These actresses all have their own production company

There was a time when actresses had to wait until Hollywood they were given a good role. A role in which they were not just allowed to play the girlfriend, the mother, the boring wife of, or the emotional attachment of a man. That time is not over yet, let's not be naive, but more and more actresses have decided not to wait any longer. They have simply started their own production companies.

And that is exactly why you see so many better series in recent years, such as Big Little Lies, smarter films, and more complex women on your screen. Not because Hollywood suddenly woke up with a feminist conscience, but because these women took matters into their own hands.

Reese Witherspoon – Hello Sunshine

Reese Witherspoon had seen for years how few good roles there were for women over thirty and thought: then I'll make them myself. With Hello Sunshine, she built a production company that puts women's stories at the center. Think of Big Little Lies, Little Fires Everywhere and The Morning Show. Her book club also grew into a kind of literary casting machine: if Reese recommends a book, there's a good chance Hollywood is already ready with a camera.

Margot Robbie – LuckyChap Entertainment

Margot Robbie is not just Barbie. She is also one of the smartest producers of her generation. Together with others, including Tom Ackerley, she founded LuckyChap Entertainment, the company behind I, Tonya, Promising Young Woman, Saltburn and of course Barbie. LuckyChap has a clear mission: to create stories that are exciting, stylish, and feminine without being neat. Just like Margot herself, really.

Viola Davis – JuVee Productions

Viola Davis, together with her husband Julius Tennon, founded JuVee Productions. Not because it looked good on a business card, but because she wanted to tell stories that Hollywood too often overlooked. JuVee focuses on diversity, complex characters, and stories where people of color are not just decoration, but the centerpiece. If anyone knows what it means to fight for space, it's Viola Davis.

Kerry Washington – Simpson Street

Kerry Washington named her production company Simpson Street, after the street in the Bronx where her mother grew up. Just that is already beautiful. With Simpson Street, she made among others Confirmation, American Son and worked on Little Fires Everywhere. Washington uses her company to give more space to stories about women, power, race, and identity. Olivia Pope would be proud.

Nicole Kidman – Blossom Films

Nicole Kidman has been one of Hollywood's most interesting actresses for decades, but with Blossom Films, she also became one of the tastemakers behind the scenes. The company, which she founded with Per Saari, worked on projects like Big Little Lies, The Undoing and Nine Perfect Strangers. Kidman often chooses stories about women who seem to have everything under control on the outside, while underneath the surface everything is on fire. Delightful.

So the next time you watch a series with a woman who can be complicated, funny, ambitious, angry, brilliant, or downright unsympathetic, take a look at the credits. There's a good chance there's an actress behind it who thought: fine, then I'll make it myself.