Don’t Kill the Messenger welcomes producer and former executive at 20th Century Fox, Susan Cartsonis
In this episode of “Don’t Kill the Messenger,” host Kevin Goetz sits down with Susan Cartsonis, a renowned producer and former studio executive known for championing women’s stories in Hollywood. From 20th Century Fox to independent producing, Susan has been behind hits like What Women Want, Where the Heart Is, Nell, Dying Young, and Aquamarine. She shares her journey in the film industry, her passion for storytelling, and her commitment to bringing diverse perspectives to the screen.
Susan Cartsonis on the importance of inclusive stories:
Entertainment elevates us. It inspires us. It makes us feel that everything’s possible and women in the world need that as well. Our movies go where we have no diplomatic relations internationally. They speak to cultures, they change people’s DNA. It’s really, really important and it’s important to have it to uplift the people who it’s about and also to educate, but not educate in a didactic way, in a way that just sort of infiltrates people’s souls and changes the way that they think about things and think about people.
From Theater to Hollywood Executive: Susan’s Early Career
Susan’s journey into the film industry began after her theater studies. She recalls her start as a reader at 20th Century Fox in New York: “I love to read. I love good books. And I was getting to read these books. I read books like The Handmaid’s Tale. I got to read all kinds of books that later became things. I read Sleeping with the Enemy, which I gave a strong recommend to, said it was a Hitchcockian thriller, and later got to champion it because my career evolved.”
Favorite Projects at Fox: A Legacy of Impactful Films
Reflecting on her time at Fox, Susan shares some of her most cherished projects:
“I’m proud of Buffy the Vampire Slayer because it spawned a billion-dollar empire. And even more importantly, it connected with women and girls and told them that you may have a secret power that you don’t even know you harbor.”
She also discusses her work on Dying Young, For the Boys with Bette Midler, and Nell with Jodie Foster.
Going Toe to Toe with Barry Diller for Sleeping with the Enemy
One of Susan’s most memorable moments came when she stood up to Barry Diller in a high-stakes meeting:
“I said, I think audiences will come see it. And it was an out of body experience. Did somebody just say something? Oh my God, that was me. I knew that it wasn’t Woman in Peril story. It was the story of a woman transforming herself and fighting back. That transformation was essential.
The Birth of Home Alone
Susan reveals how her personal family experience helped convince executives to greenlight the beloved classic Home Alone.
On a trip across Canada. We left my little brother Michael behind. I was in the back of the station wagon handing out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to my other brothers and sisters. And when I got to Michael, who was the youngest, there was no Michael there. My father screeched across the median. We drove 20 minutes back, we found Michael standing next to a Mounty with an ice cream cone going, you guys. And it’s marked him for life, I’m telling you. So I told that story in the room and we made Home Alone.
Producing What Women Want and Championing Women’s Stories
Susan discusses her involvement in producing What Women Want and her passion for supporting women filmmakers and telling stories from diverse perspectives, drawing inspiration from classic films like The Wizard of Oz.
The Importance of Inclusion and Female Leadership
Kevin and Susan discuss the value of inclusive storytelling and advocate for more female leadership in Hollywood and beyond: “I think there needs to be more and more female leadership in Hollywood because I think where women lead, often more inclusion follows because we are very collaborative and inclusive by nature.”
Balancing Art and Audience in Filmmaking
Kevin and Susan discuss the delicate balance between honoring artistic vision and meeting audience expectations in film production. On the delicate balance between artistic vision and audience expectations, Susan notes: “we’re not putting a play on in a park that everybody’s volunteering to be in. We’re spending millions of dollars on a business that is a finite business. If a movie doesn’t cost that much, you can take chances. You can make a Dogma film and light it with candles and natural light.”
The Value of Audience Testing and Interpretation
Susan praises Kevin’s ability to interpret audience feedback and find the “note beneath the note” in test screenings. Susan on the audience testing process:
It’s about getting the note beneath the note. That’s always a really important thing to learn as a student, that an audience may tell you something. They may say that they hate a scene, but really without that hated scene, the movie doesn’t work at all, and their hatred is because the character is incredibly scary and unlikeable, and the note beneath the note is it’s fierce and the thing that’s not working might be something else. But the note beneath the note is really important. Kevin, you’ve been very, very helpful in testing. You have a really good radar for hearing what the audience is saying beneath what they’re saying. They’re saying one thing, and yet they mean another. That often happens.
Susan Cartsonis’ passion for women’s voices and her experiences as both a studio executive and producer provide listeners with a unique perspective on the film industry. From her work on blockbusters like Nell and Buffy the Vampire Slayer to more recent projects like Carrie Pilby and Beastly, Susan’s career highlights the power of storytelling and the importance of female representation in film.
For the full conversation, check out the podcast episode here. And let us know your thoughts on the episode in the comments!
Don’t Kill the Messenger, hosted by movie and entertainment research expert Kevin Goetz, brings his book Audienceology to life. This bi-monthly podcast takes a peek behind the filmmaking curtain as Kevin talks with famous filmmakers, studio executives, stars, and other creatives about movies, filmmaking, audience test screenings, and much more.
For more information about Susan Cartsonis:
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Cartsonis
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0142134/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susancartsonis/?hl=en
For more information about Kevin Goetz:
Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com
Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @KevinGoetz360
Linked In @Kevin Goetz
Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com