Amy Poehler was never a Riot Grrrl. She says she wasn’t cool enough to be part of the scene popularized by bands like Bikini Kill. But the spirit of the ’90s feminist movement always resonated with her.
So it wasn’t a surprise that she found herself drawn to “ Moxie,” Jennifer Mathieu’s book about a quiet 16-year-old who gets inspired by her mother’s Riot Grrrl days (and a vintage leather jacket) to create a ’zine of her own to rail against the misogyny and racism in her high school. Her adaptation hits Netflix on Wednesday and, yes, Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna provided much of the music.
“It’s this really beautiful example of how YA can tackle these big feelings and big issues in a very human way. I loved how romantic it was, how sweet, how funny and complicated it was. I also enjoyed the way in which she talked about activism and the movement and finding your voice through different characters,” Poehler said.
“It was almost like each character was on the spectrum of trying to make real change happen. And you could use these characters to talk about something bigger, because at the end of the day, you don’t want your stuff to be feel like homework.”
Poehler has long been interested in inspiring the next generations of young women. In 2007 she founded a YouTube Channel dedicated to that mission. “Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls” is still going strong, too. Recently the Disability Project at the Transgender Law Center took over the page to discuss topics like decriminalizing disability.
On “Moxie,” she got to reach across the generational line in a different way and work with a cast of young, up-and-coming talents like Hadley Robinson, who plays the ’zine creator Vivian, and Alycia Pascual-Pena, as Lucy, the outspoken new girl in school who gets bullied by the school’s star athlete, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger.
“I am so inspired by the actors. I like the way they look at the world. We talk about this in the film, but sometimes when there’s some miles behind you, you have to unlearn things and you have to realize you don’t know you and things have changed,” Poehler said. “Young people remind you not to always accept the status quo. It’s not always comfortable, but growing is not usually a comfortable feeling all the time.”
Poehler brought activists and speakers to set to set the tone and help on days when sensitive subjects were being discussed. And everyone was excited to dive into the issues.
