Geena Davis Reflects on Early Critism Her Iconic Film ‘Thelma and Louise’ Faced

The 1991 classic is now hailed as a landmark in woman-driven storytelling, but its road to that status wasn't smooth. Geena Davis is revisiting the backlash the film endured — and the friendship that helped carry her through it.

Geena Davis, 70, is looking back on one of the most pivotal roles of her career in the 1991 road drama "Thelma & Louise." More than 30 years after the film's release, the longtime actress reflected on the criticism it faced when it first hit theaters.

During an appearance on "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" in an episode published last Monday, July 20, Davis recalled how some critics framed the movie as an attack on men, overlooking the story it set out to tell.

The film, directed by Ridley Scott, followed the two titular friends — played by Davis (Thelma) and Susan Sarandon (Louise) — whose weekend getaway spirals into a life on the run in the aftermath of a deadly confrontation.

While the film has since been celebrated as a groundbreaking story centered on female friendship and independence, Davis remembers that many early reactions were far less generous.

"A lot of the reviewers had a problem with it," she said. "A week after it came out, Susan and I were on the cover of Time. But there were two editorials denouncing the movie about 'how bad this is, this is a horrible idea,' and a lot of reviews were like, 'This is male-bashing.'"

Davis pushed back on that characterization, arguing that the narrative never excluded or vilified men despite the accusations surrounding its release. Instead, she pointed to the range of male roles woven throughout the story, saying, "There's seven important male characters."

She also noted that despite the criticism, the movie performed remarkably well, eventually earning an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. "It was really frowned on, but it didn't impact its success. People really liked it and it did well," she said.

Elsewhere in the conversation, Davis marveled at how effectively director Scott, 88, brought his vision to life in "Thelma & Louise."

She shared that just days before the interview, she had rewatched the film with friends and found herself repeatedly pointing out details that were unmistakably his touch.

"I was just so bowled over by everything he brought to it. There's so many details that I kept saying, 'That was Ridley's idea. That was Ridley. He did that,'" she said. "He brought such profound visual element to it, besides being a genius director."

Davis also spoke about her friendship with Sarandon, which has endured and remained strong ever since. The pair met while working together on "Thelma & Louise." At the time, Davis was still learning — or rather unlearning — the people-pleasing habits that took root in her childhood.

On the day they first met, the two actresses sat down with Scott to go over the script, since the filmmaker wanted to hear their input. Although Davis had a few ideas she wanted to raise, she admitted she kept holding back, searching for "the girliest way possible" to voice them.

She ultimately decided to save her thoughts for the set — until Sarandon spoke up first. "Susan says, 'Ridley, you know what? My first line here, I don't think we need it. Or we could put it in the next scene... ' And he was like, 'Yeah, sure,'" Davis recalled.

"And I was literally like, 'What is she doing? What's this?' How did she just do that? Why? How come she didn't find out first how he'd react or something? And the whole day was like that."

"The whole experience and then the entire movie was like that," she continued. "I had never been in the presence of a woman who doesn't apologize for existing ever. And everybody loved her."

"She changed my life more than anybody," Davis said. "We're still ride or die."