“People presume that because of the relatively small number of women who are directors, when a woman directs it’s a sexist set,” says Liza Johnson, the director of Elvis & Nixon. The very funny movie depicts the actual meeting of the King and the 37^th president and stars Kevin Spacey and Michael Shannon. “But that’s not been my experience,” she corrects the misperception. “Maybe the bar of being presumed competent is higher (for a woman), but the set is a military hierarchy of which I am at the top. It’s my experience that even when you’re working with very famous actors or highly experienced crew, everyone wants to apply their skills towards a common vision which they know is coming from me. It might have something to do with the way I set up those relationships – so they know what I am capable of. If you don’t do that you may be subject to rebellion. Men are also subject to this kind rebellion if they don’t establish that confidence.”

Liza has a practical approach as to why gender is not a limit when directing. “Any director does work that supports and amplifies what other people do best. That might be considered a ’nurturing’ or feminine trait. You also have to be assertive or defend your vision, which might be culturally considered more masculine. Every person – male or female – as a director has to be able to do both of those things. I’m a pretty feminine person.” But don’t mistake that for weakness. “You have to be able to take a punch and land a punch and make everyone aware that you can land a punch. My style of doing that is also pretty feminine but I don’t think anybody doubts that I can do that.” She laughs at the idea that anyone would challenge her ability. “I guess I come from the Ginger Rogers school of thought: you do the same work as Fred Astaire, but backwards and in heels.”

This idea that calm, competence can be misread is an issue women have to be aware of. “Because women are culturally expected to be polite – so that you’re not labeled bossy or too assertive – some may think that being deferential is what it is to be nice, or what it means to be generous to the people you’re working with. I think maybe I used to think that when I was starting out as a young artist. But I’m very certain of this now: when you’re in charge of creating a world, what’s nice is to just tell people what the world is, and that’s what supports the work. That’s what allows them to bring their skills to bear on my vision.”

Michael Shannon, who portrays Elvis in the film concurs, “I hate to make any generalizations just based on somebody’s sex. I mean, there’s all different kinds of men, there’s all different kinds of women. This was a very testosterone-laden movie. I really appreciated Liza’s sense of calm. I needed a lot of support and encouragement. On the first day we were shooting, (her steadiness) helped me relax.”

While Johnson has never experienced conscious discrimination in the industry, she acknowledged that when she goes on a location scout, people go up to a man “thinking he is the director.” As for women being incapable of directing action genres? Ms. Johnson doesn’t hesitate: “Women are great at directing action. Like men, we have also grown up watching action films. We have them in our DNA just as men do. These movies are adrenaline driven – if people want to call that testosterone, then they are mistaken.” She elaborates on the manner in which women are excluded. “I’ve never met an evil, sexist person saying, ‘Women can’t do this work.’ But I have had people say, ‘Your presentation was better than the guy and I know you have the exact same amount of experience but he makes us feel safe.’ You can’t prove that’s discrimination. That’s the mystery of holding any kind of minority stand. You don’t know if it’s something that you did.”

“I am a person who has been able to work a lot recently, and that is partly because I’m a hard worker and good at my job, and partly it’s good fortune. But the studies that are being done now are so important, and outside agencies can be so helpful. Unconscious bias is really impossible to address as an individual, and I really do believe it’s unconscious. There’s no Lex Luthor (that I know of) trying to keep women out of the field, but there is obviously a problem or the data would be different. But structural solutions have worked, historically, and have enabled women and people of color into other sectors of the workplace.”

Likewise she pays tribute to the people who are consciously hiring minorities and women at entry levels that will give them a chance to become department heads where there is currently gender disparity in those positions. “Men like John Lindley who is the DP on a pilot I shot and Kim Winther, who is the AD of Elvis & Nixon and who also has a career in big action movies—I’ve noticed them being very committed to bringing women and people of color up through the ranks, and training them in the crafts. That kind of commitment is also going to make a difference.”

“I try to always hire the best person. If you are not operating through nepotism (which I have to admit can be very seductive) or unconscious bias, that often results in hiring women and people of color. I often hire department heads who are women and people of color, but that’s because I’m trying to hire the best person. If that’s what you’re really looking for then the best person frequently is a person of color and/or a woman.”

See: Elvis & Nixon: When Rock and Roll Met the White House, CLICK HERE.