Time Women of the Year 2023: Quinta Brunson, Cate Blanchett, more honored
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Hollywood was once a manâs world, but women in entertainment are flourishing like never before.
Time magazine released its annual Women of the Year list, which highlights influential women across society, from âactivism and government, to sports and the arts.â A handful of female entertainers, including actress-producer Quinta Brunson and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, have been selected as honorees for their unique impact.
âOur annual Women of the Year list examines the most uplifting form of influence by spotlighting leaders who are using their voices to fight for a more equal world,â Time Executive Editor Naina Bajekal and Senior Editor Lucy Feldman said in a statement. âMany of them have faced immense challenges that inspired them to push for change.â
Check out the women being spotlighted for their game-changing star power.
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Quinta Brunsonâs âAbbott Elementaryâ diversity is women-led
The âAbbott Elementaryâ creator and star, who made her TV debut in the 2015 mini-series âYou Do You,â has become a comedic force thanks to her work on the ABC sitcom about a ragtag group of public schoolteachers, which she executive produces and writes.
âThe mockumentaryâs satirical yet loving portrayal of teachers, janitors, principals and parents trying to make ends meet at an underfunded public school is a homage to their real counterparts everywhere,â Brunsonâs Women of the Year profile reads.
Brunson credits the diversity of the series to her primarily female writersâ room.
âWe hear each other out on what we think makes these characters layered,â Brunson told Time. âEveryoneâs open to taking the lead and taking charge on these stories.â
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Cate Blanchett shows women are âimperfect creaturesâ through film
The Oscar-winning actress is up for Academy Awards gold again this year, receiving a best lead actress nomination for her performance in the music drama âTaÌr,â in which Blanchett plays embattled orchestra director Lydia TaÌr.
Blanchett is âdrawn to multi-shaded characters who donât court our approvalâŠbut Lydia TaÌr, in all her self-destructive glory and compelling unlikability, is like no one else weâve ever seen onscreen,â the actressâ Women of the Year profile reads.
Depicting the multifaceted nature of womanhood authentically is important, Blanchett explained.
âWeâre all imperfect creatures. And sometimes we donât want to look at the unthinking, unintentional, inexplicable, ambiguous sides of being female,â Blanchett told Time. âWe are brave, we are noble, we are generous, we are collaborative. But we are also the dark side of that because women are complex beings.â
Cate Blanchett says 'TaÌr' is her 'hardest film' to talk about. It could also win her a third Oscar.
Phoebe Bridgers hopes abortion advocacy âmakes a differenceâ
The indie rock princess who burst onto the scene with 2017âs âStranger in the Alpsâ has used her platform to advocate for womenâs rights, including access to abortion.
In June, the âKyotoâ singer led an explicit chant against the âirrelevantâ Supreme Court at Glastonbury Festival for âtelling us what to do with our (expletive) bodies.â
âI hope it makes a difference,â Bridgers told Time, noting that sheâs witnessed parents take their children out of her concerts when sheâs spoken about abortion. âI hope those parents are going to lose the battle with that kidâs opinions and belief systems.â
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Angela Bassett has learned âitâs important to give to yourself firstâ
Actress Angela Bassett, who starred as Ramonda in Marvelâs âBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever,â earned a best supporting actress nomination at this yearâs Oscars for her performance in the adventure drama.
Bassett said the characters sheâs played over the years have taught her about the complexity and deeper humanity of being a woman.
âWomen are called upon to be wives, sisters, friends, mothers, community leaders, activists, and we have it in our core to be these things,â Bassett told Time. âBut itâs important to give to yourself first, and then you have more to share with the world.â
Angela Bassett is long overdue for an Oscar. Her advice? 'Just hang in there, girl.'
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY