Did you know that Greta Gerwig once had her applications turned down by every graduate school?

Director Greta Gerwig is a versatile genius who has had a huge influence, breaking Hollywood traditions and introducing new ideas. There aren’t nearly enough female voices in the business, as Gerwig has consistently shown in her unwavering quest of gender equality, and her film reflects this as well.

The celebrated director has had an enduring impression on the movie business, starting with her directing debut, Lady Bird, and her most recent partnership with the Barbie brand. The forty-year-old director has further cemented her status as an exceptional and gifted filmmaker by earning nominations for Academy Awards throughout her career.

Although everyone is aware of Gerwig’s brilliance now, the filmmaker previously had to deal with rejections from graduate programs. She sent applications to several renowned graduate programs, but was rejected from Yale, Juilliard, and NYU.

“Every graduate program I applied to rejected me. “I applied to Yale, Juilliard, and NYU as a playwright and received a universal ‘No thanks,'” she said in a 2016 podcast interview for “Employee of the Month.” She nonetheless continued to pursue her goals in spite of the rejection and joined the indie cinema industry. The next year, Gerwig co-wrote and co-starred in Joe Swanberg’s Hanna Takes the Stairs.

The director later reminisced about her graduate school rejections in a CNBC interview, to which she said, “I don’t know.” They made a mistake, in my opinion. Though Greta was turned down by prestigious graduate programs, she has gone on to become one of Hollywood’s most successful filmmakers, having had three of her films nominated for Best Picture Oscars. She has previously received nominations for Little Women (2019) and Lady Bird (2017). Little Women received a nomination in the Best Picture category, whereas Lady Bird received two nominations—one each for Best Director and Best Picture.

Barbie, which was helmed by Greta Gerwig, became the highest-grossing picture ever directed by a woman and one of the top successes of 2023. The movie, which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, follows Barbie as she makes a significant life decision.

After winning a few accolades, the movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Barbie won the Best Original Song Oscar at the 2024 Oscars with Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For.”