beginning to turn in the right direction, there is still a long road ahead before the industry has changed to an acceptable and 100% inclusive standard. Deborah Ann Woll’s comments only highlight a fraction of the gender inequality that is prevalent throughout the film and television industry. During the conversation, Deborah Ann Woll opened Bernthal’s eyes to another issue that actresses have faced for decades… how few female characters are written. The actress explained:

“With female characters, men often like to write- a lot of my lines are like, ‘I know you feel this way.’ Like vocalizing the emotions of the male characters, because the men are too hard to talk about it. And so a lot of times I have to come and be like, ‘So I’d like to say I feel this way,’ and can we write from her perspective.”

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Deborah Ann Woll and Jon Bernthal are set to re-unite their former Daredevil co-stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Elden Henson, and Wilson Bethel, as the characters join the MCU in Daredevil: Born Again. During the conversation, Deborah Ann Wall did reflect positively on her time working on the original Daredevil series, which was first released on Netflix before moving to Disney+. Ann Woll praised Erik Oleson, who acted as the showrunner for Daredevil‘s third and final season. The actress said it was one of the few times she felt like she had been intentionally written for, explaining:

“[I] loved Erik Oleson… When it came around time for Karen’s episode, he listened to me. I sat down with the writer, and she and I really worked on things. This was a backstory that had been building for years, and they let me be a part of that.”