Disney provided hotel and transportation to LA for us to attend the Avengers Infinity War Premiere.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 23: (L-R) Marvel Studios Executive Vice President of Physical Production Victoria Alonso, actor Tom Hiddleston, President of Marvel Studios and Producer Kevin Feige, Mark Ruffalo, and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy attend the Los Angeles Global Premiere for Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War on April 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Mark Ruffalo; Kathleen Kennedy; Tom Hiddleston; Kevin Feige; Victoria Alonso
Avengers: Infinity War is now in theaters and is in perfect position to break all kinds of box office records starting with the highest domestic opening of $250 Million and $630 Million World Wide. While we were in LA, we had the opportunity to sit down with one of the founders of Marvel Studios, Victoria Alonso. Marvel is celebrating 10 years of successful movies that lead up to this epic movie known as Avengers Infinity War and Victoria has been there through it all. She said Avengers Infinity War was her 18th and that there are 5 more in the works. I can’t even wrap my mind around that.
We asked Victoria what she does day to day and it seems like her days are always different. With 23 movies in the works, she has her hand in a bit of everything (costumes, sets, effects, writers, actors) and where I would see a challenge she sees a hurdle. She said, “I don’t know about challenges. I don’t see them as challenges. I just see it as day-to-day hurdle” She went on further to say that it’s about changing your dynamic and how we see things. We need to “jump over and go” and not let challenges stop us. It’s this go to attitude I believe that makes her the successful business woman and fantastic mother at the same time.
Victoria Alonso came across as a very caring and loving individual. She made all of us cry when she told us which scenes in Avengers Infinity War moved her. I cried more listening to her talk than I did actually watching Avengers Infinity War. I was also inspired by how she talked about her daughter and how once you have a child, then you truly know what love is. You know you would die for them to keep them safe. We asked her to also tell us if being a mother influences any of the decisions made in the movies. She said that she is always asking about the violence. Like is that stab necessary or do we need to see that blood? Which led to the surprising fact that she is not a comic book fan. I was so surprised to hear that, but I think it’s something that makes the movies stronger because her perspective is different. She can watch a movie on the cutting floor and say, I’m bored. Try again.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – APRIL 23: (L-R) Actor Danai Gurira, Marvel Studios Executive Vice President of Physical Production Victoria Alonso, and actor Letitia Wright attend the Los Angeles Global Premiere for Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War on April 23, 2018 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney) *** Local Caption *** Victoria Alonso; Danai Gurira; Letitia Wright
We also asked her for advice on how to set up our children for success. For example what should they do if they wanted to have a job like hers one day. Basically she said to encourage them to find their passion and to follow that. They need to find what their heart is and follow it. She also said that for us to raise strong girls we need to believe we are strong too. We have to believe in our core that we as woman are equal to men in all ways. She also said to show our children the world. She said that we should inspire them with stories, with art, with music. We need to show our children the differences of this world and that the world is better together.
One final thing I want to share with you from the interview with Victoria Alonso is how Marvel is leading the charge in changing things for women in the corporate world. Victoria took her daughter to work three days a week for 18 months. And she encourages other parents to do the same. She also allows mothers to take parental leave and they come back just as they were. They don’t lose any time or position because they went away. They are not passed over. Also, if someone needs to go home at 5 or whatever for family then they are allowed to. She still expects work to get done but she feels that people are more likely to get their work done because of these things she allows them to do. People are happier and more productive. Changes are also coming in the movies. Women are getting better characters. A character in Ant Man and the Wasp was a man in the comics and will be a black woman in the movie. “And like that is gonna be change after change. And it’s not as earth-rocking as Black Panther perhaps was, but every little change is gonna create something that will allow for our girls and our boys to be identified and be included. “
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