Caitlin Durante

Photo courtesy of Genevieve Marie

Caitlin Durante is co-host of The Bechdel Cast and host of Sludge. Follow her on Twitter here, follow The Bechdel Cast on Twitter here, and follow Sludge on Twitter here. Learn about her amazing screenwriting class here!

Kindly introduce yourself and The Bechdel Cast.
My name is Caitlin Durante, I'm a comedian and writer and co-host of the Bechdel Cast, a podcast that examines the representation and portrayal of women in film. Historically, it's not been great. Jamie Loftus and I plus guests analyze a different movie each week and usually tear it apart. We've ruined a lot of movies for a lot of people.

Tell us about how the show came about.
The kernel of the idea came about many years ago when I was trying to figure out a Halloween costume, and I was complaining about how there are so few distinguishable female movie characters. It got me thinking about how abysmally women have been treated in film throughout time, and I decided to start a podcast about it, especially since I felt it would help me reconcile loving so many problematic movies. I emailed Jamie, who I had known from doing comedy in Boston, and asked if she'd be interested in partnering with me on the podcast. She was very down. Then I emailed Aristotle and asked him how to start a podcast; he loved the idea and told us he'd record for us. Two or three months later, we started releasing episodes. It all came together very easily and quickly.

What do you hope The Bechdel Cast does for people?
I hope it encourages people to think critically about the media they consume. We always say, you're allowed to love whatever movies you love, even if they're wildly problematic, but we want people to be aware of how media has influenced their thinking and reinforced things like rigid gender roles and toxic masculinity. And we also just want to entertain people; we're comedians and we want to make people laugh. 

How has your opinion of The Bechdel Test changed over the course of you doing this show?
Ha, I'm actually finding the Test to be less and less useful, at least for me. It's a great tool for people who are just getting their feet wet in terms of noticing the generally poor representation of women in media, but there are so many other conversations to have, so much deeper you can dive when it comes to this topic. Which we do on the podcast. The Bechdel Test has become more of an after thought for me these days... sometimes I even forgot to pay attention to whether or not a movie passes LOL.

Does Alison Bechdel know about the show? Will she ever be a guest?
I truly have no idea if she knows about us. I have to imagine she does by now, but we've never corresponded with her. We'd be absolutely delighted to have her as a guest, but I think there's always been this fear of "what if she finds out about the show and tells us to stop"? But I don't think that would happen; she seems cool as hell. If I found out about The Durante Cast, I would be very flattered. 

You are famously team Wet Scabs, am as I. But sometimes when I hear Jamie defending team Dry Scabs (cards shuffling,) I feel like I could be swayed. But I never am! Do you ever waver on your position over this controversial topic? Are more people team Dry or Wet Scabs?
I was almost not going to answer this question, but you seem so curious about the answer so here goes! For those who don't know, on the podcast, we often speculate about the consistency of Beetlejuice's cum. There's no question about it -- he cums scabs, but are they wet or dry? Jamie, as you said, is vehemently Team Dry Scabs, whereas I am correct, so I am Team Wet Scabs. I would never waver from this stance. Surprisingly, our fans are split pretty evenly down the middle. Of course, there are those who think this is the grossest conversation of all time. And they are not wrong. 

You also hosted a show called The Sludge Podcast. Tell us about how that podcast came to be.
Sludge: An American Healthcare Story is my podcast about how I was diagnosed with "sludge" at the ER after I went in with excruciating abdominal pain. I was later discovered to have gallstones, and the podcast details my very difficult and frustrating experience trying to get treatment. Season 2 of the podcast comes out soon, in which I chat with other folks who have had similar healthcare horror stories. I'm trying to shed more light on how broken and biased the American healthcare system is. I'm fun!

If you were going to have another show, don't worry about anyone liking it or any of the logistics. What would it be?
It would be a podcast about Paddington called "Poddington." Nobody steal this please; it's mine and I'm going to do it someday!

If someone doesn't love Paddington 2, tell them why they are wrong.
Well, I'm trying to channel my inner Paddington, and I don't think Paddington would tell someone they are wrong. He's much too kind and polite. That being said, Paddington 2 is the best movie ever made and if you disagree, I will fight you. It's so funny, the story is so tight and well crafted, it looks beautiful, and the characters are so delightful. You will cry at least twice. It's an allegory for prison reform, for crying out loud!! Not to mention Hugh Grant's performance. I have a Master's degree in Screenwriting from Boston University (which I don't like to mention) so I know what I'm talking about!

Thanks, Caitlin!