Female actors get treated like puppets in Hollywood: Kristen Stewart

London: Kristen Stewart said female actors get ‘treated like puppets’ in Hollywood, with everyone around thinking anyone can become one. Still, it’s not so when one is a director, the experience she got after coming up with her directorial debut ‘The Chronology of Water’.

Stewart, known for featuring in ‘Twilight’ films alongside Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, recently turned a director with ‘The Chronology of Water’, a 2025 biographical drama based on Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir. It featured Imogen Poots in the lead role.

She said people started talking to her differently when she stepped into the director’s shoes. “Actresses get treated like s**t; I’ve got to tell you. People think anyone could be an actress, but the first time I sat down to talk about my movie as a director, I thought, ‘Wow, this is a different experience. They are talking to me like I’m somebody with a brain’,” the actress told ‘The Times of London’ in an interview.

Stewart explained how there is a perception that directors have ‘otherworldly abilities’.

“There’s this idea that directors have otherworldly abilities, which is not true. It’s an idea perpetuated by men. Not to sound like I’m complaining all the time, but it’s worse for female actors than male ones - they get treated like puppets, but they are not. Imogen put her whole body and soul into this movie,” she added.

‘The Chronology of Water’ was released in October after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. It revolved around writer Lidia Yuknavitch, chronicling her journey from an abusive childhood through competitive swimming, addiction, sexual trauma and self-destruction and ultimately finding healing and her voice.

The film also featured Thora Birch.