Soloway Quotes & Sayings

I always wanted to find my voice and claim my tone, but I was doing it through the steps of being a TV writer. I had the executive producer title. I was running the room. — Jill Soloway

I've been playing with this idea in my mind that the hero's journey that we're all taught as screenwriters may resonate more specifically for male protagonists and maybe even male viewers. — Jill Soloway

Most people privilege the technology, almost as if actors are in service to the machine. — Jill Soloway

It's interesting to think about the history of Israel in relation to the history of the U.S.. There were Native Americans living here that U.S. settlers totally displaced, and that narrative is not connected with the Isreal-Palestinian struggle at all. — Jill Soloway

The inbox is always open in my brain, and anyone can get in any time and access me. Turning it off is taking back control. I decide who gets in. It's about emotional privacy, having a self. — Jill Soloway

I always love the soapy conflicts between somebody's family of origin and their new family - 'Do I have Thanksgiving at my husband's parents' house, or at my parents' house?' — Jill Soloway

I'm constantly confused about how to dress. — Jill Soloway

We grew up watching Woody Allen and Albert Brooks movies, and we see this neurotic, annoying, unlikeable male at the center of a story, and people root for him anyway. I think that's really what we have been craving as women is the hero who doesn't look perfect and doesn't act perfectly. — Jill Soloway

Years of my life were lived knowing that I'd get a book out of them one day. — Jill Soloway

To me, it wasn't 'Star Wars' that shaped me; it was more 'Mary Tyler Moore' and, nowadays, 'Louie' and 'Girls.' — Jill Soloway

I'm embarrassed that people will know that I can't ride a bicycle. For years, I have been feigning bad ankles and saying I wasn't in the mood for a bike ride. — Jill Soloway

I have never wanted to claim I know what is best for Israel. — Jill Soloway

I love TV, I love writing, but I love movements more. — Jill Soloway

Along the way, female filmmakers will have the feeling that they're not good enough. And that's really just a result of being "otherized" from the moment they're born. Keep an eye out for all those insecurities, and even expect them. Borrow white male privilege and just move through the world as if it was created for you. You have to kind of talk yourself into an imaginary space where the world is on your side and expects you to speak and wants you to speak. You have to create that space for yourself over and over again. Every hour sometimes. — Jill Soloway

If you go to Europe, public bathrooms have any-gender sink areas and stalls for everyone to use. This is completely reasonable. It potentially involves the destruction of the urinal industry, which I think people would be happy to see go away. — Jill Soloway

Whether you're writing television or movies, at some point you're going to encounter a male executive or investor who's going to say, 'I don't like that woman. She's unlikable.' And often, it's literally for being a regular human woman as opposed to an attracting human woman. — Jill Soloway

I learned in grade-school that after WWII European politicians considered sending Jews to Madagascar instead of Palestine. At the time I thought: Madagascar would've been so great. — Jill Soloway

Some of you guys are going to boo, but I'm going to say it anyway. I don't like dogs. — Jill Soloway

In the little travel I've done to other countries, the Jews there embraced me saying, Come to our house, come and have Shabbat with us. Jews in the Diaspora. I didn't imagine an Israeli traveling to the U.S. would feel this intensity of a forced relationship. — Jill Soloway

You have to totally change the way that society's structured in order to being to heal. — Jill Soloway

I remember learning about the Holocaust when I was in kindergarten and being terrified. I think we even watched a graphic video about it in Jewish day school. Although I was quite young, I remember making these vows to myself such as, I'm never going to love my country so much that I can't leave in a moment's notice. — Jill Soloway

Perfection would be something that you see in 'Architectural Digest.' — Jill Soloway

I had seen "Force Majeure" and I just love that movie so much. And I really wanted to artistically give a little hello to the filmmakers, and that kind of back and forth dialogue between artists that say, "I loved your movie. I was influenced by your movie. If I didn't have this job, I wouldn't be thinking of that. Do my TV show and then one day I'll make a movie where I can play with some of the visual themes in "Force Majeure." — Jill Soloway

I want to single out Kathryn Hahn's performance in Jill Soloway's film 'Afternoon Delight,' which in my opinion should have been nominated for an Oscar. I think it's one of the greatest female performances I've ever seen on screen, and I think she's wildly talented. — Amy Landecker

We do want the freedom to move scenes from episode to episode to episode. And we do want the freedom to move writing from episode to episode to episode, because as it starts to come in and as you start to look at it as a five-hour movie just like you would in a two-hour movie, move a scene from the first 30 minutes to maybe 50 minutes in. In a streaming series, you would now be in a different episode. It's so complicated, and we're so still using the rules that were built for episodic television that we're really trying to figure it out. — Jill Soloway

On some sets, if a helicopter goes by, what would normally happen is that somebody would go, 'There's a helicopter. Stop.' I'd never stop for a helicopter. I am always trying to make sure that the machine is in service to the actors. — Jill Soloway

People who don't have experience setting healthy boundaries, they have secrets instead. — Jill Soloway

I was talking to my friend who's Israeli and she said that from the moment you're born, you're taught to hate the Palestinians. That's it. That's your life. That's what you learn from day one. — Jill Soloway

I think I've always had that struggle my whole life, of feeling a little bit more gender-neutral, feeling more comfortable as a creative person when I'm dressed like a boy, when I'm dressed more masculine. — Jill Soloway

I'm a fan of Louis C.K., I'm a fan of Lena Dunham. I love shows about people that other people would consider unlikable, or, like, the work of Woody Allen and Albert Brooks. — Jill Soloway

For me, when I'm not working, the day goes by so fast. I never have enough time - getting a manicure, getting a pedicure, getting my workout in, making sure that I ate healthy. Those things can become treacherous to the mind. — Jill Soloway

My interest in community is what fuels my work as a writer, more than just wanting to write or just wanting to have a TV show. — Jill Soloway

The only way things will change will be when we're all wilder, louder, riskier, sillier, unexpectedly overflowing with surprise. — Jill Soloway

I guess a show like 'Entourage' would be wish fulfillment, right? But 'Entourage' is wish fulfillment for men. It's that you can be kind of schlumpy-looking and have access to someone famous and find yourself at a pool party surrounded by girls in bikinis. — Jill Soloway

I took all my TV experience and what I learned about - by writing and directing and bringing a movie to Sundance - about the realities of the independent film market: 'Transparent' is the marriage of those two situations. — Jill Soloway

If you're female, and you want to express your femininity, you're actually demonized in the 'Free To Be ... You And Me' generation. — Jill Soloway

From the moment you say 'action,' this is the fun part - things should happen that surprise you, excite you, scare you, turn you on, make you laugh. If things aren't surprising you, when you say 'cut,' whisper things to the actors that will make them do things that do surprise you. — Jill Soloway

I was running the show on 'United States of Tara' and 'How To Make It In America' where I could say, 'Okay, I'm in charge of everything now.' But it still wasn't my show. — Jill Soloway

I haven't made art about Israel. There's a covert subtext of Jewish identity in my artwork. — Jill Soloway

I love a kind of shambling outsider protagonist who always feels like they're 'other.' — Jill Soloway

I think of myself as a producer. As a producer and as a showrunner, I already understand what it meant to gather people into a room and step back, to create the boundaries of 'everything's okay' to allow TV writers to go to their craziest places. — Jill Soloway

Independent filmmakers already have their heads around people on their couches watching their movies. — Jill Soloway

I like to create a community where people want to come and have a good time and do their best work. — Jill Soloway

Something I've really been wanting to do, ever since 'Six Feet Under' ended, was create my own version of this idealized writer's room as well as the ideal family. — Jill Soloway

It will feel boring when you're bingeing. — Jill Soloway

It's really just a freedom that we have with Amazon to push ourselves creatively. It allowed me to say, you know, okay this is going to be a little half-hour film here to start the season. — Jill Soloway

I really feel like becoming a director came from other women saying, 'Yeah, you can do this.' I wanted to direct 'Six Feet Under,' and no, they didn't let me. — Jill Soloway

A lot of the people I know connect through working. We're all so ambitious. Sometimes my friends will say, 'I want to hang out with you.' And I just go, 'Well, let's do a project together.' That's the only way I can. — Jill Soloway

We're a whole culture of people who have a really hard time seeing beyond themselves. — Jill Soloway

Sometimes it seems like America is the Christian and Israel is the little Jew they love in this fetishistic way. Like, you're my little sister and I'll kick anyone's ass that messes with you. But when we're alone and no one's looking I'll harass you. — Jill Soloway

In most shows, there's usually a hero or a protagonist, and even if there are multiple heroes or protagonists, most shows try and make it so you really always know who's the good guy and who's the bad guy. — Jill Soloway

By recognizing your own vulnerability you can recognize and identify with the vulnerability in others. — Jill Soloway

Many of the trans women who are in our world are also in Caitlyn's Jenner world. And yes I've definitely spoken to her multiple times, talked to her, socialized with her. It's a small community when all is said and done, the trans community in Los Angeles. So everybody really knows each other and everybody's in contact. — Jill Soloway

I'm very aware that just driving blindly towards money won't get me anything. I drive blindly towards making the world a better place. — Jill Soloway

I've been writing about misogyny for 20 years and trying to understand what femininity means for my entire career. — Jill Soloway

I always wanted to do a family show. — Jill Soloway

All writing is propaganda for the self. — Jill Soloway

The network shows have this very commercial voice that you have to adhere to, and the cable shows, it's kind of like winning the lottery. The independent film world is a world you can actually get to. You can get the under-a-million-dollar film by finding a good cast and financing. — Jill Soloway

I think, because of the Internet, we're not looking at the very, very narrow channels for distribution that there used to be. — Jill Soloway

If there's a woman who is exhibiting her femininity or performing her femininity, it's always seen as meant to pull in the male gaze. — Jill Soloway

My experience as a Jewish American has often been as a spectator of one-sided conversations, or more like monologues, about Israel, Jewish History, Jewish identity, etc. Although there are profound divisions amongst Jews on all of these topics there are not many opportunities for deep and thoughtful dialogue about them. — Jill Soloway

I love the Army-Navy surplus store Surplus Value Center. They have really good long underwear and multicolored bandanas, cool camo jackets, and really, really scary-looking knives. If you're into that sort of thing. — Jill Soloway

Every project is a race between your enthusiasm and your ability to get it done. Go fast. Don't slow down. A year from now, new things will interest you. — Jill Soloway

That was something that I learned from Alan Ball from "Six Feet Under." He didn't really like to have too many pop culture references because they don't really hold up after a few years. — Jill Soloway

Being pretty ... I'm just confused about it. I mean, I love getting my nails done, but I also like dressing like a boy. I think I feel most myself when I'm mixing femininity and masculinity. Like, fifty-fifty. — Jill Soloway

I don't think it's a contradiction to find painfulness funny. — Jill Soloway

It's a struggle every day to get people to invest financially in portrayals of women that aren't satisfying to straight white men. — Jill Soloway

I said to my parents that I don't even know if there should be an Israel. And they were just so upset and hurt. — Jill Soloway

I've been told by people I respect that flashbacks only work if they have their own narrative, but they can't be part of the present narrative. — Jill Soloway

There's always been something about Jeffrey Tambor, not only as an actor but as a person, where his ability to embody a sort of very dignified feminine way of being just - this was just very clear to me. — Jill Soloway

There's something about the kind of unconditional wild joy of creating that you have with your siblings that I am always trying to get back to. — Jill Soloway

My sister and I are incredibly close, and we created together from childhood through the time we spent in Chicago at the Annoyance Theatre. — Jill Soloway

I'm always going for truth and honesty. — Jill Soloway

Watching 'Girls,' it was really angering for me at first, because I really had spent decades hiding unlikable, unattractive Jewish girls in likable, attractive, non-Jewish actors and characters. — Jill Soloway

I really relate to the feeling of falling in love 10 times a day and wishing I could never stop falling in love. — Jill Soloway

If you can laugh with your friends over something, you own it. — Jill Soloway

Fear of anti-Semitism almost is part of our religion. Throughout time Jewish people have experienced traumas that we relive in a lot of the things we celebrate. — Jill Soloway

Many of our holidays revolve around traumas that happened to our people and how we must remember them in specific ways. The way these stories are told and what we take away from them can change, and do in certain contexts, but overall I am not sure whether Jews want to let go of the narrative of the victim. — Jill Soloway

'Six Feet Under,' for me, was college. Alan Ball and Alan Poul ran that show and really taught me what it meant to really run a show in a classic way. — Jill Soloway

Someone will say to me, Oh that's so Jewish to interrupt. I say to myself, okay, is that code for you hate Jews? Or am I just being paranoid? — Jill Soloway

There is a real comfort with the position of the victim, which can either result in true empathy or deep paranoia. — Jill Soloway

Getting into Sundance is a certain sort of passport to a level of anxiety I've never experienced, even having had a baby in the NICU for a week. For about ten minutes, you're a world-class director. Then you become an entry-level, harried, low level concierge with absolutely no juice. — Jill Soloway

I really like writing television, and I like the collaborative writers room feeling. It's ten people, and you're together every day laughing your heads off. — Jill Soloway

I think generational trauma also plays a big part in the reactions to Israeli politics. — Jill Soloway

In my own work I am invested in art as a way to break through impasses, whether those impasses are personal, social, or political. — Jill Soloway

At East Side Jews, we can take a risk because it isn't all about the rules. I started it to create a space for all those people who wouldn't go to temple because they were scared of getting the rules wrong. — Jill Soloway

As much as possible, I put my family first. — Jill Soloway

So much of the United State's political relationship with Israel is based on culture. Israel is the only Westernized culture in the region and the Middle Eastern countries bordering Israel are Arab, which is a totally different society. Even though Israel doesn't exactly feel like the United States, by comparison to its neighbors it's very Western. — Jill Soloway

I did a piece where I was talking about torture at Abu Ghraib, and I embroidered my hand with the image of the hooded Abu Ghraib prisoners who'd been tortured using a needle and thread. I know that meeting a Holocaust survivor when I was eight and seeing the tattoo on her arm from her time in the camps influenced my piece about Abu Ghraib. — Jill Soloway

There are multiple shows of record about a late-transitioning patriarch and how the kids are affected, and there are multiple narratives. That narrative on "Keeping up with the Kardashians," the answer is, they're pretty much fine. It's the same sort of story we were telling which is, you know what? Everybody's okay. — Jill Soloway

Your first job, I tell people I mentor, is managing your affect. Be nice and say nice things. Make it so that the people walk away from interacting with you and say, 'That was fun.' That will make them want to come back and do it again. — Jill Soloway

Femininity in and of itself - and the feminine - can be not only privileged, but honored or worshipped. — Jill Soloway

So many features at Sundance seemed to be powered more on the director's need to be a director than any particular story. — Jill Soloway

On Sunday morning, it's Brooklyn Bagels on Beverly Boulevard. We get them hot. Then we walk some of the famous Silver Lake steps or hike in the hills to the highest vantage point to see the reservoir. — Jill Soloway

Guys, there's only one thing I hate more than bloggers who start sentences with 'guys' - and it's those mealy-mouth hipsters who crochet codpieces and their ye-olde-sideburned friends who pickle stuff and slaughter their own gluten-free goats. — Jill Soloway

I was the kind of Jew who'd be in a bar, somebody would say it's Yom Kippur, and I'd go, 'Really?' — Jill Soloway

For me to be able to punch above my weight creatively, to actually take a stand for what I was doing, I had to take on everything. I had to be the person who says, 'I wrote it. I directed it.' — Jill Soloway

After 'Nikki' and 'Steve Harvey,' I had written on a show called 'The Oblongs,' which was pretty well respected and had a lot of 'Simpsons' writers on it. So I was a TV writer with an interesting voice at that moment. — Jill Soloway

My purpose as an artist is to heal the divided feminine in our culture. Well, okay wait, that sounds incredibly cheesy and like something a massage therapist might do at Esalen. — Jill Soloway

It's really easy to do sad; you just put on some sad music and write dramatically - everybody can do that. — Jill Soloway