Parker Posey Says She Was ‘Gaslit’ by Hollywood Into Thinking She Couldn’t Lead Studio Films

Parker Posey is looking backmost connected really making nan leap from indie films to workplace movies impacted her career. The iconic actress said during nan “Smartless” podcast, arsenic stated by Variety, that aft starring independent films specified arsenic “Party Girl” and “Dazed and Confused,” she was iced out of bigger workplace features. Posey famously auditioned for “Speed” earlier nan portion went to Sandra Bullock, and has been unfastened astir besides losing roles to Julia Roberts.

“I felt for illustration I was called a name, successful a way,” Posey said. “My way was much like, ‘Oh, [‘The Daytrippers’ director] Greg Mottola did a reference of his movie that he was trying to get financed,’ and past I introduced him to Liev Schreiber who was successful ‘Party Girl,’ and past we do ‘The Daytrippers’ a twelvemonth later. It was specified a organization backmost then. I felt for illustration correct erstwhile I sewage exposed, and nan full indie activity sewage exposed, it besides sewage co-opted by nan workplace system, and past it became this different thing. All of a sudden, I wasn’t viable to get a movie financed, and it was specified a caput travel because I would person to audition for Hollywood movies erstwhile I’d carried nan lead successful independent movies that were changeable successful 23 days.”

“The White Lotus” character Posey continued that she believes she was “gaslit” into reasoning she wasn’t connected par pinch bigger Hollywood names.

“[I would say], ‘I tin committedness I tin memorize these lines successful nan script, and we’ll person a blast, spot me!’” she said. “So I had, like, a bully 20 years of that after, and past moving pinch awesome auteurs and doing [films], not getting paid a lot, but being capable to activity and fulfill my creativity.”

Posey said to Vogue successful 2023 that moreover her erstwhile supplier told her that she was “too indie.”

Posey precocious received nan Legend Tribute astatine nan 2025 Gotham TV Awards. While onstage, she credited “The White Lotus” creator Mike White for revitalizing her profession and bringing her talent to a caller audience. “Thank you, Mike White, for believing successful a middle-aged female and believing successful a legend. Thank you HBO for believing successful a legend,” she quipped. “You cognize what this grant says to me, which makes maine truthful happy? To those retired location successful nan net world who made things connected YouTube, who put things connected societal media, who imitated me, who had nosy successful nan backyard, who made creation — whether it was bully aliases bad, they entertained each different and themselves.”