In this episode of Sally Hubbard’s Women Killing It! podcast, hear how Suzanne Todd has crafted a long-lasting career as an award-winning producer whose movies – Memento, the Austin Powers trilogy, Alice In Wonderland, Bad Moms, and more – have grossed more than three billion dollars worldwide. Suzanne talks about forging ahead as one of the go-to women in the male-dominated world of Hollywood, and gives us exclusive, behind-the-scenes details on her latest project, A Bad Moms Christmas — out in theaters today!
“…all you can really do is put your head down, not listen to the noise, focus on your work and work hard and try and push your projects ahead…”
A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Directors Guild of America and Producers Guild of America, whose films have been honored by the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and Emmys, Suzanne Todd has had a spectacular career in Hollywood as a top female producer, dedicated to taking on projects that are female driven. It’s exactly what she’s wanted to do since she was a young teenager.
“I guess I’m proud of these many years later that I’m still doing what I want to do… And so for me, whether it’s the serious drama or in the case of Bad Moms, these broad comedies, I feel so honored to be able to make entertainment that either makes people laugh or makes people cry but that actually makes them join the conversation, that makes them maybe see themselves differently, see the world a little differently, give some perspective, maybe in some cases just gives them relief or gives them hope.”
In recognition of her work, Suzanne has been personally nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys, and has been presented with many awards including Women In Film’s celebrated Lucy Award, the Spirit Award for Best Picture for Memento, Cosmo’s Fun Fearless Female Award, the GLAAD Media Award, several MTV Movie Awards, and a People’s Choice Award.
After many years working with her sister under their Team Todd banner, Suzanne launched Suzanne Todd Productions with the 2016 STX comedy, Bad Moms, starring Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Christina Applegate, and Kathryn Hahn. The wild success of that film spawned the sequel A Bad Moms Christmas which is out today, November 1, 2017. View the official trailer…
In this Women Killing It! episode, listen as Suzanne talks about how her stars from the original Bad Moms movie – Mila, Kristen, and Kathryn – chose the actresses who would play their moms in A Bad Moms Christmas – Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines, and Susan Sarandon. She shares what attracted her to this film and why her over-burdened and underappreciated characters are so relatable.
Suzanne recently wrapped production on Magic Camp for Walt Disney Pictures which stars Adam Devine, Gillian Jacobs, and Jeffrey Tambor. She’s currently in production on the female Santa Claus film Nicole for Disney starring Anna Kendrick, Bill Hader, and Shirley MacLaine, which will sleigh ride into theaters November 8, 2019.
All images courtesy of Suzanne Todd
More Women Killing It! On Women You Should Know
Coming up… next week’s Women Killing It! interview features Christyl Johnson, Goddard Space Center’s Deputy Directory for Technology and Research Investments and the first African American deputy center director at NASA.
In case you missed it… check out Sally’s previous episode that features our fearless co-founders, three-time entrepreneurs Jen Jones and Cynthia Hornig. Hear how they took the leap to launch Women You Should Know six years ago and change the conversation around women.