2014 Honoree

Betsy Brandt

Actor; ‘Feeding America’ activist

“I don’t know if anyone is treated fairly in the media–-men or women.”

Who inspires you the most?

My kids.

What do you now know about yourself that you wish you knew ten/fifteen/twenty years ago?

I don’t like to accept ‘no’ and when I was younger I wish I understood that ‘no’ can be a good thing.

Fill in the blank: You can never have enough _______.

Friends.

What City best describes your personality?

That’s a tough one, depends on my mood.

What gets you through even the toughest days and what are you most grateful for?

My family and a nice glass of wine.

What socio-political women’s issue do you care about the most? Do you feel that women are typically presented fairly in the media? Why or why not?

I don’t know if anyone is treated fairly in the media – men or women. But yes, I do think it’s harder for women with different amounts of pressure. It’s funny – I think about this more than I normally would because of my daughter and I want her to feel that she can not only want to do whatever she desires, but can do whatever she wants.

Despite separation between Church & State, religion still seems to govern decisions regarding women – abortions, birth control, etc. How do we shift power over women’s bodies to women?

We just need to stop it. Women should be able to get birth control regardless of the pharmacist’s religious belief. That’s just a right.

What is your best read? Favorite character you would most like to be?

My best read is Anna Karenina, I just loved reading that book. I also love reading about the Lost Generation and I would like to play Sara Murphy.

What will it take for women to be viewed as equal to men?

We need to view them that way. I honestly think that a lot of these issues – viewed equally, paid equally – I think we’re there; we just haven’t caught up to ourselves yet.

What was your best decision to date? Worst decision?

Best… marrying my husband. I try not to hang onto worst type scenarios. One of things I’ve questioned is not going to NYU because I didn’t want to take out the loans, and every once in a while I think about it, but then I wouldn’t have met my husband and my career would have been different. I’m really happy with the way things have worked out.