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Our friend Scott Huver got a chance to chat with The Walking Dead producer Gale Anne Hurd, who was recently given the Stan Lee Lifetime Achievement Award from The Geekies. Check out what she has to say about navigating Hollywood as a female geek, women headlining films and taking a property from comics to TV. Follow Scott on Twitter @TheHuve!

I recently had the opportunity to chat with the pioneering film and television producer Gale Anne Hurd, who has a long and enviable track record of successfully shepherding genre projects to Hollywood success – from ‘The Terminator’ to ‘The Walking Dead’ – that shattered glass ceilings both on screen and behind the scenes: Hurd’s efforts not only advanced her own reputation at a time when female producers were a rare commodity, genre or otherwise, she also helped put female heroes like Sarah Connor and Ellen Ripley front and center in the action.

You can read the quick-take version of my interview with Gale for Los Angeles Confidential Magazine HERE!

And I thought the mighty forces of Legion of Leia would enjoy going a little bit deeper with this trailblazing woman, so I’m also sharing some more in-depth details that didn’t fit into the final feature.

On navigating Hollywood early in her career, as a rare woman in the industry who had a passion for genre material:

Gale Anne Hurd: I had a couple of mentors and that made all the difference: obviously Roger Corman; Barbara Boyle, who worked for Roger at the time; Julie Corman; and also another trailblazing producer, the late Debra Hill, who had already made ‘Halloween,’ co-wrote ‘The Fog,’ and a number of other films with John Carpenter. I met her when she was making ‘Escape From New York.’ She was always someone who was incredibly supportive. I consider her a real inspiration, and someone who would reach down and lend a hand, help pull you up the ladder. And she certainly did that with me.

On how Hollywood is only now seeming to catch up with notion that strong women can lead compelling action material – something Hurd proved long ago on ‘Terminator’ and ‘Aliens’:

GAH: I think there’s a mistaken belief that male audiences don’t want to see powerful and ultimately heroic female characters, and I don’t think that’s true. Certainly, some of the films that I’ve made – and ‘Hunger Games,’ you name it – have disproved that theory. It’s a fallacy that’s died a slow death because the minute a film that starred a woman didn’t succeed, there was a sense of “See, I told you so. It doesn’t work.” There was a point in which there had to be overwhelming success, like with ‘Hunger Games,’ that people in the industry began to feel their sway.

Terminator

On why she thinks the Terminator franchise has shown such longevity and vitality over three decades:

GAH: I think it truly was ahead of its time in terms of the theme of fear about technology taking over. Examining what it means to be human in the second film. Can a cyborg feel? Can a cyborg express sort of human emotions and even have a sense of humor? Those are things that continue to be relevant today. I keep hearing from the Pentagon that indeed Skynet exists – it may not be called Skynet! I think there are a lot of predictions of where we would be now that have come true. There’s not a day that goes by that we’re not concerned about the technology we created, our humanity, and are humans becoming obsolete? Which is another cautionary message in the original film and then in the subsequent film.

On the rewards of having brought ‘The Walking Dead’ from comics to TV:

GAH: Even if the show wasn’t such a huge hit, it would still be the most fun I’ve ever had producing something. The fact that the fans enjoy what we’re doing, that they’re as enthusiastic about it as they are and they tell us that – not only just by the rating, but by the feedback that we get whenever we see them, especially at Comic-Con. That is what’s really gratifying. They care as deeply about this show as I cared about ‘The Hobbit’ or various comic books when I was growing up. I know what that can do to someone, especially when they’re growing up, and to be part of that community is something that I get, and I respect. It’s really a thrill for me because fans of a TV experience are inviting you into their home every night that the show airs, and that is an even more personal connection in a feature where people leave home and see it on a big screen. And fans feel more connected to the characters that they see on television than they do in a feature. So it’s just been a terrific experience and continues to be so.

Michonne

On her longstanding sense for great material:

GAH: The first reaction is I fall in love with the characters. If you don’t love with the characters, no matter how good the story is, you have to really engage an audience. So once I’ve fallen in love with the characters, I don’t want the script to end. I don’t want the book that I’ve read or the comic book to end. That’s how a franchise remains relevant. After one chapter concludes, you leave people wanting more. That’s what makes me want to continue to do it, even though I’ve been in the business over 35 years. It’s that feeling that I get when I’ve read material that I have to get this made because I want to see it on screen, and that today can be the big screen or the small screen.

On her upcoming slate of projects pending:

GAH: I have a number of projects in contention at various networks, obviously. There’s the companion series to ‘The Walking Dead.’ We’ll be getting a draft of ‘Area 51’ from Chris Carter shortly – also for AMC. I’m very excited about those. I have a couple of projects in consideration at USA and Syfy, and I’ve also dipped my toe in the digital space, and completed one digit short which is in post, and then another one that’s just went into shooting.

On the goals she still strives for, even after a long and successful track record:

GAH: My goal every day is to create the best possible version of whatever is on the page and to do what I can to take it happen and to do it safely. My big thing is: I want to do this. It’s a privilege and a pleasure to do this.

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Scott Huver