How Thelma & Louise Redefined Hollywood’s Rules for Women On Screen

When Ridley Scott set out to direct Thelma & Louise in 1991, he put Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon front and center in a genre that had always belonged to men. The film ’s premise alone was a bold move, but the most eye-opening moment for Davis didn’t play out on camera. It happened behind closed doors, during a script read-through that would leave a lasting impression on her.

Breaking the Mold: A Script Meeting That Changed Everything

Davis and Sarandon sat down together to review the script, and Sarandon immediately began suggesting edits—cutting lines, shifting dialogue, and pointing out what felt right or wrong. Davis later described the experience in a 2016 interview with Emma Watson:

So I meet Susan, and she was amazing. We sit down to go through the script. I swear, I think it was page one, she says, ‘So my first line, I don’t think we need that line. Or we could put it on page two. Cut this…’ And I was just like… My jaw was to the ground.

It wasn’t the content of Sarandon’s feedback that stunned Davis—it was the confidence with which she voiced her opinions. Davis recalled:

Because she was just saying what she thought! [laughs] She was saying her opinion. Even though I was 34 or 35 or something. I was like, ‘People can do that? Women can actually just say what they think?’

It was an extraordinary experience to do that movie with her because every day was a lesson in how to just be yourself.

That candid exchange revealed why the film felt so different, not just in its story, but in the way it was made.

Hollywood ’s Gender Norms Turned Upside Down

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, major studio releases almost always revolved around male leads. Blockbusters like Top Gun, Rain Man, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade all followed men on their journeys, with women rarely taking center stage. Road movies, in particular, were dominated by stories of men seeking freedom or self-discovery, while female characters were often sidelined.

Thelma & Louise broke that pattern from the start. The narrative never shifted away from its two leads, never handed the reins to a male character, and never veered into a traditional romance. Thelma and Louise weren’t there to support someone else’s arc—they were the heart of the story.

What set them apart was how real they felt. They panicked, made mistakes, and acted on impulse—traits usually reserved for male protagonists in big-budget films. The movie gave them the space to be flawed and free, something rarely seen in Hollywood at the time.

Callie Khouri’s Vision: A Script That Let Women Lead

Much of the film’s impact can be traced to Callie Khouri’s screenplay, which took its time establishing the characters’ routines and limitations through subtle moments and quiet conversations. Early scenes showed Thelma stuck in her daily grind and Louise living with invisible boundaries, all before the story hit the open road.

As the plot unfolded, moments like the convenience store robbery were written to feel awkward and spontaneous, allowing Thelma’s character to evolve in real time. Even when the FBI entered the picture, the focus never drifted from the two women. The film’s iconic ending wasn’t a sudden twist, but a natural culmination built up throughout the story.

Khouri’s control over the narrative earned her the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1992, cementing Thelma & Louise as a landmark for women in film.

Legacy and Lasting Impact

Thelma & Louise premiered in the U.S. on May 24, 1991, with a cast that included Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, and Christopher McDonald. The film holds a 7.6/10 rating on IMDb and an 87% score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its influence is still felt today, as stories centered on women remain rare in Hollywood’s biggest productions.

Thelma & Louise is available to rent on Prime Video and Apple TV in the U.S.