VOICES AS TOLD TO LIFE'S Work

Better Things creator and star PAMELA ADLON on how the show gave her an OPPORTUNITY to REINVENT some things about the way HOLLYWOOD operates-both on-screen and off

- CATHERINE SERVEL

Before creating my series, Better Things, in 2016, I was always only ever just an actor. Now I write, direct, and star in my own show, which is both a relief and an enormous amount of pressure. If there's anything anyone can learn from my story, it's don't do just one thing; don't put all your eggs into one basket. That's what I would tell the 20-year-old me: “Don't wait for the phone to ring for acting jobs. Go live your fucking life right now. Do other things."

WITH BETTER THINGS, I want to set a new example of how people should be treated on sets. I remember one big network show that I was a guest star on, there was just this enormous waste of money and time. It was my first instance of ever hearing the term “Fraterday," which is when you arrive on set on Friday afternoon and shoot all the way through until Saturday morning. I reported to work at 3 p.m. on a Friday, and I was wrapped at 4 a.m. Saturday. I remember this feeling of cold water going through my body and thinking, “Don't these people have children or lives? Because I do. I don't want work to be like this." As long as there's a patriarchy, that type of behavior will always continue to exist.