This Reporter Is Gunning for the Weirdest Sexist Question in TIFF History

A Toronto International Film Festival reporter is in the running for the weirdest sexist question at TIFF after an exchange between him and Kate Winslet recently resurfaced.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for female filmmakers and actors to be asked bizarre and uncomfortable questions by reporters. One would think that journalists granted the honor of attending film festivals, screenings, and press tours would carry themselves with quite a bit of professionalism. While countless reporters do just that, the allure of embarrassing a woman or nabbing a sensational headline seems to drive many to ask inappropriate and ludicrous questions.

Earlier this year, Brie Larson was left confused after she was singled out on a panel at Cannes and asked what she specifically thought of Johnny Depp’s movie being shown at the film festival. It wasn’t necessarily an inappropriate question, but its intentions were highly questionable, considering Larson was the only person at the festival who was asked about Depp.

That instance just barely scratches the surface of what women experience with the press. Many actresses have had to shut down interviews or reporters after being asked wildly inappropriate questions ranging from how many men they’ll be leaving an awards show with to what underwear they’re wearing under their costumes. However, this unhinged TIFF reporter’s question might top them all.

TIFF reporter leaves Kate Winslet shocked with bizarre question

A TIFF reporter’s bizarre exchange with Winslet resurfaced recently after the Female Quotient shared the clip in a viral TikTok video. The video starts with the reporter asking, “I’m wondering whether you think women are really just looking for a man to come in and save them?” Winslet’s expression quickly turns to one of pure confusion because what in the world does that question mean?

He also posed it as more of a statement than a question. Her colleague, Jason Reitman, piped up at the end, equating the question to asking, “Do women just want to be tied up, Kate?” Unfortunately, though, that first question wasn’t the end of the exchange.

The reporter then proceeded to ask Winslet what she thought Reitman was thinking when he made the film Labor Day. Particularly, does Winslet think Reitman had some kind of special insight into “women having and then being denied children.” This question was asked with Reitman sitting inches away from Winslet, but sure, let’s ask what she thinks Reitman thinks about women having children and whether she thinks what Reitman thinks is accurate.

Winslet’s face kept growing more and more shocked as the questioning continued. Once it finished, she asked in disbelief, “Is that all for me?” When the audience laughed, she had to clarify that she was genuinely asking if that line of questioning was actually all for her, given how unbelievable it was. She then immediately asked if she could refrain from answering it before Reitman jumped in to defend her, pointing out that every woman in the audience was laughing at the reporter’s strange questions.

Winslet reacted in the only manner she knew how because it was unclear if there even was a question in those random statements. It seemed more like a roundabout way of trying to get Winslet to admit that women, as Reitman put it, like being tied up or in any other traumatic situation that would require a man to “save them.” The second question must have been because men, apparently, have far superior insight into women having children than women do. Hopefully, the embarrassment will prevent that reporter from asking similar unhinged questions to women in the future, and the incident can remind other male reporters what questions not to ask women.

(featured image: Kevin Winter / Getty)