At first glance, this tweet from The Hollywood Reporter to an article about "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins seems innocent enough.
"Warner Bros. is gambling $150M with a filmmaker whose only prior big-screen credit was an $8M indie," the tweet reads. Taken at face value, sure, that seems to make sense. Putting someone at the helm of a $150-million project is naturally a risk-filled endeavor, no matter who you're talking about. And, yeah, when that's nearly 20 times as much money as that person's ever had to work with, it's a fair question to ask.
But if you look a little closer, you'll see there are three big mistakes in that sort of framing.
And of course it's worth reading the full article before you make a decision, but there's still something about the way the headline and tweet are set up that seems ... off.
Jenkins (right) and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
1. It's worth mentioning what that "$8M indie" was. In this case, it's pretty crucial to understanding the full story.
That $8-million indie film, written and directed by Jenkins, was called "Monster." It starred Charlize Theron, it won a bunch of awards, and oh yeah, it made $60 million worldwide. That's a pretty big deal.
Theron took home the award for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 76th Annual Academy Awards for her role in "Monster." Photo by Frank Micelotta/Getty Images.
Luckily, there were some helpful folks on Twitter happy to offer some alternative ways The Hollywood Reporter could have framed things.
2. It reinforces a lot of super negative attitudes and stereotypes about women in Hollywood and, well, pretty much everywhere.
In a recent interview, actress Anne Hathaway tried to unpack her own experiences with sexism — both on the giving and receiving end of it — discussing a time she struggled to trust a director because that director was a woman. Why was that her instinct? That's what she hopes to figure out.
What doesn't help, however, are messages that suggest women aren't capable of handling large projects like this, as though they didn't earn it. Again, on Twitter, some users replied to THR to point this out.
3. Similarly experienced men direct big-budget films all the time, but you don't see nearly as many stories about them being a "gamble" or "risk." Why is that?
Fandango movie critic Erik Davis unleashed an absolutely fire string of tweets highlighting other times studios have given big budget films to directors with pretty meager portfolios. There's just one big difference here, he pointed out: Jenkins is a woman.
Wonder Woman is getting phenomenal reviews (especially when you compare it to some of the less acclaimed DC Comics movies of the past several years), so one can hope Jenkins' success helps change people's perception of just what women are capable of.
And, really, if there's one movie to help change how we talk and think about women in the entertainment industry, there's really no better answer than "Wonder Woman."
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.
"Now your fishes will be warmed."
"To have one’s eyes lined with ham."
"To lay your head in water."
"Repetition teaches the donkey."
"I only understand train station."
"To speak directly from the liver."
"Horse horse, tiger tiger."
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Medusa image of giant squid in Gulf of Mexico off of Mississippi Gulf CoastPhoto credit: 
Sign warning against feeding alligators next to alligator in Mississippi marshlandsCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
Mississippi Gulf Coast beach in BiloxiCourtesy of Jacalyn Wetzel
2009 photo of giant squid caught in Gulf of Mexico near Mississippi GulfPhoto credit: 
Thank goodness this story has a happy ending.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."