'The Sixties.' - interview with executive producer Lynda Obst - Interview

Interview, Feb, 1999 by Graham Fuller

LO: I think it's been borne out in small ways. I certainly see more active fathering in this decade than I ever could have dreamed of; more men participate in birthing and stay home to take care of children. As an expression of freedom for men, I think that's very moving. When I produced Sleepless in Seattle [1993] thinking it was a chick's flick, I got tons of letters from men saying, "Why do you think this is a woman's movie? It's a movie about a man mourning his loss of love and searching for his emptiness to be filled. It's a man's movie."

GF: Do you think men are being true to themselves when they relinquish their hunter role to take on the traditionally feminine responsibilities?

LO: Some parts are social and some parts are hardwired and biochemical. And the hardwiring is hard to beat. Testosterone is testosterone.

GF: And it has its place, right?

LO: Yes, but it's been given a social context. The testosterone-driven animal has learned that he's not in a jungle and there are other roles he can play besides the hunter. I think it's a freedom for a man to be able to relax and indulge other sides of his nature that he might not feel safe to indulge in the pure dog-eat-dog environment. It's the same kind of liberation that women experience in not having to rely on the so-called stronger sex for shelter. They can choose partners for reasons other than shelter or breeding.

GF: Do you think that male attitudes have changed in how they assess and approach women?

LO: Some things, based on sexual chemistry, probably remain the same. But I do think that new generations coming up behind us are freer of sexual stereotypes than we are. Gender identities also loosened during the revolution and that's been very liberating for men. Young boys are being raised by mothers who work, so they're going to seek more evolved women, hopefully, than the old '50s model we tried to overthrow. I also think it's very natural for men to work for women now whereas fifteen years ago that wasn't the case. And it's very natural for a powerful woman partner to support a nurturing male. That's liberation.

GF: Is it possible for men to accept that without losing their self-respect?

LO: Some - those whose sense of identity doesn't come only from conquering.