Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard
Geena Davis discusses her journey from a shy exchange student to an Academy Award-winning actor, the impact of Susan Sarandon, and the precision of Olympic archery.
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Key takeaways
Geena Davis grew up shy and tall in a strict New England household. She reinvented herself as an exchange student in Sweden and began her acting career by posing as a department-store mannequin, which led to her first role in Tootsie.
2Davis won an Academy Award at age 32. She credits Susan Sarandon with teaching her to stop apologizing for existing on set, a lesson that helped her navigate the film industry.
3While filming A League of Their Own, Davis discovered her athleticism. She later found relief from the subjectivity of Hollywood through the precision of Olympic archery.
34Davis explains that roles can transform one's identity. She advocates for lasting cultural change by making unconscious bias impossible to ignore.
4Ask GenPod next
“What other roles significantly transformed Geena Davis's identity?”
“How does Geena Davis define unconscious bias in Hollywood?”
“What specific challenges did Geena Davis face as an exchange student in Sweden?”
Questions
She reinvented herself as an exchange student in Sweden and started by posing as a department-store mannequin, which led to her role in Tootsie.
2Susan Sarandon taught Geena Davis to stop apologizing for existing on set.
3The precision of Olympic archery offered her relief from the subjectivity of Hollywood.
4She believes that roles can transform who you are.
4Experts
Academy Award-winning actor and advocate
1Sources and disclosure
This episode is sponsored by Allstate.
Geena Davis (The Boroughs, Thelma & Louise, A League of Their Own) is an Academy Award-winning actor and advocate.
Geena joins Armchair Expert to discuss growing up shy and tall in a strict New England household, reinventing herself as an exchange student in Sweden, and going from posing as a department-store mannequin to landing her first role in Tootsie.
Geena and Dax talk about winning an Oscar at 32, how Susan Sarandon taught her to stop apologizing for existing on set, and discovering her athleticism while filming A League of Their Own.
Geena explains how roles can transform who you are, why the precision of Olympic archery offered relief from the subjectivity of Hollywood, and why lasting cultural change begins with making unconscious bias impossible to ignore.
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