Sofia Coppola And Florence Pugh’s AppleTV+ Project Was Scrapped Because Male Execs Found The Female Lead Character Too “Unlikable,” And It’s Sparked A Whole Bunch Of Discourse
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In May 2020, it was announced that Sofia Coppola had partnered with Apple TV+ to adapt the 1913 novel The Custom of the Country into a five-episode TV series.
The tragicomedy was written by Edith Wharton and tells the story of Undine Spragg, “a Midwestern girl who attempts to ascend in New York City society.”
However, the project never came to fruition, and at the end of 2021, it was confirmed that the series was no longer in the works.
Last year, Sofia told the New York Times that executives at Apple had issues with the character Undine, explaining: “The idea of an unlikable woman wasn’t their thing. But that’s what I’m saying about who’s in charge.”
“The people in charge of giving money are usually straight men, still,” she said at the time. “There’s always people in lower levels who are like myself, but then the bosses have a certain sensibility.”
“If it’s so hard for me to get financing as an established person, I worry about younger women starting out. It’s surprising that it’s still a struggle,” Sofia concluded.
And the esteemed director has opened up some more about her experience with Apple in a new interview with the New Yorker, where she revealed for the first time that Florence Pugh had been cast in the role of Undine.
Sofia also pointed out the double standards that the execs exhibited when it came to addressing the main character’s likability.
Discussing Apple, Sofia said: “They pulled our funding. It’s a real drag, I thought they had endless resources.”
She went on to compare her experience with the company to “a relationship that you know you should have gotten out of a while ago,” and reiterated once again that the execs are “mostly dudes.”
Sofia then pointedly added: “They didn’t get the character or Undine. She’s so ‘unlikable,’ but so is Tony Soprano!”
And this comparison struck a chord with readers, with many people taking to social media to react to Sofia’s comments by pointing out the different ways male and female protagonists are presented in most TV shows and movies.
One person tweeted: “Why does every female character have to be likable to have their story told or to be taken seriously when there are tons of horrible male characters in TV and movies that people love and idolize… and unlikeable characters are the most fun to watch!!!”
“Apple TV cancelling a show because a female character is unlikable shows how fucking dull our industry is,” another added. “The male gaze still longs for women to be palatable on screen and that's what suffocates us of interesting stories. Some of our best characters are wretched women.”
“The fact it had a bankable actress and a renowned director and still Apple didn’t fund it just shows how insanely difficult it must be for women to get their project on track,” somebody else wrote.
One more claimed: “The wildest thing about this is female ‘anti-hero’ movies and shows are really popular right now. The X trilogy, The Queen's Gambit, hell Florence Pugh's own Midsommar to a degree! So not only is this blatantly sexist but incredibly out of touch and stupid too!”
Another echoed: “It’s surprising that studios could still think like this. Because with the example of Succession’s Shiv Roy, she’s clearly described by many on this app as an ‘unlikable’ character yet she’s by far one of the most interesting female characters of television history ever.”
And somebody else sarcastically joked: “To be fair to Apple, it is a tough choice deciding between funding a miniseries starring a buzzy movie star that would be the culmination of Sofia Coppola’s career-long creative project OR one hundred shows about astronauts that nobody watches.”
Sofia previously worked with Apple for her 2020 movie, On The Rocks, which stars Rashida Jones and Bill Murray.
And when The Custom of the Country was dropped, Sofia started working on Priscilla, which was released to huge acclaim last year and has made $20 million at the domestic box office.
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