SheKnows Exclusive Interview with Rory Kennedy - Daughter of Robert Kennedy Discusses...

SheKnows Exclusive Interview with Rory Kennedy - Daughter of Robert Kennedy
Discusses Her Latest Documentary on Legendary White House Reporter Helen
Thomas, Airing Mon. August 18 on HBO

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- SheKnows.com
(http://www.SheKnows.com), one of the fastest growing online destinations for
women, speaks with Robert F. Kennedy daughter, Rory Kennedy, in an exclusive
interview discussing her latest documentary, Thank You Mr. President, on White
House mainstay Helen Thomas, which will air Mon., August 18 on HBO.
As the youngest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, Rory Kennedy could have
chartered any number of career courses. The call of providing a voice to those
with none was too much to ignore. Kennedy has emerged as one of this
generation's leading documentary filmmakers. The Emmy award-winner's latest
film profiles a woman whose voice is, ironically, one of presidential
journalism's most vocal.
Thank You Mr. President chronicles former United Press International
Washington Bureau Chief Helen Thomas' breaking into The Gridiron Club. The
organization was founded in 1865 and is the oldest and most exclusive group of
inner-circle journalists covering American politics. Until Thomas, women were
forbidden from joining. President Kennedy saw to end that for Thomas and now
the president's niece is documenting the famed journalist's 60-year career.
Kennedy sat down with SheKnows to discuss Thank You Mr. President and how
Thomas' story in the hands of this gifted filmmaker with a family tree rooted
in American political history, is a match made in heaven.
SheKnows: As a documentary filmmaker, you could tackle any number of
subjects or issues, why Helen?
Rory Kennedy: She has a life worth documenting. She has a compelling
personal story coming from immigrants who were illiterate who had a strong
commitment to telling the truth. She moved to Washington not knowing anyone,
rising to the top of her profession as a woman during a time when very few
women were in a position to have such success. She was a trailblazer on so
many fronts. She was the first woman who was a member of the Gridiron Club,
the famous Washington press club. Helen broke through that so now you see a
lot of women in the press in very prominent roles. That's in part because of
Helen Thomas.
SheKnows: Rory, you illustrate her ability to ask the tough questions
probably no more effectively so then when she confronts President George W.
Bush about his actions leading to the Iraq War. She was essentially banned
from the White House press corps afterwards.
Rory Kennedy: Well, it was in the material. I will say that (laughs). It
wasn't hard to find. There was a great moment when we had a premiere screening
in Washington a few weeks ago. Marlon Fitzwater (press secretary to President
Bush, Sr.) and Joe Lockhart (press secretary for President Clinton) were on
stage talking about Helen. They all said the same thing. Each would always go
into these presidential press conferences and ask the president beforehand,
'What is Helen Thomas going to ask?' The idea that this woman that has been
doing this for so many years is terrorizing these presidents and their press
secretaries is a wonderful story in and of itself. Bush got her pushed out.
It's in the material.
SheKnows: The world recently lost Tim Russert, another journalist known
for asking tough questions, what is your favorite question that Helen ever
asked of a president? Is it her scathing inquisition of President Bush?
Rory Kennedy: There's that great moment with Nixon during Watergate in the
film where he compliments her for being the first female head of UPI. She just
stands up and goes right into him about the tapes and Watergate (laughs).
That's a great moment, but there are so many others just like it through her
life. The film is driven by what she says and what has happened over the last
50 years. I think that's the story that really needed to be told here is this
quality that she has of asking those hard questions.
SheKnows: Covering the president was the ultimate boys' club. It was such
a joy to see her pierce through that in your film. With the era of President
Kennedy and the dawn of television coverage of the White House, she really
served as a role model. Was that a goal or did the story make that happen?
Rory Kennedy: It wasn't as far as I can tell. I asked her about that. She
wanted to do her job the best she could. Often, being a woman stood in the way
of her getting access to the president. Whenever there was an obstacle like
that, she wanted to figure a way around it. I don't think she felt some
obligation to help women, although she is proud of that accomplishment. It was
really because she wanted to get her job done. Women couldn't get into the
Gridiron Club and the president came to the Gridiron Club. She wanted to be
near the president. She said to President Kennedy, 'they're not letting women
in here.' So President Kennedy said, 'if you can't go, I'm not going to go.'
Then the Gridiron Club felt that if the president's not here, they don't have
a purpose. We have to let the president in so we have to let women in too. It
was a very tactical issue for her.
SheKnows: For you as a Kennedy, given the fact it took a president with
conviction to get women into the press club, what does it mean to you
personally the president we're speaking of is your uncle?
Rory Kennedy: It was fun to talk to her because she had so many stories.
There are so many stories I've heard, books I've read and insights from
various people, but it was wonderful to get another perspective from somebody
who had interacted with him from a very particular point of view. She had her
own insights. She had stories I hadn't heard before, for one, it turns out
he's her favorite president. Which I can understand why! She had very fond
memories and I can understand why she felt that he was one of the greatest
presidents and certainly her favorite of any she's covered.
SheKnows: There are any number of avenues you could have perused
professionally, what was it about filmmaking, but particularly documentary
filmmaking, that so appealed to you that you made a life out of it?
Rory Kennedy: I started making documentaries after I graduated from
college. I had never made documentaries before or taken any classes. I was
interested in social activism and I felt like people were increasingly getting
their information from mainstream media, but that the mainstream media wasn't
covering the stories fully. At that time, there were a number of stories on
women who were having crack babies. I was writing a paper on it and found out
that many had tried to get treatment, but they couldn't get into these
programs because they discriminated against women. I saw the mainstream
media's coverage and their lives were so totally different than what we were
hearing. If you could allow them to get out and have a forum to actually tell
their stories, you could hopefully expand the dialogue, deepen the
understanding and maybe even, change policy. I decided to make a documentary
about them and I just loved the experience. I learned so much about myself and
their world. I love creating a film and a story. I have felt very lucky to
pursue this career for the last 20 years.

Full Interview at: SheKnows.com
(http://www.sheknows.com/articles/805268.htm)

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