MBATHA-RAW : GAVIN BOND / AUGUST . CHASTAIN : AUSTIN HARGRAVE / AUGUST . PILL : JOE PUGLIESE / AUGUST . MISS SLOANE : KERRY HAYES
GLAMOUR : This drama shines a light on all the gray areas of Washington — from lobbying to election funding . What did you not know about politics that you know now ?
JESSICA CHASTAIN : I didn ’ t understand how much senators and members of the House are not able to represent the people because they ’ re too busy fund-raising to maintain their seat in office . I hope we as a country start looking at how we can change that .
ALISON PILL : For me the film was a study of female ambition , specifically females operating in an old boys ’ club . It doesn ’ t get more old boys ’ club than Washington .
JC : Maybe Hollywood .
AP : Potentially , but the boys have been running Washington for a long-ass time . We ’ re talking 200-some-odd years . I found it fascinating to see our characters sit around a table with a bunch of men in their fifties and sixties and speak the same language .
GLAMOUR : Only about a third of lobbyists in D . C . are female , and you met with a ton of them to prepare for your roles . Anything surprising ?
GUGU MBATHA-RAW : There is the old boys ’ club , but there are people who are “ conviction lobbyists ” coming from the heart . In advocacy groups for gun violence prevention , I met with one girl whose mother was [ a teacher ] at Sandy Hook . It ’ s what inspired her to get into politics . That was a powerful and special meeting for me .
JC : Most of the women I spoke to were pushing agendas that they felt connected to — more so than with the male lobbyists I met with . Maybe that ’ s because there are so few women lobbyists ; if they ’ re there , it ’ s for something they strongly believe in , not just for financial gain .… But one comment by a female lobbyist really shocked me . She said , “ Washington is a contact sport .” I asked , “ What do you mean by that ?” And she just said , “ Well , it ’ s all men — and they ’ re very contact-y . They touch a lot .” Women say that ’ s just part of the game .
GLAMOUR : That is shocking . Jessica , one of my favorite scenes is when your character is asked by her boss and a National Rifle Association representative to “ trick ” female voters into switching their views on guns .
She laughs in those men ’ s faces . It was —
JC : Super cathartic , right ?
GLAMOUR : Totally . Do you think politicians underestimate women as a voting bloc ?
JC : Absolutely they do .
AP : It ’ s not just politicians who underestimate us ; we underestimate ourselves . We need to organize and figure out our own voice as a bloc , and stop doubting ourselves .
GLAMOUR : Gugu , your character , Esme , gets death threats for her views on gun laws . At a time when everything in politics feels polarizing , how do we get to a place where we can have conversations and make progress ?
GMR : The only valid starting point is to understand what we all share — we have to find what we can all agree on . In the movie
“ I spent a lot of the last five years on a set .… Now I just want to do what I feel is right in my heart .”
— Jessica Chastain
that is background checks [ on gun buyers ]. They may not solve everything , but at least it ’ s a way forward .
AP : One thing that has gone away from civil discussion in America is this idea that our neighbors are not out to ruin the world . We need to come at it from a civil place . Nobody wants anything bad to happen ; the other side isn ’ t evil .
GLAMOUR : It ’ s true : In one recent survey 83 percent of gun owners support measures like criminal background checks for everyone who wants to buy a firearm , yet their voices seem to get drowned out .
JC : My grandmother used to say , “ Sometimes the loudest person in the room doesn ’ t know what they ’ re talking about .” Or isn ’ t secure enough in his or her own views to be able to listen to others .
AP : Your grandmother sounds like a smart lady !
GLAMOUR : Alison , your character couldn ’ t care less about politics . She ’ s actually trying to get out of politics . What would you say to people who are passionate about issues yet don ’ t want to get involved ?
AP : I ’ d say : Have a kid . You obviously shouldn ’ t have a baby just to get politically active , but I ’ m eight and a half months pregnant , and I swear , thinking about an actual very real future for a tiny person is a game changer . And I can ’ t even vote in this country !
GMR : Me neither ! I will say : I was working in the States when Brexit was going on back home in England . I often think that maybe I got a little complacent on the situation since I wasn ’ t physically there . That ’ s when I realized , Wow , anything is possible .
AP : Right . I just saw Kamala Harris [ senator-elect from California ] speak — she should run for queen of the world — and she was talking about how every generation has these battles to fight , in their own way , in their own time . These battles don ’ t go away . Sitting out of politics isn ’ t really an option if you don ’ t want things to slide .
GLAMOUR : The idea of putting conviction over personal ambition comes up a lot in the film . Can you relate ?
JC : I no longer think in terms of , Ooh , this is a great role and what is it going to do for — actually , I ’ ve never really thought about what something is going to do for my career . But you listen to your agents who say , “ This is a really great thing for you .” I spent a lot of the last five years on a set , and every once in a while you take stock of your life and look at what you ’ re doing . Now I just want to do what I feel is right in my heart . I want to be involved in a story that makes a difference .
GLAMOUR : Do you think men and women will react differently to this film ?
JC : My gentleman friend was so excited by it .… He was on the edge of his seat .
AP : True badassery has no gender .
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