Anna Gunn at ‘Equity’ Premiere: A Female-Led Wall Street Film is ‘Long Past Due’
The Museum of Modern Art was home to the powerful “She-Wolves” of Wall Street Tuesday night for the New York City premiere of Sony Picture Classics’ “Equity,” starring Anna Gunn.
The Wall Street-based thriller, directed by Meera Menon, follows senior investment banker, Naomi Bishop (Gunn), as she tries to fix a financial scandal that could ruin her career.
Gunn told Variety that she was drawn to the role because “rather than reacting to the man, she was the woman leading the story.”
“[Bishop] was such a formidable, powerful, and ambitious person and it was really important to tell that story,” Gun added. “It’s not just a female film or a woman’s film, it’s a human film. It’s telling a story we haven’t seen and it’s long past due.”
“We sold the rights to these characters to TriStar for a TV deal; we just sold it a week ago,” producer and co-star Sarah Megan Thomas exclusively revealed to Variety.
Thomas also added that she and fellow co-producer and co-star Alysia Reiner wanted the main character brought to life by Gunn because she was strong and relatable.
“Her performance in ‘Breaking Bad’ was very real and it touched people to their soul,” Thomas said. “We wanted a real woman who felt like she worked on Wall Street.”
Reiner and Thomas said that they also held director interviews before selecting Menon due to her clear vision for the film. “I felt she had not only read my script but read my heart,” Reiner shared.
After the screening, Gunn and screenwriter Amy Fox snapped photos together while Meena and Reiner laughed over wine in a corner booth at Bar SixtyFive on the 65th floor of 30 Rock. Paul Haggis and other guests savored New York strip steak, herb chicken, lobster rolls and tequila cocktails called The IPO (in keeping with the Wall Street-theme) while enjoying the city skyline.
“Equity” hits theaters July 29.
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