In the startup world, I’ve had investors interrupt my pitch to tell me my market assumptions were off. In the film world, I’ve been told my script was “beautifully written” with “so much potential.” Guess which one helped me grow?
There’s an epidemic of kindness in Hollywood…and not the good kind. It’s the overly polished, reputation-protecting, vague-flattery kind. And while it might keep red carpets civil and relationships intact, it’s quietly suffocating emerging talent.
We all know the coded phrases.
“It’s not for us, but you’re clearly talented.”
“We’re looking for something a little more commercial right now.”
“You should definitely keep writing!”
None of these are lies, exactly. But they’re not truths either. They’re dodgeball. And the target is growth.
The Culture of Cowardice
What frustrates me most is that this lack of candor isn’t out of cruelty, it’s out of fear. Executives, reps, and even collaborators are terrified of burning bridges. One bad interaction can make the rounds faster than your sizzle reel. So everyone plays nice, even when they shouldn’t.
It’s the exact opposite of what you’ll find in the business world, where direct feedback is part of the culture. Not because it’s mean, but because it saves time. It builds better products. It helps founders learn from failure faster. In business, brutal honesty is an act of respect. In film, it’s treated like sabotage.
A Broken Feedback Loop
Aspiring filmmakers walk away from pitch meetings confused. Did they like it? Hate it? Are they just busy? Is the silence a soft “no” or a scheduling issue? You can’t iterate when the data is fake. You can’t improve a script if the only feedback you get is, “Keep going! You’ve got something here!”
Worse, this vague politeness breeds false hope. It wastes years. And it creates an environment where the only way to learn is to fail privately, over and over, until you can guess what people really meant all along.
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We Deserve Better Feedback
I’m not saying we should start name-dropping bad actors or roasting scripts on YouTube (unless… no, wait, maybe later). But we should normalize clear, candid feedback, especially for emerging voices. If something isn’t working, say it. If it’s not a fit, explain why. If you’re passing because the lead character doesn’t have an arc, just say that.
Hollywood has enough mystique. Let’s stop making constructive criticism another unsolvable puzzle.
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