Little Women’s Greta Gerwig on how she identifies with Jo March

Prior to directing a sixth silver screen adaptation of Little Women Greta Gerwig had always adored the novel by Louisa May Alcott. The classic novel tells the story of four sisters back in the era of the Civil War. Its protagonist, Jo March has become an inspiration to many including the 36-year-old filmmaker. It only made sense that if another film adaptation of the book were to be made it would be under Gerwig’s direction

Gerwig herself has been in the film industry for a while now. She has written and acted in several films. She made her directorial debut in 2018 with Lady Bird. Calling her first feature film successful is an understatement. It paved the way this highly anticipated project that now stars a stellar ensemble cast. Speaking to Deadline, Gerwig discussed how she grew with Little Women.

“I was ambitious, I wanted to be a writer, I was angry, I was artistic. All of the things that Jo is, I was,” the multihyphenate explains how she identified with Jo March.

“She felt like she knew my secrets already, and that was thrilling. And I loved the book, and I read it and re-read it like you often do with books in childhood. And it had been so absorbed into my sense of myself that some of the secrets, and some of the things that the March girls do felt like they had happened to me.”

“It’s impossible for me to tease out at this point if Jo March was like me, and that’s why I was drawn to her,” the critically lauded director reflects. Little Women’s Greta Gerwig on how she identifies with Jo March

Samantha Rigby
Samantha Rigby
Samantha is the head of content, lifestyle and entrepreneurial columnist for Best in Australia. She is also a contributor to Forbes and SH. Prior to joining the Best in Au, she was a reporter and business journalist for local newspapers.
Share this

PEOPLE ARE READING NOW