We talk feminism, action films & cancer support with Cobie Smulders

Cobie Smulders is recognisable the world over from her longstanding role as Robin in How I Met Your Mother, and Commander Maria Hill in the Avengers film series. Now she adds to her action bow with a starring role in the new Tom Cruise film*Jack Reacher: Never Go Back* (read our review), where she plays military police badass and all-round Impressively Competent Woman, Major Susan Turner.

[Html##<div class="fb-video" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/glamourmaguk/videos/10154562098471774/" data-width="700" data-show-text="false"><blockquote cite="https://www.facebook.com/glamourmaguk/videos/10154562098471774/" class="fb-xfbml-parse-ignore"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/glamourmaguk/videos/10154562098471774/"></a><p>Cobie Smulders, star of Jack Reacher Movie: Never Go Back is here to discuss feminism in action films. What does it take to move beyond the damsel in distress trope?</p>Posted by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/glamourmaguk/">GLAMOUR UK</a> on Thursday, October 20, 2016</blockquote></div>##KeepInline##Id¬145rpm]

We hosted a Facebook Live interview with Cobie to talk about feminism in action films, whether the genre has evolved in its depiction of women, and what makes a good female character.

Last year, Cobie also made the decision to openly discuss her prior treatment for ovarian cancer, so in Breast Cancer Awareness Month we talk about taking the decision on whether or not to talk about it with a wider audience - if you're a film star or not.

Highlights from Cobie's interview follow, and you can watch the whole Facebook Live here, including the glorious sight of her dancing in her chair. Sounds difficult, works a treat.

"It's funny because when I hear the word feminism or feminist, the first thing I think of is my mother's generation. My mother is a self-proclaimed feminist, so we listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell and that [Helen Reddy] song I Am Woman Hear Me Roar. That was played on a loop in my house.

"It's is a hard thing to wrap my brain around because of course I'm pro-women, of course I'm pro-equal pay. I'm excited that we get to see women in more roles and I'm excited that I'm in this huge action movie and am afforded these opportunities as a women, but I also really like men!

"For some reason, when I think feminism I think like, 'Well you can't include men if you're talking about feminism and being a feminist', so I get a little bit muddled. I find it to be a bit grey. Then if you say you are not a feminist that means that you're not pro-woman! I'm someone who's never enjoyed labels in the first place so I have a hard time with it - obviously."

"A lot of time the movies go, 'Well, the girls can fight as good as the boys,' and we just get fancier moves. But the reality is that when you come across an opponent and they have 100lbs of muscle on you and they're male, that's just not going to be an even fight. Susan Turner uses her intelligence as a weapon. She's constantly looking for what is available to her to even the playing field.

"Instead of the Hollywood version we've asked what is the reality of this? Honestly, I've trained with these guys and you are at a disadvantage physically and so you have to use your brains."

"We are more pro-active. We're not just along for the ride. Truthfully, with this film, I thought: 'This is a Tom Cruise film, a character he's done before, it's a sequel - maybe I'll get [to fight] the one guy that Tom didn't manage to take out himself!' But we get to see this woman and she's driving the car, she's the one breaking into buildings, and she's the one taking down people by herself. It's just a bit more equal now."

[Html##<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Respect to gender equality! Respect to the first female graduates of the notorious grueling Ranger School: <a href="https://t.co/1xPl1hGYru">https://t.co/1xPl1hGYru</a></p>— Eng.Yaqoob Al Shamsi (@yaqoobalshamsi) <a href="https://twitter.com/yaqoobalshamsi/status/775650950124019712">September 13, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##KeepInline##Id¬18v0bm]

"It's sad. I think the way to do it is just to keep making films that are good, and let the audience get comfortable with it. There are moments where that's obviously a very Hollywoodised version of reality, but for example, I'm playing a woman who is a major in the military. We decided that she would be a graduate of Ranger School [a very intense US Army leadership course]. There were no female graduates. But as soon as we started shooting, we heard that the first two female graduates ever had come out of Rangers.

"It was so wonderful to have this moment that wasn't Hollywoodised! We could have easily been like, 'She graduated Ranger School! She was top of her class at the Air Force Academy!' but it was so great to go, oh no, this is something that women have done in the world."

"These are both women who work in a man's world, have risen up in the ranks and who are both very capable. I think the stakes can get a little bit higher in The Avengers... !"

As to which of the two women is more badass, she reckons Susan Turner - "just because I've actually done it, but I think behind the scenes Maria Hill is doing just as much."

"I remember taking a self-defence class when I was 16 and of course I don't remember any of it. The most important thing is to take care of your body; to be fit and in shape. honestly, before this film I didn't exercise [regularly]. I know we all say that! I played football for 12 years but I would always trick myself into exercise, like by taking a dance class.

"Now I understand how important it is for your physical wellbeing and your mental well-being as well to have this moment of release by moving around. Self-defence helps with your confidence and if you ever find yourself in that type of situation you are more physically capable. When you have adrenalin and you're frightened, you're not going to remember this cool move you learned, you're just going to feel strong and able to get yourself out of that situation."

"It's a tough thing. I decided to not really talk about it with really any public or people that I didn't consider to be family or close friends. I feel like, when you're sick, so much of your health is linked to mental well-being and you choose the right time to talk about it when it's the right time for you.

"That's more from the perspective of someone in the public eye, but I also think it's important to talk about stuff and to not keep it in - and to seek help! It's important to be supported because a lot of times you don't think you need it, and then it turns out you do."

[Html##<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The amazing Pamela Fryman and <a href="https://twitter.com/CobieSmulders">@CobieSmulders</a> working out a little duet! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tbt?src=hash">#tbt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/himym?src=hash">#himym</a> <a href="https://t.co/qtRTm1QgZE">pic.twitter.com/qtRTm1QgZE</a></p>— David Baker (@DaveProps) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaveProps/status/743554738688397317">June 16, 2016</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>##KeepInline##Id¬134dss]

"Pamela Fryman [who directed all but 12 episodes of How I Met Your Mother] was a woman I really aspired to be, especially in showbusiness. She's extremely talented, she's extremely intelligent - but also the way she carries herself on set and within the industry as someone who is resepcted and who doesn't have to be a bitch. She just handles everything with such grace."

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is in cinemas now - read our review.