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Being the only girl in an all-boys game is no easy feat. Stefani Robinson, the only female writer for Donald Glover’s FX hit series, Atlanta, describes her experience as “bittersweet.”
“I’m so happy to be the woman in the space, because I think that it’s so rare in Hollywood for a woman, especially a woman of color, to exist in these spaces,” the ATL native told The Wrap. “So on the one hand, I’m grateful and I think it’s so important and I feel so blessed. But on the other hand, you always wish there was more than one.”
Robinson says that as the only female writer, a lot of pressure is put on her by viewers to make sure the female point of view is heard, but it’s not that easy.
“I become the lightning rod for the females’ perspective,” the 26-year-old said. “I’m just one person, and I’m here, and it’s a different perspective and I’m championing this and I’m happy to be in this space. But I think when you are the only one of anything you are suddenly the voice for everyone. And it’s such a hard place to be in and, I think, not a fair place to be in. There need to be more women everywhere, to be honest.”
Being the only female writer doesn’t define Robinson’s role on the writing team, as she also writes for male characters. In fact, having her play a role in the development of all the characters is something that she says Donald Glover encourages.
“Donald recognizes I’m the only woman, but I don’t think he’s comfortable making that my ‘thing.’ But I will say if you are a writer worth your salt, you will do the research. If you are a man, you will speak to women and involve as many women or female voices as possible to inform a character. And the same thing with me writing male characters.”
Read The Wrap’s Emmy Issue here.
